by PGx Medical | Sep 11, 2016 | Uncategorized
Tiffanie Riggs RN, BSN
Chief Nursing Officer
Diakonos Group, LLC
“Quality of care for the residents in our network of facilities is of the upmost concern and importance at Diakonos. My team and I are now able to work with, consult and educate family members with the PGx Pharmacogenomics data for more precise medication management and best practices. The PGx system has added tremendous value to the care we provide and is simple to manage in each facility. It has helped to eliminate needless amounts of “trial and error” in our prescribing and allows for better efficiencies in our communities with our daily medication management processes. It is the ultimate tool for true personalized medicine.”
by PGx Medical | Sep 8, 2016 | Testimonials
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
-Cami McKinney, RN
“I can honestly say that the goals of pharmacogenomics can be realized and implemented effectively in an LTC community, because I’ve experienced it”
As a Corporate Quality Assurance nurse for an LTC Company, I see all kinds of great ideas and programs that promise benefits to my facilities and our residents. I evaluate most of them and then work with various companies to assist us in bringing the programs that add value to our communities.
One such program I saw a presentation on was Pharmacogenetic testing for LTC Communities. I began researching and saw great promise for the testing, but had no idea how to implement, the cost, or who to partner with at the time.
With the physician onboard, we did a small sample testing of five (5) residents who we thought test results would help us see what might be improved with the medication regimens. I will not mention the name of the lab or the representative in this article, but I can sum up our experience in one simple term: Disastrous.
We had issues with the specimen collection, getting results, and follow-up assistance with interpretations after the testing. Needless to say, I was very jaded to the idea of expanded testing and shelved the program for about 9 months.
Then I met Clay Bullard with PGx Medical at a conference where he was speaking. I was very skeptical to hear another pitch on pharmacogenetic testing, as you might imagine. However, I learned PGx Medical is not the lab, they partner with the community to assist in gathering information to properly and effectively implement a pharmacogenomics program.
So, I decided to partner with PGx Medical to implement their pharmacogenetic program and gave them a very tight deadline, with a long list of “to do’s” for one of my communities. To my great satisfaction, they delivered on time, met all my expectations, and then some. I have continued to engage PGx Medical with our pharmacy consultants, our EHR and training implementation now that we have test results.
I can honestly say that the goals of pharmacogenomics can be realized and implemented effectively in an LTC community, because I’ve experienced it. It is a valuable tool and it will be a quality program we continue to utilize on all of our current and future residents.
PGx Medical helped us implement this program and is a great resource and partner to LTC communities across the country. Their pharmacogenetics program helped us enhance our med management, falls and dementia programs. It also helped with compliance issues related to anti-psychotropic meds and overall unnecessary medication reduction.
For more information on pharmacogenetics, contact PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112
by PGx Medical | Sep 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
Terry Pearce RN, BC, RAC-CT
“I’ve worked with PGx Medical and found their program to be very beneficial to the quality of care we provide our residents. Their team works alongside ours to ensure they are educated and the test is implemented within our community. PGx also provides follow-up education as staff changes and their support team is available to answer any questions we might have.”
Terry Pearce RN, BC, RAC-CT
Regional Nurse Consultant for Americare Systems
by PGx Medical | Aug 31, 2016 | Testimonials, Uncategorized
Pharmacogenetics aligns current and future medications with each persons unique genetic profile.
“The promise of Pharmacogenetics is real and can provide tremendous clinical information for which any physician, practitioner or pharmacist can make adjustments to a patients medication regimen. What PGx Medical offers in partnering with clinicians and LTC communities eliminates a tremendous amount of the confusion and work surrounding the proper implementation of a successful pharmacogenetics program. Pharmacogenetics is a tremendous tool to help clinicians be more precise and efficient. PGx Medical is the partner with the experience you can trust.”
Jeff McCormack, Ph.D. , HCLD
Dean, College of Natural and Health Sciences
Lawson Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
by PGx Medical | Aug 30, 2016 | News
Enhancing the Quality of Life Through Personalized Medicine
“With CMS phasing in new star ratings for quality measures, we wanted to focus on helping nursing facilities and home health companies find a solution before those changes take place”
PRWeb: Effective immediately – Oklahoma based PGx Medical takes innovative program to the next level by focusing on improving the quality of life in seniors through their pharmacogenetic program.
“It was an easy decision for our company. We saw a need and we are addressing it. With CMS phasing in new star ratings for quality measures, we wanted to focus on helping nursing facilities and home health companies find a solution before those changes take place,” said Clay Bullard.
Bullard, Founder and CEO of PGx Medical, is a person experienced in the challenges of medication management. Through a personal experience with a family member, Bullard quickly realized the trial and error process wasn’t providing much hope or direction for treatment – not to mention the financial burden and loss of valuable time. “The idea of avoiding trial and error and having a personalized treatment plan for pharmaceutical usage captivated me.” It is at that time he started his professional journey with what is now PGx Medical.
PGx Medical has a proprietary process that impacts quality, adds value and addresses clinical concerns such as falls, dementia, pain, medication management and overall staff efficiencies, via pharmacogenetics.
Pharmacogenetics aligns current and future medications with each person’s unique genetic profile.
Drug-related problems are common in the elderly and include drug ineffectiveness, adverse drug reactions, overdosage, underdosage, and drug interactions. This is one of the reasons PGx Medical made the decision to focus primarily on the field of aging services.
With over 43.1 million adults 65 and older and that number is growing rapidly, statistics show proper medications play a role in improving the quality of life for older Americans. In the LTC community population, medication-related problems currently cost $177.4 billion a year. (ascp.com).
Bullard adds, “ PGx Medical has spent years educating healthcare professionals on the benefits of pharmacogenetics, how it impacts current medications and it is a roadmap for the future. We never really focused our time on one targeted space. After working with clinicians in the field of aging services, we realized there is a need, not only for residents, but also for the clinical caregiver and the family member. You want your loved one to be up and active, living a quality life. That doesn’t happen if they are overmedicated or not receiving proper therapy from the medications they are taking.”
Pharmacogenetics is a one-time diagnostic lab reimbursed by Medicare B. PGx Medical partners and provides a solid program that includes education on pharmacogenetics and the testing process, assistance with implementation, and ongoing support. Providers across the country are using the PGx program to increase quality and enhance clinical outcomes via pharmacogenetics.
Medicare estimates 4.3 billion prescriptions were written in 2015 and studies show 65 percent of doctor visits result in a prescription. If ineffective medications continue to be prescribed, we as a nation will continue to deal with the negative outcomes.
For more information on pharmacogenetics, contact, Clay Bullard at cbullard@pgxmed.com or 405.818.9327, or visit www.pgxmed.com.
