LeadingAge Oklahoma Partners with PGx Medical

LeadingAge Oklahoma Logo

In our promise to inspire, serve and advocate for older adults in Oklahoma, LeadingAge acknowledges the need for education and adoption of innovative technology and solutions for culture change. We are very proud to be an association of members who are forward-thinking and redefining the traditional “standards of care”. Members who are embracing a new standard that allows residents to Live Longer… Better.

LeadingAge Oklahoma is excited to announce our strategic partnership with PGx Medical. PGx Medical’s President, Clay Bullard, spoke at our Spring Conference a few weeks ago and was very well received.

The PGx Metabolic Validation Program allows for a personalized/unique patient report validating the patient is getting the right drug, in the right dose, for the right diagnosis based upon how each individual patient metabolizes certain medications. This helps eliminate unnecessary medications, reduce possible side effect, help maintain mobility, reduce falls and avoid drug on drug interaction that can have significant and often negative effects.

PGx Medical helps facilities and communities gain an understanding of the role metabolic validation testing can and should have within the care provided to older Oklahomans. They also educate the facility owners, physicians, administrators, and staff as to the value the test results can have on the bottom line and helping their residents be more active and age in place.

We chose to partner with PGx for three very specific reasons. First, we have seen in many of our members’ facilities that this tool can have a tremendously positive effect with residents they serve. Secondly, PGx has been advocating with the Oklahoma Dept. of Health – LTC Division (under former leader Dorya Huser and now Director Mike Cook) with ongoing training for the State Surveyors and speaking at the State Education Symposiums throughout the 2014 calendar year to help with CMS Psychotropic Med Reduction and Unnecessary Med Reductions Initiatives. Thirdly, this technology should inspire us all to look at what we are doing and realizing that new tools are available to provide better care and accessible with no cost to our members.

Finally, I encourage you all to reach out to PGx Medical to have them educate your team of caregivers on the value this tool can provide. Work with your physicians and encourage them to work with you to provide the best care possible with the best tools available.

The PGx website is www.pgxmed.com and they can be reached via phone at (405) 509-5112. I am more than happy to give you my insights on the value this tool affords our members and you can reach me via email at mary@LeadingAgeOK.org.

Join me in welcoming PGx to the LeadingAge Oklahoma family, and embrace the technology they provide to help us all fulfill our promise to be forward thinking in enhancing the level of care we provide the residents of Oklahoma we serve.

 

Information on the Metabolic Validation Program with PGx Medical

 LeadingAge Oklahoma LogoPGX Medical - Pharmacogenomics
 PGx Medical is an Oklahoma based business development and consulting company that focuses on:
  1. overall patient well being & quality of life
  2. efficiency in the facility
  3. reduction of healthcare costs

We focus on assisting physicians, managed care organizations, pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare entities in their efforts to make the best possible therapeutic decisions for patients through the implementation of Metabolic Validation testing.

Cost to Facility > $0
Value to profitability > Significant Value to resident > immeasurable

We are dedicated to building trust and loyalty from our customers by providing accurate and timely laboratory results while proactively offering superior service and the most innovative program in the industry.

Metabolic Validation (Pharmacogenomic Testing)

Identify patients via pharmacogenomic testing who do not normally/extensively metabolize psychiatric, anti-depressant, anxiety, anti-coagulants, pain or cardio meds extensively, or might be poor or Intermediate metabolizer and at a higher risk for potential pharma event. Subsequently, implement necessary drug regiment changes as results are reviewed.

Validate that current medication regiment is the “best” regiment based upon each residents’ pharmacogenomic testing results. Reduce trial and error medication costs and reduce number of patients on medications that can be genetically proven to provide no opportunity for therapy for each specific patient. Embrace Personalized medicine.

FDA Statistics on Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)

  • Cost of drug-related morbidity and mortality is $136 billion annually, which is more than the total cost of cardiovascular or diabetic care in the United States. In addition, one out of 5 injuries or deaths per year to hospitalized patients are a result of ADRs.
  • Studies estimate that 6.7% of hospitalized patients have a serious adverse drug reaction with a fatality rate of 0.32%. Given these estimates are correct, then there are more than 2,216,000 serious ADRs in hospitalized patients, causing over 106,000 deaths annually.
  • 65% of all doctors visits result in a prescription being written.
  • In 2010, over 198 million prescriptions were written for psychotropic medications.

