VIable

NDHI
NAT IONAL DIALOGUE FOR
Healthcare Innovation
• Research collaborations, such as the Genomic
Health Initiative and The DoDoNA Project
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Patients learn about how they can participate
in the Genomic Health Initiative through the
NorthShoreConnect online portal or mobile app
Value Delivered
• The Center for Personalized Medicine enables
NorthShore to:
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Proactively determine patients’ risk levels for
various diseases and conditions
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Customize prevention and treatment based on
this information
• NorthShore is uniquely positioned to apply personalized
medicine findings to care delivery
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Unlike larger academic provider systems, North-
Shore treats the majority of its patients across
the care continuum
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Having data from all patient encounters enables
NorthShore to create actionable care plans
based on personalized medicine findings
• Personalized medicine is likely to impact care for
the majority of patients
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Of patients receiving pharmacogenomics testing
at NorthShore, 97% of patients had at least one
genetic variation that could lead to a possible
change in physician prescribing behavior
Path Forward
Today, genomics is primarily used to determine if a
patient has a certain disease or condition. As scientists’
understanding of genomics expands, physicians are
increasingly utilizing genomics to tell patients about
risks for developing diseases, as well as risks associated
with the use of specific drugs.
However, the impact of this type of care coordination
has not yet been studied in depth, as insurers are not
The Value of Personalized Medicine
A 13-year-old patient with depression and anxiety
had been unsuccessfully treated with 5 medications
in an 18 month period, including several
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
It was clear that the medications were not only
ineffective, but also worsening her symptoms.
NorthShore employed pharmacogenomics (PGX)
testing in order to identify genes that may have
negatively impacted the patient’s ability to metabolize
drugs. The testing determined that SSRIs,
Abilify, and Effexor are likely to cause side effects
without benefitting the patient. Instead, serotonin
and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
like Cymbalta should be prescribed.
As a result, the patient has now been stable on
Cymbalta and Latuda for over 12 months. The
results demonstrate that PGX testing can dramatically
improve patient quality of life and enable
cost-effective care planning.
covering all tests for genetic risk factors. While some
tests are well-covered, particularly inherited cancer risk
panels, other more novel areas such as pharmacogenetics
tests are not. To address this issue, NorthShore
promotes changes to healthcare payment models that
incentivize insurers to assess the long-term value of
services.
In the coming months, NorthShore aims to implement
personalized medicine strategies broadly across the
entire health system, fulfilling a vision to provide personalized
medicine at the front lines of care—rapidly
and systematically. This includes sending patients a
genetic screening guide prior to care appointments,
and directing patients with family histories of certain
diseases to conduct genetic testing prior to their
appointments. NorthShore believes that this proactive
and personalized approach to medicine has the
potential to greatly increase the value of healthcare
delivery by improving patient outcomes and reducing
overall costs.
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