by PGx Medical | Sep 22, 2016 | News
As we age, it is important to stay active and Fall is the perfect season to get outside and stay in shape.
As we grow older it is important to get up, get out and get active! (photo seniortv.com)
As summer comes to an end, fall is perhaps the most favorite time of year for seniors. As we grow older most seniors like to avoid extreme conditions that summers and winters around the United States offer. Most of us enjoy the cool breeze and comfortable temperatures that come with fall. With that being said, more and more seniors come outside and enjoy the fall weather than they do in the summer. As we grow old it is important for seniors to stay active and find fall activities that are fun and keep you in shape.
Sporting events: Fall means football, one of America’s beloved sports. A lot of seniors just enjoy getting out and staying active, whatever the sport may be. Some seniors go to local high school games, while others attend college or professional games. Whatever sport or team they choose – staying engaged and active is a great way for seniors to live a longer, healthier life!
Hiking: For seniors who are active, hiking is a great way to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. It is very important to know your terrain and weather conditions before journeying out too far. Stay hydrated, wear protective clothing and sunscreen – and know if the medications you are taking have adverse reactions to the sun or extreme heat.
Traveling: One benefit of growing older is more free time to travel. Fall is a great time to make travel plans and the nice thing about being a senior is finding discounts during the off-season while many working adults travel with their children throughout the summer. Another fun way to travel is with a group of other seniors for a day-long excursion, or a lengthy stay. It is a great way to see other parts of the country and meet new friends!
At PGx Medical, our goal is to educate seniors and their families on medication management. One reason some seniors have a difficult time being active is they are on the wrong medication, or multiple medications that interact. Whether they are having an adverse drug event, or just not getting therapy from their current medication, medications play a big factor in keeping seniors on the sideline.
That’s where we can help! PGx Medical offers a simple solution – a once in a lifetime swab of the cheek that can help your doctor determine if the medications you are taking are right for you. For more information, contact PGx Medical at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112. Check out our website: www.pgxmed.com for more information.
Whatever you like to do – Fall is a great season with mild temperatures to get up, get out and get active!
Source: seniortv.com
by PGx Medical | Sep 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
More than half of nursing facility residents have some form of dementia, many of whom experience behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia (BPSD).
How will you be proactive and jump out ahead of New Quality Measures?
According to an online article from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, over 25% of patients in nursing facilities in the United States receive antipsychotic medications. These drugs have many legitimate uses including treatment for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, and BPSD in certain situations. However, they are often used inappropriately in nursing facilities to treat BPSD (behavioral and psychotic symptoms of dementia), and evidence documenting their clinical efficacy for BPSD is variable.(1)
In elderly residents who have dementia, antipsychotics are only appropriate in a small number of instances. Yet, despite the Food and Drug Administration’s warnings of increased mortality, the use of antipsychotics as a chemical restraint in nursing home residents who have dementia still persists. Significant morbidity – including higher blood sugar and cholesterol levels, weight gain, increased risk of falls, and decreased cognition – also are associated with the use of antipsychotics. These complications can lead to or cause a worsening of other primary diagnoses known to affect older adults.(2)
CMS plans to monitor the reduction of antipsychotics, as well as the possible consequences, review the cases of residents whose antipsychotics are withdrawn to make sure they don’t suffer an unnecessary decline and add the antipsychotic measure to the calculations that CMS makes for each nursing home’s rating on the agency’s Five Star Quality Rating System.
Coming in 2017 and beyond:
Avoiding potentially inappropriate medications in older adults remains important for quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries, according to CMS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. (3) Medications will continue to be at the forefront when it comes to star quality measures.
So what are you doing to be proactive? Are you implementing programs to help stay ahead of the game? Pharmacogenetic testing is a fully reimbursed diagnostic test that is easy to implement and gives you scientific-based evidence on how each individual person receives therapy from the medication they are taking today, and a roadmap for medications in the future.
At PGx Medical our consultants travel around the country educating and implementing pharmacogenetics into aging services communities. Our team stays up-to-date on CMS guidelines, the best labs and services that offer your community the most detailed information your clinical staff needs to make informed therapeutic decisions.
Beginning October, 1, 2016, PGx Medical is accepting a select number of nursing and assisted living facilities across the country to be part of their PILOT PROGRAM. Our team will educate your team on this no-cost program, and work alongside you to implement results. Pharmacogenetic testing is a great way to reduce unnecessary medications and can be added as part of your admissions process for all new residents with medical necessity.
For more information about the PILOT PROGRAM, or to request information on pharmacogenetic testing, contact us at: info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
Source: (1) ascp.com, (2) dads.state.tx.us, (3) cms.gov
by PGx Medical | Sep 16, 2016 | News, Uncategorized
Pharmacogenetics aligns current and future medications with each persons unique genetic profile.
The PGx Medical proprietary process impacts quality, adds value and addresses clinical concerns such as falls, dementia, sleep, pain, med management and overall staff efficiencies.
PGx Medical is looking for a select number of LTC/Senior communities in various States across the country to partner in a pilot program to help gain insight, feedback and data relevant to medication management and pharmacogenetics in the field of aging services. This pilot is not a study or clinical trial, but rather a pilot partnership with progressive LTC communities that are interested in exploring enhanced quality measures, improved outcomes and overall efficiencies in their communities. This is a fully reimbursed diagnostic pilot program that has no-cost to the community or the residents and provides valuable information for each individual resident that meets CMS criteria for medical necessity.