    To implement this in your home contact PGx Medical at 405-509-5112 or info@pgxmed.com or myself at mary@leadingageok.org

PGx is Proud to Partner with Dr. Benton!

PGx Dr. Benton, MD

Dr.  Jami Benton, MD

I have found the Metabolic Validation test to be very useful for patients in my clinic practice as well as my nursing home patients.  It is quick to use!  In fact, my nurses do all of the work and then they go thru the results and alert me of the medications that are less likely to work for those patients.  It takes no time for me at all! The paperwork is very minimal and nurses can fill it out.  The swab takes less than a minute to swab the inside of both cheeks.  Then it gets mailed off and the results come back in just a few days. 

I had a patient in my clinic that had seen multiple doctors, a psychiatrist and several counselors for her depression.  She had tried many medications to help her depression but she complained that none of them made her feel better.  We did the Metabolic Validation testing and found out that the patient had a gene mutation that kept ALL of the antidepressants from working.  No wonder she never felt better with the medications!  From the test results we found some alternative medications that could be used to treat her depression.  She was so relieved that there was a really good reason for the previous anti-depressants not to work.

I had a patient who had shoulder surgery who kept complaining that the Hydrocodone did not help his pain.  The Naproxen actually did better in controlling his pain.  He did the Metabolic Validation testing and found out that Hydrocodone does not work well for his pain but Naproxen works best.  This is helpful information if he ever has to use pain medication again.

I had a patient who complained that his pain meds were not working at all and would ask for more and more.  I suspected he was a drug seeker but could not prove it.  He did the Metabolic Validation testing and ALL of the narcotics work well for him.  We now know he is a drug seeker and treat him appropriately.

The PGx Medical Metabolic Validation test is helpful if a patient is not responding to a medication as well as we think they should.  This helps us chose appropriate medications that are more likely to work and avoid those that may cause problems for the patient.  It is very helpful with resistant depression, psychosis and ADHD medication failures.  I am even starting to use the testing first before prescribing any medication.  Patients love the testing because we can avoid the medications that are not likely to work or those that could cause adverse reactions; they get on the right medications quicker with less trial and error. Insurances like it because it saves them money by getting quicker results without multiple medication changes.

Nursing Home surveyors encourage nursing homes to use the Metabolic Validation testing on patients to try to keep patients off of multiple medications and to use those that work well.  It also decreases the adverse reactions and helps keep patients off of anti-psychotics or at least on minimal doses of anti-psychotics.

Jami Benton, M.D., graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She then attended the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and completed a Master of Science, as well as a Doctor of Medicine, degree. Benton completed a residency in 2008 at the Oklahoma University Rural Family Practice residency program where she served as chief resident.

Benton has been committed to providing health care in northwest Oklahoma since completion of her residency. She is board certified in family practice and is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice.

Dr. Benton currently practices at Integris Family First in Enid, OK.  She also see’s patients at the Integris Clinic – Cherokee Family Clinic in Cherokee, OK and is the current Medical Director at Cherokee Manor and Fairview Fellowship Home.

To schedule an appointment, please call 580-242-4300.

For more information on Metabolic Validation Testing, contact,
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112

PGx Medical is Proud to Partner with Cordell Christian Home

As part of our ongoing relationship with our partners, PGx Medical loves to share what they are saying about us and our program.

alt = "personalized medicine"

PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program

Interview with:
Karen White, Director of Nursing
Cordell Christian Home

Q:  As a DON and/or Administrator, do you find the PGx Medical Metabolic Validation Program to be easy to administer?
DON:  Yes it is very easy.

 Q:  How much time do you and your staff allow to test your residents?
DON:  I haven’t actually given that a lot of thought. We wait until we have a few residents that need the test, then obtain a buccal sample and send it off.

Q:  Do you find the test results to be helpful when dosing or treating your residents?
DON:  Yes! We are able to understand our residents’ needs better.

Q:  Tell us why your home chose to implement Metabolic Validation testing?
DON:  
We thought the testing would improve how we care for our residents and it did.  Also, our OSDH survey team was really impressed with our steps to help keep the psychotropic drug use at a minimal amount.

