Tag: 2bPrecise

AccessDX Holdings Acquires 2bPrecise

AccessDX Holdings, an international provider of advanced laboratory diagnostic solutions, has acquired 2bPrecise from Allscripts Healthcare Solutions. A recognized leader and innovator in healthcare informatics, 2bPrecise enables organizations to amplify their precision medicine strategies by delivering point-of-care insights so providers can identify patients at risk for heritable conditions, arrive at precise diagnoses more quickly and initiate optimal therapies more quickly.

2bPrecise will join the AccessDX portfolio of industry-leading diagnostics, software and services, including the MedTek21 software platform which facilitates diagnostic-based clinical decision support, compliance and program analytics for thousands of care organizations, patient groups and providers. The combined strengths of AccessDX and 2bPrecise ensure meaningful insights will be accessible within the clinical workflow of any EHR, while helping organizations streamline virtually all aspects of establishing and supporting precision medicine programs.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the 2bPrecise team and platform as we execute on our combined vision for democratizing the use, interpretation and delivery of advanced diagnostic solutions at the point of care,” said Joe Spinelli, SVP of product & strategy for AccessDX. “Combined, our worldwide organization will be able to accelerate the pace of innovation and best serve the needs of healthcare organizations that continue to expand their adoption of actionable precision medicine solutions.”

Utilization of genetic and genomic data is accelerating across nearly all clinical specialties, perhaps most notably in behavioral health/psychiatry, neonatology and pediatrics, oncology and cardiology. Providers can arrive at precise diagnoses faster and initiate effective treatments sooner when genetic and genomic information is available and actionable. Providers, payers and clinical organizations alike agree that the ability to seamlessly access information within their clinical workflow is key to precision-medicine success.

“AccessDX is a genuine leader in genomic information management. Our collective capabilities will serve as a force multiple for the practical utilization of precision medicine,” said Assaf Halevy, founder and CEO of 2bPrecise. “With a unified mission to drive dimensional change in healthcare, the combined talents and energy of 2bPrecise and AccessDX will compound acceleration in delivering on our vision of intelligent, personalized care for the good of healthcare organizations and the patients they serve.”

Trends To Look For In 2021

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When the COVID-19 pandemic first began affecting the United States, the entire healthcare industry moved swiftly to leverage existing technology and practices to meet the intensive demands of the global health crisis. Amid this incredibly tumultuous year, however, the healthcare community has also been able to actively develop new solutions and approaches to address some of the biggest problems we face, both related to the pandemic and beyond.

We connected with some of the leading voices in health IT to find out what they considered to be the biggest innovations of the past year and how they expect the landscape will continue to evolve in 2021, from advances in patient experience to greater public health data connectivity and more widespread digitization.

Dr. Art Papier, CEO and co-founder, VisualDx

We saw prolific adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions throughout 2020, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, provider organizations leveraged chatbots and other rudimentary virtual symptom screening tools to decrease infection spread and address patients’ care needs without placing even more burden on the workforce. As we continue living in a global health crisis, we will see more provider organizations leveling up AI-enabled capabilities to help manage patient volumes as they ebb and flow during COVID-19 surges. Specifically, we will see providers bringing mature, AI-driven diagnostic tools into the exam room to provide reliable “second opinions” on demand.

As providers work to address the pandemic, they will also adjust their practice of medicine to better meet the needs of their BIPOC patients. In 2020, COVID-19 and racial injustice has highlighted serious racial disparities and underscored how important it is for health leaders to improve diagnostic accuracy and outcomes for traditionally disadvantaged populations. In 2021, I predict we will see greater inclusion and representation of patients of color in our medical education curricula and resources, clinical trials, and pool of medical students and residents.

Jeff Fallon, CEO, eVideon

2020 will be remembered for many things but in terms of healthcare information technology (HIT), it was the year of telehealth. 2021 will be the year that patients, providers, and payers blow the doors off the idea that “virtual” equals “video doctor’s appointments.” Virtual HIT enabling doctors and nurses to do their rounds virtually from down the hospital hall or the other side of the world will grow in popularity. It’ll be the year that hospital bedside patient engagement technology demonstrates its tremendous value in enabling higher quality and satisfaction from a pandemic-safe distance. We’ll also begin to see an increase of terrific HIT solutions integrating with the data plumbing that is an EHR to finally give nurses new efficiency and satisfaction.

