GeneDx Announces Collaboration with Epic Aura to Expand Access to Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing (rWGS) Services to Inform Diagnosis in Affected Pediatric and Neonatal Patients
GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS) has announced a collaboration with Epic to expand access to rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) services in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). This integration will streamline access for health systems using Epic's electronic health records, improving provider and patient experiences. GeneDx aims to accelerate the adoption of rWGS services, which have seen an 80% year-over-year increase. The company highlights that 11 states now offer Medicaid coverage for rWGS, alongside growing commercial payor support. The collaboration will allow seamless integration of rWGS results into comprehensive medical records, enhancing patient care. GeneDx is also involved in the SeqFirst study at the University of Washington, investigating the impact of broad access to rWGS. The study aims to improve timely and effective treatments for critically ill infants. With over 600,000 exomes and genomes sequenced, GeneDx continues to lead in genomic insights, aiming to deliver better health outcomes.
- Integration with Epic to streamline access for health systems.
- Focus on accelerating adoption of rWGS in NICUs.
- 80% year-over-year increase in rapid testing business.
- 11 states offering Medicaid coverage for rWGS.
- Increasing number of commercial payors adopting coverage policies.
- Seamless integration of rWGS results into comprehensive medical records.
- Part of the SeqFirst study to improve care for critically ill infants.
- Over 600,000 exomes and genomes sequenced.
- Largest and most sophisticated proprietary genomic datasets.
- No concrete financial figures provided for the collaboration.
- Potential dependence on health systems' adoption of Epic's EHR.
- No specific timeline for the full implementation of services.
Insights
GeneDx's collaboration with Epic aims to streamline access to their rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) services for neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). This integration will directly connect GeneDx with health systems using Epic’s electronic health records (EHR) to receive orders and send results. This could significantly reduce the time taken for genetic diagnosis in critically ill infants, which is important for timely and effective treatment.
From a healthcare perspective, the potential benefits of this collaboration are substantial. Faster diagnoses can lead to rapid initiation of targeted therapies, improving clinical outcomes for newborns. This aligns with the industry trend towards personalized medicine, where genetic information is used to tailor treatments to individual patients.
However, there could be challenges in terms of integrating new technology into existing workflows in NICUs and ensuring that all health systems have the infrastructure to support rWGS. Additionally, while rWGS can provide valuable insights, there is a need for genetic counseling to help families understand the results and implications.
GeneDx's announcement signifies an important step in expanding their commercial footprint. With an 80% year-over-year increase in their rapid testing business, this collaboration with Epic could drive further growth by making their services more accessible to a broader range of health systems. The mention of 11 states offering Medicaid coverage and increasing coverage from commercial payors is a positive signal for potential revenue growth.
However, investors should consider the costs associated with this expansion, including integration with Epic's EHR system and potential marketing and operational expenses to ensure widespread adoption of their rWGS services. The evolving payor landscape is encouraging, but there's always a risk of policy changes that could affect coverage.
In the long term, if GeneDx can successfully integrate their services and maintain high growth rates, this could significantly enhance their market position and financial performance. However, continued monitoring of adoption rates and reimbursement policies will be key.
From a market perspective, GeneDx is positioning itself well by tapping into the NICU segment, which is a rapidly growing area within neonatal care. The collaboration with Epic leverages Epic's vast customer base, potentially providing GeneDx with a significant competitive advantage over other genomic testing companies.
For retail investors, it’s important to note that while this collaboration can open up new markets and revenue streams, it's essential to keep an eye on the actual uptake and market penetration of their rWGS services. The success of this initiative depends not just on the technology but also on how well GeneDx can market and operationalize it across different health systems.
Moreover, the participation in studies like SeqFirst and GUARDIAN indicates GeneDx's commitment to expanding the clinical utility of their services, which could drive long-term growth by demonstrating the value of genomic testing in broader patient populations.
-- New integration to streamline access for health systems and improve provider and patient journeys using Epic for electronic connections --
-- Increases commercial footprint and focus on accelerating utilization of rWGS services in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) --
STAMFORD, Conn., June 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS), a leader in delivering improved health outcomes through genomic insights, today announced that it is expanding access to its rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) services in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) with leading health systems through a new collaboration with Epic. The integration with Epic expands GeneDx’s commercial strategy by connecting directly with health systems that use Epic’s EHR to receive orders and send results.
With more than 20 years of experience leading the industry in diagnosing children with rare diseases, including performing more than
“Access to rWGS leads to improved patient outcomes by accelerating the timeline between diagnosis and treatment. As GeneDx continues to drive utilization of its whole exome sequencing in the outpatient setting, today’s announcement affirms our commitment to opening up access to our rWGS services for health system partners, providers, and families who are in need of diagnosing a baby in the NICU,” said Katherine Stueland, president and CEO. “Leveraging the world’s largest genomic data base in rare diseases, orders of magnitude larger than any other peer, we believe it’s the right time to lean in and improve solutions for our providers to deliver the best patient care.”
Foundation of Clinical Collaborations to Improve Patient Care
GeneDx is a key collaborator in SeqFirst, a study at the University of Washington examining the impact on care of broad access to routine rWGS in critically ill infants at Seattle Children's Hospital. The study explores equitable approaches for a precise rapid genetic diagnosis at the initial point of care for critically ill infants and unlocks more opportunities to scale testing in clinical care settings that serve diverse communities with varied levels of infrastructure for providing clinical genetic services.
"Rapid whole genome sequencing is a groundbreaking advancement for neonatal care, especially for critically ill babies in the NICU,” said Mike Bamshad, M.D., SeqFirst principal investigator and professor and head of genetic medicine in the department of pediatrics at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital. “The ability to pinpoint genetic conditions early opens the door to improved clinical management, targeted therapies and can lead to improved outcomes for our youngest and most vulnerable patients. By integrating this technology routinely into patient care, we deliver a faster diagnosis, increasing the potential for timely and effective treatments, and providing families with critical information to better anticipate the needs of their child.”
GeneDx is committed to ensuring all patients who can benefit from exome and genome testing have access and continues to invest in understanding clinical utility in broader patient populations. Through its support of the GUARDIAN (Genomic Uniform-screening Against Rare Diseases In All Newborns) study the Company is understanding the utility of genomic screening healthy newborns not currently included in standard newborn screening. Initial data from the study found that of the 1,000 newborns enrolled, true positive screening outcomes were present in 2.6 percent of newborns. Wide adoption of standard WGS at birth can lead to accelerated diagnosis helping to prevent or prevent the progression of rare disease in pediatric patients.
With more than 600,000 clinical exomes and genomes sequenced and over 100,000 mitochondrial genomes GeneDx has built one of the largest and most sophisticated proprietary genomic datasets. This industry leading dataset enables GeneDx to deliver more definitive answers and clinically actionable results faster to help ensure better health outcomes for patients.
About GeneDx:
GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS) delivers personalized and actionable health insights to inform diagnosis, direct treatment, and improve drug discovery. The company is uniquely positioned to accelerate the use of genomic and large-scale clinical information to enable precision medicine as the standard of care. GeneDx is at the forefront of transforming healthcare through its industry-leading exome and genome testing and interpretation services, fueled by the world’s largest, rare disease data sets. For more information, please visit www.genedx.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Contact:
Press@genedx.com
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