An NCPCP Stakeholder Action Group Explored The Challenges & Opportunities of Pharmacist Participation in Pharmacogenomic Workflows. Here's Why That Matters.

Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is an emerging field of research that studies how a person's genetic makeup affects their response to medications. Its long-term goal is to help providers select the drugs and doses best suited for each individual. Personalized medicine and precision medicine are two concepts that are closely related to PGx. Personalized medicine refers to an approach to patients that considers their genetic makeup along with their preferences, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and social context. Precision medicine, on the other hand, describes a model for healthcare delivery that relies heavily on data, analytics, and information.

Recently, the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) held a Precision Medicine Stakeholder Action Group (SAG) to understand the challenges and opportunities related to pharmacist participation in precision medicine and pharmacogenomics. The aim was to help determine the next steps for NCPDP related to modifying and/or creating standards and guidance.

The SAG brought together key influencers in the industry, including payors/PBMs, vendors, PGx organizations, labs, solutions organizations, and manufacturers. The forum enabled an open discussion and break out groups that explored current industry trends, the value of precision medicine, and the need for standards around the long-term utility and mobility of patients' data.

The key takeaways from the discussions at the PGx SAG were that commitment and involvement from all stakeholders are critical to standardizing the exchange of precision medicine data in a way that can be beneficial to all involved. The participants recognized the regulatory issues and updates that must be considered and identified where the return on investment (ROI) can align with reimbursable value-based models.

The SAG participants also defined the role and opportunity for pharmacists/pharmacy to champion this initiative and evaluated current and future workflow designs. As the healthcare standards and solutions leader for the common good, NCPDP is focused on many initiatives to strengthen healthcare delivery, including precision medicine.

We believe that PGx is a crucial tool in the personalized/precision medicine toolbox that will help providers select the drugs and doses best suited for each individual. The recent PGx SAG held by NCPDP was an important step in understanding the challenges and opportunities related to pharmacist participation in precision medicine and pharmacogenomics. The discussions at the SAG identified key takeaways and the beginning of developing an action plan.

Point-of-Care Partners’ SMEs have extensive knowledge of integrating PGx into the workflow and implementing related standards. POCP can help organizations understand the value of PGx integration into the workflow, the value it brings as healthcare continues to move towards value-based care, and how companies can begin to move towards a personalized precision focus on healthcare. We will be speaking at the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) on PGx at the September 18-21 NASP Annual Meeting in Grapevine TX. Please reach out to Kelee Petzelt kelee.petzelt@pocp.com or Pooja Babbrah pooja.babbrah@pocp.com with questions or if you’d like to discuss how POCP can help you.