Laurie Peters, HIE client director, Orion Health

As we look forward to 2021, healthcare IT will see a continued focus on the COVID-19 pandemic response, including the highly anticipated roll out of a vaccine. Vaccine administration is a key component of an effective pandemic response plan at both a local and state level. Health information exchanges (HIEs) have the ability to ingest and leverage data, including demographic information, from individual access points of care across the health system and will play a critical role in matching the COVID-19 vaccine data to the correct patient.  HIEs also have the potential to streamline the reporting of individual vaccination information to the state for analytics. Harnessing this technology to accurately track vaccine data in near real time will provide crucial insight around who has been immunized and who hasn’t; who has received which vaccine and any side effects in the event that multiple vaccines are available; the ability to target under serviced populations and support ongoing resource planning as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times.

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Understanding and Overcoming Barriers To Precision Medicine

By Assaf Halevy, founder and CEO, 2bPrecise, LLC.

Few healthcare leaders doubt that insights made available through precision medicine and genomics have the potential to vastly improve care and outcomes.

Assaf Halevy

But the industry struggles to overcome numerous barriers that, at first glance, seem to obstruct providers’ ability to fully leverage precision medicine. There is no question that obstacles exist, but a well-considered strategy can help providers move quickly down a forward path.

Let us consider the six primary obstacles to leveraging precision medicine to its fullest:

Provider education and expertise. Precision medicine, as an influencer at the point of care, is a nascent discipline. Few physicians practicing today were thoroughly educated in genomics (the depth of training is increasing, however, according to a 2017 article in the Association of American Medical Colleges News). Physicians find themselves in a position of educating themselves quickly, especially as the FDA approves more targeted immunotherapies and treatments. In addition, because of the rise of direct-to-consumer tests, patients themselves are demanding doctors factor this information into their clinical decision making.

Slow-to-change standards of care. Without a doubt, delivery of healthcare must be evidence-based. Genomic science has introduced so many advances in such a short period of time, however, that many physicians remain bound by approaches rapidly becoming outdated. The industry must find ways to deliver new findings into the clinical workflow reliably and quickly, so providers can utilize the best approach in each patient encounter.

Limited time to process new data. Physicians are already presented with more data than they can effectively manage. Genomics represents an entirely new and voluminous data set. To deliver any value, this information must be rendered useful and readily available within the EHR. Access must be smooth and seamless so physicians are not forced to leave their workflow to hunt for relevant insights.

Foreign nomenclature. Currently, genomic results are returned in PDFs (not as discrete data), rendered in vocabulary common to genomic researchers and scientists. It must be “translated” into meaningful clinical nomenclature and then integrated into the current workflow to be fully useable.

Regulatory and liability concerns. Genomic results do not represent a snapshot in time the way phenotypical information might. A patient’s genetic variant could impact care decisions well into the future as the individual’s condition changes and genomic science advances. How does a provider store and manage genomic data, making sure that its very existence does not create liability issues in the years ahead?

Lack of or sluggish reimbursement. Payer policies and guidelines lag behind discoveries related to precision medicine. What reimbursement exists varies greatly from payer to payer and is founded on disparate understandings of medical necessity. While payment is becoming more common, physicians nevertheless must consider the financial impact of ordering a genomic test – and what they will do if the results indicate that an expensive or uncommon treatment is the best choice for a particular patient.

Innovation and Strategy Key to Success

While these issues are complex, they are not insurmountable. Savvy healthcare leaders are establishing precision medicine strategies today in recognition that the landscape will become only more complicated.

Visionaries and early adopters are implementing scalable informatics infrastructure as the backbone of their precision medicine initiatives. Many of the obstacles above can be addressed by an enterprise-spanning platform that:

The future of healthcare has been made more exciting because of precision medicine and genomics. With a well-considered strategy, healthcare leaders can begin to leverage value today and prepare themselves to be successful for years to come.

Understanding and Overcoming Barriers To Precision Medicine

By Assaf Halevy, founder and CEO, 2bPrecise.

Assaf Halevy

Few healthcare leaders doubt that insights made available through precision medicine and genomics have the potential to vastly improve care and outcomes.

But the industry struggles to overcome numerous barriers that, at first glance, seem to obstruct providers’ ability to fully leverage precision medicine. There is no question that obstacles exist, but a well-considered strategy can help providers move quickly down a forward path.

