PMC Conference Spotlights CLS’ Medication Risk Management Program

Wellness in the Workplace with Genetic Testing

The cost of genetic testing has steadily declined since the human genome was first mapped in 2003, allowing large employers, healthcare systems, and pension funds to adopt an upstream approach to preventative care by offering genetic testing and precision medicine as proactive wellness benefits.

At the annual Personalized Medicine Conference in Boston held November 13-14, Coriell Life Sciences President and CEO Scott Megill joined Jane Cheshire Gilbert, director of retiree healthcare for the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) Kentucky to discuss implementing a medication risk management program among the TRS Kentucky pension fund’s 36,000 Medicare-eligible retirees.  Administered by Coriell Life Sciences, this comprehensive program driven by genetic testing helped the pension fund to dramatically improve retirees’ health, reduce adverse drug reactions, and lower overall costs.

An online story by GenomeWeb spotlighted panel participants —including Color Genomics and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals— who addressed the opportunities and challenges of launching employer-sponsored genetic testing partnerships.  These pioneers are among the first in the nation to explore cost-effective business models, and questions around ethics, security, and privacy associated with implementing genetic testing programs for healthy people.

Read the GenomeWeb story »