Presently enrolling provider organizations and communities to participate in this pharmacogenetics operational program. To learn more, contact us at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
by PGx Medical | Sep 15, 2016 | Journal articles
If medication is not working for you, could new testing tell you if your genes are to blame?
Up to 99 percent of us may have small variations in our genes that can also impact how we react to common medications. (ISTOCKPHOTO)
By: Mark Dunnenberger
We all know a medication that works well for one person might not work for another – or even cause some people unwanted side effects. These differences in response can be caused by factors such as age, gender or other drugs and supplements that a person might be taking.
However, up to 99 percent of us may have small variations in our genes that can also impact how we react to common medications, including pain relievers, antidepressants and blood thinners.
Now, through a new kind of genetic testing in a field known as pharmacogenomics, some doctors are able to identify a number of these variations to help predict how their patients might respond to a new medication.
These tests are very different than genome sequencing services that provide data on your ancestry, analysis of disease-related genes or information on your risk of developing certain diseases. Instead, the tests look for specific gene variants that can help physicians minimize the trial and error of prescribing certain medications and help narrow down medication choices, especially when it comes to treatments for pain and psychiatric medications.
Understanding the basics of pharmacogenomics:
1. Pharmacogenomics will not tell you why your eyes are blue or predict your risk of cancer. Unlike other genetic tests, pharmacogenomics does not measure disease risk. Instead, it helps doctors identify treatments that are most likely to work by examining how your genes affect your response to medications.
2. The tests cannot give information about how you may respond to every single medication. Currently, research only supports testing for certain drugs, most commonly those for cardiology, pain management and depression/mental illness.
3. A pharmacogenomics test has value throughout your life. By studying a set of your genes, clinical experts can analyze a broad amount of information regarding drug therapy for many conditions, including psychiatric disorders, pain management and cardiology. Because your genes don’t change over time, you only need one test to discover genetic information that could be applied to future care. At some hospital-based testing centers, results can be added to your electronic medical record for easy access and used as a reference for medication and treatment choices throughout your life.
4. Pharmacogenomics is especially helpful for non-responders – people who have tried numerous drugs to find ones that effectively treat their symptoms. For some people, the tests can help explain why they didn’t respond to medications in the past, or provide peace of mind in knowing they are not genetically predisposed to a negative outcome on a new medication.
5. Make sure that the medications covered by the genes being tested are related to your current clinical situations or medications.
6. Pharmacogenetic testing is “not a crystal ball” and will not tell you the perfect drug for your condition. It can, however, narrow down your options and help doctors prescribe the right medicine faster avoiding the “trial and error” process.
7. Is no news good news? No specific feedback from your genomics test means that your suboptimal response to a particular medication is not the result of your genetics, but could be caused by other factors such as diet or age.
Especially when it comes to pain medication and psychiatric medications, pharmacogenomics testing can minimize the trial and error of prescribing medications, plus help a physician to narrow down treatment choices.
PGx Medical specializes in education and implementation of pharmacogenetic testing in the field of aging services. If you are interested in learning more, contact PGx Medical at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
Read entire article at: health.usnews.com
by PGx Medical | Sep 13, 2016 | Aging Services
For some, being a clinical caregiver at a long term care facility is just a job. For others, it is personal.
Personalized medicine helps residents live longer…better!
As most of you know, PGx Medical has expanded our focus within the field of aging services. Why? Because of the thousands of nursing homes, assisted living and home health residents who get lost in the system. Those who walk into a facility on 8+ medications from multiple physicians. And for the clinical caregivers that signed up for this job because they are passionate about caring for seniors and want to do everything in their power to help them live a long, healthy life.
As we were launching our new website, we decided to reach out to a few nurses, administrators, and physicians across the country to hear what they had to say about personalized medicine, also known as pharmacogenetics. One common theme we heard was “better patient outcomes” and “improves quality measures.”
Personalized medicine is just that, aligning current and future medications with each persons unique genetic profile – it is personal. No medicine works the same for everyone, so why should everyone take the same medication? With pharmacogenetics (personalized medicine) you can now know which medications your body can metabolize and which ones it can’t. Not only does this provide you relief when it comes to pain, or therapy for other disease states, but it also saves you money.
For many seniors who are on a fixed income, they have been taking the same medication for years and they don’t appear to be having any problems. So why test them? What if this simple no-cost test was able to tell you that the medication(s) you are taking are providing you no therapy so you are just throwing your money away? Just because you aren’t having an adverse event from medication, doesn’t mean the medication is working for you. It could be, and we’ve seen it many times before, that a medication doesn’t even have the ability to work due to your genetic makeup so it is like swallowing candy each day…no therapy, expensive medications, and who knows, at some point it may interact with other medications you are taking. So why keep taking it?
Now, your doctor can order a simple swab of the cheek and within 48 hours a report is available that is “personal” to each person. Personalized medicine helps address clinical concerns such as falls, dementia, sleep, pain and overall staff efficiencies as it relates to medication management. The best part is…it is covered by Medicare B so there is no cost to the facility and no cost to resident.
To get more information on personalized medicine and how to implement it into your aging services community, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
