By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    back pain
    No More Aches! A Guide To Effective Back Pain Relief
    March 28, 2024
    workplace first aid
    First Aid Training Can Improve Workplace Health & Safety
    June 27, 2024
    U.S. Drug Shortage Crisis Creates Greater Health Risks
    September 4, 2024
    Latest News
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    2/365 teenage pregnancy
    Make IUDs and Implants More Affordable and Accessible for Teens
    September 25, 2012
    Health Insurance Coverage for Legal Immigrants in Massachusetts: Doing the Right Thing and the Smart Thing
    January 7, 2012
    Image
    Terminating the Doctor-Patient Relationship …
    December 21, 2012
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Consumer Genomic Testing Challenges Physicians to Stay Within the Guidelines
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Consumer Genomic Testing Challenges Physicians to Stay Within the Guidelines
DiagnosticsGlobal HealthcareHealth ReformMedical InnovationsTechnology

Consumer Genomic Testing Challenges Physicians to Stay Within the Guidelines

Caroline Popper
Caroline Popper
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Practice guidelines help physicians and other health care providers deliver consistent and information-based medical advice to their patients. But health care is changing radically: Genomic testing costs dipping below $2,000, patients and consumers accessing information over the web and even ordering tests for themselves, and the general awareness of genetic information in treatment decisions, are all factors at the base of this sea of change.

Practice guidelines help physicians and other health care providers deliver consistent and information-based medical advice to their patients. But health care is changing radically: Genomic testing costs dipping below $2,000, patients and consumers accessing information over the web and even ordering tests for themselves, and the general awareness of genetic information in treatment decisions, are all factors at the base of this sea of change. These dynamics are leading to greater consumer demand for this personalized genomic information, and possibly to consideration of health care options based on that information.

How do we balance guidelines focused on standardizing physician behavior with individual consumer demands for testing?

A new study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of Michigan has begun to plumb the depth of this new consumer interest in genomics. The Personal Genomics (PGen) study is one of the first interdisciplinary inquiries to examine why people want genomic testing now. It will survey 1,000 volunteers. Then, physicians, scientists, attorneys, genetic counselors, psychologists and bioethicists – many of whom hope the study will guide public policy and business practices in this area – will analyze the results.

More Read

Tri-Care Formularies To Be Listed on Epocrates
4th Annual FDA/MTLI Medical Device and IVD Statistics Workshop (Event)
Incidence and Prevalence of Morbid Obesity
These Healthy Gifts For Your Mom Will Make Great Mother’s Day Presents
Putting the Brakes on Health Care Costs

Knowing what is in your genome can empower patients, further reinforcing their role as “consumers of health care.” This new power, then, would – in theory – drive their demand for more tailored care. Earlier studies found that the earliest adopters of genetic testing were simply satisfying a vague curiosity; today, however, we do not know precisely why subsequent waves of consumers are interested in testing.

As life science industry strategists who are also healthcare professionals and consumers, we at Popper and Company are wondering whether the rise of the empowered consumer will or will not be accompanied by a commensurate with a rise in consumer knowledge of genetics. We are also thinking about how this new consumer will interact with potentially less information-empowered health care providers, and how this interaction might impact health care delivery within current care guidelines and standards and the historic doctor-patient relationship.

How well are consumers internalizing the information provided by genomic tests? Why are they demanding it, and what are they looking for? How can physicians weave this new demand into their practice? How can a win-win situation be created? How do physicians and patients become comfortable with concepts of “relative risk” and “probability”? What opportunities and responsibilities for a broad education do test developers bear? What does all of this mean to those of you developing the tests? Are the disciplines of human behavior, biology and assay development about to converge? Share your thoughts with us. 

 

This post was originally published on the Popper and Co blog.

TAGGED:consumer genomics testinggenomics
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025
a woman giving a key
How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
Health
July 16, 2025
a woman with kinesio tapes on her back arm
How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Worldwide Spine Surgery 2011: Products, Technologies, Markets & Opportunities, 2010-2020

June 14, 2011

Reference Pricing and the Role of the Government

November 12, 2013
VA healthcare
BusinessHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic HealthTechnology

How Technology Could Solve VA Healthcare Issues

June 14, 2014

How to Market New Technology to Existing Patients

April 6, 2016
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?