Let us consider the six primary obstacles to leveraging precision medicine to its fullest:

  1. Provider education and expertise. Precision medicine, as an influencer at the point of care, is a nascent discipline. Few physicians practicing today were thoroughly educated in genomics (the depth of training is increasing, however, according to a 2017 article in the Association of American Medical Colleges News). Physicians find themselves in a position of educating themselves quickly, especially as the FDA approves more targeted immunotherapies and treatments. In addition, because of the rise of direct-to-consumer tests, patients themselves are demanding doctors factor this information into their clinical decision making.
  2. Slow-to-change standards of care. Without a doubt, delivery of healthcare must be evidence-based. Genomic science has introduced so many advances in such a short period of time, however, that many physicians remain bound by approaches rapidly becoming outdated. The industry must find ways to deliver new findings into the clinical workflow reliably and quickly, so providers can utilize the best approach in each patient encounter.
  3. Limited time to process new data. Physicians are already presented with more data than they can effectively manage. Genomics represents an entirely new and voluminous data set. To deliver any value, this information must be rendered useful and readily available within the EHR. Access must be smooth and seamless so physicians are not forced to leave their workflow to hunt for relevant insights.
  4. Foreign nomenclature. Currently, genomic results are returned in PDFs (not as discrete data), rendered in vocabulary common to genomic researchers and scientists. It must be “translated” into meaningful clinical nomenclature and then integrated into the current workflow to be fully useable.
  5. Regulatory and liability concerns. Genomic results do not represent a snapshot in time the way phenotypical information might. A patient’s genetic variant could impact care decisions well into the future as the individual’s condition changes and genomic science advances. How does a provider store and manage genomic data, making sure that its very existence does not create liability issues in the years ahead?
  6. Lack of or sluggish reimbursement. Payer policies and guidelines lag behind discoveries related to precision medicine. What reimbursement exists varies greatly from payer to payer and is founded on disparate understandings of medical necessity. While payment is becoming more common, physicians nevertheless must consider the financial impact of ordering a genomic test – and what they will do if the results indicate that an expensive or uncommon treatment is the best choice for a particular patient.

Innovation and strategy keys to success

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Health IT Trends for 2019

Healthcare technology continues to proliferate the sector, the developments almost too many to track. The sector abounds with innovation and push forward in the name of better – even the minutest – advancements of care and better care outcomes. The coming year will be no different. As we enter the final year of the 21st century’s second decade, we’ve witnessed a tremendous amount of evolution in just 19 years. What role will our healthcare technology play in the healthcare industry in the next year?

A lot. And not just for a few, but members of many, many areas, even those peripherally involved with the boundaries of care. We must understand where current innovation is, but also the challenges these migrations attempt to solve. Being aware of the trends ahead can give us all a better grasp of how care delivery is changing and we can better understand how new areas can resolve real industry problems.

To help us navigate the year ahead for healthcare and its technology, the following are some of the trends that it leaders, observers, insiders, consultants and investors think are important or need to be taken notice of in 2019.

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Are Physicians Ready To Meet Consumer Demand For Genomics?

By Joel Diamond, MD, FAAFP, chief medical officer, 2bPrecise.

Joel Diamond, MD
Joel Diamond, MD

Patients are becoming more engaged in (and financially responsible for) their own care. As such, they are increasingly interested in information about their health risks and which courses of treatment have the best potential for success. In my practice, I have seen a sharp rise in the number of patients asking about genetic and genomic tests.

Healthcare consumers are drawn to the idea that this information can unlock answers to persistent health problems, or reveal risk for future issues. They want genetic information to lay out a clear path forward for prevention and treatment, perhaps indicating which medications will be most effective for their profile. It’s one of the reasons why direct-to-consumer genetic testing, such as 23andMe, has become so popular.

The precision medicine learning curve

Soon we will move from individual gene tests and panels to exome and full genome testing, some of which is happening today. As the concept of applying genomics and precision medicine gains momentum, physicians are enthusiastic about the potential of personalized care plans to improve patient outcomes.

But are physicians equipped with the right tools to put precision medicine into practice? For example, can we identify which patients might benefit from genetic testing? Do we know what test to order? How do we interpret results? How do we incorporate this information into the patient record? And of course, cost is always an issue: Who pays for these tests?

These are some of the many questions physicians are wrestling with today. If they have a clinical-genomic solution within the electronic health record (EHR) workflow, they can get some of the support they need to meet rising demand for personalized medicine and care plans.

3 trends to watch as consumers drive precision medicine into the mainstream

Consumer interest shows no signs of slowing, which will continue to bring new challenges and opportunities into the physician’s office. Trends include:

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