NEW ORLEANS – Sept. 20, 2024 – People at risk for inherited heart diseases can see a genetic counselor much more quickly through a third-party telemedicine model, suggests research being presented at the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) 43rd Annual Conference.
People with a personal or family history of heart disease might wait a long time to receive genetic testing to determine their genetic risk due to a variety of factors, such as limited knowledge about genetic testing and counseling among non-genetics providers. The research shows a third-party service of genetic counselors who specialize in cardiovascular genetics can provide guidance via telemedicine, making specialized genetic counseling and testing more accessible for patients.
“This model is already being used for cancer patients and we’ve shown it can work in areas where there are a limited number of specialty genetic counselors. For example, it could also work for neurology and ophthalmology,” said Cara Barnett, MS, CGC, lead author of the study and a genetic counselor with Genexure LLC, a genetics care company with licensed certified genetic counselors offering specialized services over telemedicine to improve access to genetic testing for high-risk patients and in turn improve patient outcomes.
In the study, a specialty cardiology clinic at a large diverse hospital referred patients at risk for inherited heart disease to a third-party genetic counseling service. The service designed a telemedicine program for the clinic that integrated genetic counseling and genetic testing with the clinic’s electronic medical record (EMR). The system enables a referral within the
EMR and the ordering of same-day genetic testing during the patient’s first visit with the cardiologist. After the genetic test is complete, the genetic counselor then reviews the results with the patient via a telemedicine appointment and orders additional family variant testing if desired.
Under the new system, the number of referrals for genetic counseling and genetic testing at the hospital increased by 205% over three years: from 82 in 2021, the first year of the program, to 250 in 2023. The genetic counseling group supported improved access to family variant testing, with 15 family variant tests ordered in 2022 and 86 in 2023, a 473% increase. Based on the success, the genetic counseling telemedicine program has expanded and now serves six clinical sites.
“Our findings show that it’s possible to expand access to genetic counselors into more clinics through flexible programs designed to fit the clinician,” said Barnett.
Genetic cardiac risk includes people with a family or personal history of heart diseases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickened heart muscle that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death) or inherited arrhythmias that cause the heart to beat too slow or fast.
Note to editors: Media interested in viewing study abstracts, interviewing authors and/or attending sessions at the NSGC Annual Conference can contact NSGC’s PR team at 630-344-2009 or NSGCPR@pcipr.com.
About the National Society of Genetic Counselors
NSGC is the leading voice, authority and advocate for the genetic counseling profession. Membership represents more than 5,000 masters-level health professionals, who are committed to ensuring that the public has access to genetic counseling and genetic testing. For more information, visit www.nsgc.org.