 Q:  How has metabolic validation (aka pharmacogenomics) changed the culture of your home and med review for patients in your home?
DON:  We are able to provide even more individualized care to our people.

Q:  What % of residents on average do you see, after testing, are in need of a dose change or med change or discontinuing of a medication?
DON:  We have made a few changes in medications. But I have a peaceful mind that we are doing everything we should be doing for our residents to perform at their highest practicable.

Q:  Has metabolic validation played a role in avoiding F-tags in your home?
DON:  I think it helps in our defense as to why someone requires a larger dose of a certain medication, or why someone needs a medication more often than others. 2014 was the first year that we did not get the ‘unnecessary drug’ tag!

For more information on how you can schedule Metabolic Validation Testing, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
Info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112

Other Partners We Recommend

At PGx Medical, we are passionate about what we do and helping not only the senior community, but health care professionals in  determining the right medication, right dose, for the right patient.

alt = "Metabolic Validation"

And we feel it is important to spread the word and support other partners who support what we do.

Welcome:

Senior Housing Forum

About Senior Housing Forum:
Senior Housing Forum is a website that is focused on publishing articles that are of interest to developers and operators of senior living communities.

There are 6 fundamental principals behind Senior Housing Forum

1. We are Not Primarily a News Source – There are already several great free and paid sites that provide current senior living news, we are more focused on asking two questions:

  • What does it mean?
  • How will it impact the industry?

2. We Question  Everything –  The thing that gets industries and businesses into trouble more than anything else is assuming they way things worked before (something that may in itself be an assumption that is not true) will continue to work.   We ask hard questions and tackle difficult issues.

3.  We Love Comments – It is of course great fun to get comments that agree with what our writers say, but we love contrary positions even more.  It is those comments that make the industry better.

4.  We Don’t Moderate Comments –  If you write a comment it will get published (unless of course it is SPAM and we have a pretty good filter for that.) Since we published our first article we have not removed more than one or two comments and never removed a comment because the opinion was contrary.

5.  We Are Curious People –  All of the regular writers are very curious people who know they don’t know it all.  We are always learning and challenging our own assumptions.

6.  We are Not Perfect –  Because of this we welcome comments, suggestions and criticisms and corrections of typos.

Finding Your Way Around
There are currently five content areas at Senior Housing Forum

1.  Featured Articles
Featured articles are mostly original content written specifically for Senior Housing Forum.  Though occasionally we will republish an article we really like from another site (always with permission).  We are currently publishing four to ten featured articles per week.  Unless the article is an announcement the ability to comment will always be turned on.

2.  News From Around The Web
The right side column features articles we think would be of interest to senior living professionals.  Many will be directly related to senior living and others will be cross industry articles on management, marketing and human relations.  And finally, occasionally they will be something that is just for fun.

3.  Job Board
At this point the job board is not super active but it is free to post or respond to jobs and is provided as free service to readers by Senior Housing Forum

4.  Calendar
The Calendar features mostly national events that are of interest to the senior living community.  If you have something you would like to have added, shoot me an email.

5.  Banner Ads/Partners
Part of what makes Senior Housing Forum work is a group of partners that provide products and services to the senior living industry.  The way or partner program works is that we periodically write articles that talk about how the partners help improve the lives of seniors by helping senior living providers do a better job of caring for seniors.

As we write these articles the goal is of course to promote partners but also to give you ideas that will assist your business even if you never use the partners services or products.

If you are a vendor and are interested in becoming a partner email Steve Moran

More On Commenting
While we welcome all comments there are a few common sense rules we ask everyone to observe:

  1. No content that is obscene or offensive.
  2. If the content is completely unrelated to the discussion.  This means blatant unrelated product or service promotion, it will be removed.  We call this SPAM of course.

The Blog Publisher
My name is Steve Moran and I publish Senior Housing Forum.  I live in the Sacramento, California area.

I stumbled into senior housing in the 1980′s shortly after graduating from college.  I have developed and operated a number of assisted living communities and multiple levels of care campuses.

I took a 10 year detour into the world of high tech but returned to senior living in 2011.

In addition to publishing Senior Housing Forum I am an account manager for Vigil Health Solutions where we provide the finest emergency call systems for independent living, assisted living, skilled living and dementia units. (www.vigil.com)Steve

smoran@seniorhousingforum.net