by PGx Medical | May 16, 2017 | Uncategorized
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.
In the U.S. we spend billions of dollars managing the side effects of psychiatric medications.
Serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earning per year. And mood disorders such as depression are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both youth and adults ages 18-44.
According to the Washington Post, the mental health-care system in the United States is a multibillion-dollar industry that is still not big enough to serve all those who need it. Costs are a big barrier to treatments — but so are attitudes about mental health. New laws might change access to mental health, although significant barriers still remain. Here’s a look at what we invest in the mental health-care system, what that buys us and where gaps in coverage remain.
Between prescription medication, therapy sessions and hospital visits, the costs of having a mental health condition can add up quickly.
A report published in Health Affairs shows that not only are mental health conditions expensive, they are the most expensive – costing Americans over $201 billion a year. Charles Roehrig, Ph.D., states in the article, “Not only is spending on mental disorders way ahead of heart conditions, the spending is growing unusually fast. We are getting better at preventing heart disease and stroke, but spending on anxiety and depression has grown very rapidly within the mental disorders area.”
With mental illness, you often don’t know if a medication is working for a patient until something catastrophic happens. So how do you know if the medications they are prescribed are giving them therapy, or doing more harm with adverse events?
Studies show that over 50% of patients have a variant gene that alters the rate of which they metabolize medications. So what does this mean for mental illness?
Predicting patient response
Pharmacogenomics is now being used to help identify genes to help physicians improve the selection of medications for patients with depression and other psychiatric disorders. The test is a simple buccal swab of the cheek that is sent to a laboratory to determine how patients will respond to medications. It is reimbursed by medicare and in some states medicaid.
The test results are designed to aid healthcare professionals when treating patients and eliminate the “trial and error” process which may take too long when dealing with mental illness.
Pharmacogenomics is a way to personalize medicine for each individual. It will help identify patients who might experience adverse effects from antidepressants or antipsychotic medications and help improve adherence.
At PGx Medical our team of consultants work with Mental Health agencies and physicians across the country to educate and implement pharmacogenomics into their patient population.
by PGx Medical | Apr 6, 2017 | Uncategorized
Each Friday we will post new and relevant information regarding Pharmacogenetics. We hope you will find this useful and pass along to colleagues. If you should have any questions regarding pharmacogenetics, please feel free to reach out to us at PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112. 
Antipsychotic / Dementia:
An estimated 25% of nursing home and 13% of assisted living residents in the U.S. receive at least one antipsychotic medication in a given year. These medications are often used off-label and put the resident at risk for serious side effects. CMS has focused surveys on the reduction of antipsychotics in the nursing home over the past few years and rates have slowly declined. Antipsychotic rates in nursing homes are required to be monitored as part of an overall quality program. The antipsychotic prescribing rate in both assisted living and nursing homes and the relationship between the use of antipsychotics and mortality remain an area of concern for providers, patients and families. It is essential that if used, antipsychotics should be carefully monitored to ensure efficacy and safety of the drug. One of the methods for ensuring that an older adult is on the right drug is pharmacogenetics. Pharmacogenetics offers the following benefits:
- Aligns medications with personal DNA.
- Optimizes medication use.
- Identifies responders and non-responders.
- Avoids adverse drug events such as serious side effects.
- Reduces trial and error.
- Reduces costs.
- Enhances confidence regarding medication use.
- Provides for person centered medication regimen.
To learn more about getting started with pharmacogenetics, call us at 405-509-5112 or email info@pgxmed.com
by PGx Medical | Mar 23, 2017 | Uncategorized
At PGx Medical, Pharmacogenetics isn’t “one” thing we do, it’s ALL we do.
Pharmacogenetics is not “one” thing we do, it’s ALL we do.
As we travel the country educating healthcare professionals on pharmacogenetics, we hear time and time again, “We’ve tried that with another company and once we tested, we haven’t heard from them and we don’t know how to implement results.”
After digging a little deeper, we find that the company they worked with did many other lab services and pharmacogenetics was just one of them. That isn’t who we are.
PGx Medical is the trusted and experienced resource for the implementation of pharmacogenetics in the field of aging services.
We aren’t a lab, we are educators, consultants and advocates for a medication management tool that can help take the guesswork out of prescribing medications. We work alongside clinical staff to educate them on pharmacogenetics, and then step them through the process of implementing it into a senior community, pharmacy or clinic to provide the best care possible for their patients.
The PGx Medical process impacts quality, adds value and enhances the patient experience by addressing clinical concerns such as falls, dementia, pain, sleep, med management and overall staff efficiencies.
