Press Release:
Genetic Health Information Network Summit Will Address Precision Medicine Challenges

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 18, 2017) – Healthcare information technology firm Concert Genetics, in collaboration with leaders from across genetics and healthcare, today announced the first Genetic Health Information Network Summit will take place Sept. 26-27, 2017, in Nashville, Tennessee. The event, which will assemble approximately 100 key leaders at the intersection of genetics and healthcare, will host an action-oriented discussion about the data and digital infrastructure need to enable precision medicine.

“We are believers in the promise of precision medicine. We’re also pragmatists,” said Mark Harris, PhD, founder and chief innovation officer of Concert Genetics. “Two decades into the genetic revolution, the practical barriers to integrating genetics into the healthcare system are undeniable. The infrastructure simply wasn’t designed for genetics. This summit is about leaders from across the healthcare system joining together to identify, define and address the inhibitors to an effective Genetic Health Information Network, which can enable precision medicine at scale.”

Unique in both its broad engagement of healthcare stakeholders and its focus on practical solutions to real-world challenges in precision medicine, the invitation-only event will convene leading health plans, clinicians, hospital systems, researchers, policy makers, laboratories, technology vendors and pharmaceutical companies, as well as patients and advocates.

Together, these stakeholders will work to develop action plans to:

• Improve the capture of clinical effectiveness and economic value data,
• Simplify the test ordering and resulting workflow for clinicians, hospitals and labs,
• Streamline the genetic test billing, adjudication and payment process,
• Reduce the frequency of misordered tests and surprise bills for patients, and
• Empower patients to harness the insights in their genetic makeup for greater health.

“This event is not about simplistic answers, nor debate for its own sake. The goal is to engage in an open, honest dialog that produces clear action plans to improve the Genetic Health Information Network together,” said Gillian Hooker, PhD, Concert’s vice president of clinical development. “Ultimately, we all want a healthcare system that delivers on the promise of precision medicine to every patient who needs it. In order to do that, we need to work together. We’re committed to doing our part to make that happen, both in preparation for the summit, and in facilitating action that will follow it.”

The event’s organizing committee includes members from across the healthcare landscape. They include:

• Mara Aspinall, CEO, Health Catalysts
• Michael Astion, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Department of Laboratories, Seattle Children’s Hospital
• Suzanne Belinson, PhD, MPH, Executive Director, Center for Clinical Effectiveness
• Carlos Bustamante, PhD, Chair, Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University
• Gillian Hooker, PhD, ScM, LCGC, Vice President, Clinical Development, Concert Genetics
• Howard Levy, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Lee Newcomer, MD, MHA, Senior Vice President, Oncology and Genetics, UnitedHealthcare
• Robert Nussbaum, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Invitae
• Dee Anna Smith, CEO, Sarah Cannon and Sarah Cannon Research Institute
• Benjamin Solomon, MD, FACMG, Managing Director, GeneDx

“Despite the tremendous promise of precision medicine to improve human health, the field suffers from a dearth of data and the digital infrastructure to effectively study the impact of precision diagnostics, drugs and other interventions on healthcare outcomes,” said Carlos Bustamante, PhD. “The collaboration represented by this summit is exactly what’s needed to change that.”

More information on the Summit can be found at www.geneticnetworksummit.com.

To advance the industry-wide discussion about improving the Genetic Health Information Network, Concert Genetics published a white paper earlier this year on the state of the Genetic Health Information Network and top opportunities to connect and enhance the network to better integrate precision medicine into the healthcare system. More on that document can be found here: www.concertgenetics.com/network.

About Concert Genetics
Concert Genetics provides software and analytic tools to connect, simplify and unify the world of genetic testing for hospital and health systems, clinicians, health plans, labs and governing organizations. Concert’s unique applications are built on a market-leading database that combines its index of the entire U.S.-based clinical genetic testing market – today more than 70,000 testing products – with other enriched data, such as genetic testing claims data from more than 100 million insured members. This data powers the leading genetic test search tool, specialized industry benchmarking and nuanced analysis of market dynamics. Concert aims to connect the disparate stakeholders in the healthcare community to help unlock the full potential of genetic testing for delivering precision medicine. Learn more at www.ConcertGenetics.com.