The PGx test analysis 19 different enzymes in the body that are responsible for medication processing. When clinicians see how those enzymes work in your body, the test results let them know what medications are a better fit for their body and will provide the most therapy. It also lets them know what medications they should stay away from avoiding the cascading effect of “trial and error” prescribing. By providing healthcare professionals with an evidence-based tool, this allows them to prescribe only the medications they know a patient can metabolize, or adjust dosage based on test results.
“The beauty of pharmacogenetics in seniors is it is covered by Medicare B,” said Clay Bullard, President of PGx Medical. “As people age, their body metabolizes medications differently. Now there is a tool to help manage those changes. Whether you are a poor metabolizer, ultra-rapid metabolizer, or you don’t metabolize a medication at all, now the clinician can prescribe medications based on their patients unique genetic profile.”
Bullard went on to say, “Once you decide to implement the program, make sure you are working with a reputable company. Check references and see how long they have been doing pharmacogenetics. Unfortunately, some companies got into pharmacogenetics for the wrong reason and because of that, they aren’t providing their partners with adequate information to implement the results once they are ready. You can have the results and not know what to do with them and it does you no good. That is a waste of everyone’s time and medicare dollars. But if used correctly, pharmacogenetics saves money on unnecessary medications, re-hospitalizations and overall when your staff is more efficient and not dealing with behavioral problems because someone’s medications aren’t giving them therapy.”
To learn more about pharmacogenetics, contact: PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112. Or got to www.pgxmed.com
by PGx Medical | Feb 3, 2017 | Uncategorized
Welcome to our Friday FOCUS on Pharmacogenetics
Each Friday we will post new and relevant information regarding Pharmacogenetics. We hope you will find this useful and pass along to colleagues. If you should have any questions regarding pharmacogenetics, please feel free to reach out to us at PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
Pharmacogenetics and depression:
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a condition that affects 10% to 15% of patients during their lifetime and has significant physical, social, and economic consequences. The primary goal for treatment of MDD is to treat the underlying symptoms, restore functioning and prevent recurrence of depressive episodes.
Scientific advancements in pharmacogenetics or “personalized medicine” have provided alternative methods for aligning drugs to each patients unique genetic profile. Pharmacogenomics has been successfully used to optimize selection of medications and dosing, and avoid adverse effects.
Pharmacogenetics may be useful in not only selecting a particular antidepressant for a patient but also in detecting potential adverse effects and reducing premature discontinuations of antidepressants.
Although effective treatment for mood and anxiety disorders have been available for more than 40 years, 30-50% of depressed patients and 25% of patients with anxiety disorder do not respond sufficiently to first-line treatment with antidepressants. Patients who received antidepressants based on genetically-guided interpretive reports provided to prescribers had greater response rates and remission after 8 weeks.
PGx Medical is the trusted and experienced resource for the implementation of pharmacogenetics in the field of aging services. Our team works with physicians, pharmacists and other clinicians across the country educating them on the clinical value of pharmacogenetics for depression and other forms of mood and anxiety disorders.
In the long-term care setting, pharmacogenetics can help with the new 2017 CMS requirements in regards to comprehensive care planning and drug regimen review, including psychotropic and pain management assessments.
For more information on pharmacogenetics, contact PGx Medical at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
Source: ncbi.com, psychiatriyadvisor.com
by PGx Medical | Dec 21, 2016 | News
Looking forward – what the future holds for precision medicine
Outlook for precision medicine.
According to a recent article in Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry, medical technology took big leaps forward in 2016. So whats in store for 2017?
Personalized Medicine
We are seeing a trend in personalization in every sector. One area that has seen a lot of progress is in the mapping of the human genome and the understanding of how individuals react to specific drug treatments. Increased technical power and understanding of the human genome is now allowing targeted therapy to become a reality.
With over more than 60% of patients failing to achieve remission with the first anti-depressant they are prescribed, personalized medicine is a big piece of the puzzle. Physicians and pharmacists can now review results from a simple no-cost buccal swab whether or not an individual can metabolize a medication, or may have drug interactions. Technology and the scope of personalized medicine will continue to grow and expand.
Government reimbursements for personalized medicine is one factor that is expected to propel the demand from 2016-2022.
There are three beneficiaries from the advancements of personalized medicine — patients, the pharmaceutical industry, and society. As developments are made in the field of personalized medicine, patients will receive safer and more effective treatment; the pharmaceutical industry will gain increased efficiency, productivity, and better product lines; and society will gain from decreased health care expenditures as a consequence of the more precise allocation of limited health care resources.
Pharmacogenetics is an emerging field that’s helping physicians make better prescription decisions. PGx Medical is the trusted and experienced resource for the implementation of pharmacogenetics in the field of aging services.
For more information on pharmacogenetics, contact: PGx Medical, info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112
References: MD&DI.com, managedcaremag.com,
