Incorporating familial risk, lifestyle factors, and pharmacogenomic insights into personalized noncommunicable disease (NCD) reports for healthcare funder beneficiaries participating in the Open Genome Project.

Abstract

Introduction: An ethics-guided decision-making framework was developed for applying pathology-supported genetic testing, a multifaceted pharmacodiagnostic approach that translates population risk stratification into clinical utility. We introduce this service, supported by the Open Genome Project, which aligns with the beneficence principle in personalized medicine.

Methods: Genetic testing of six noncommunicable disease pathways was conducted as part of a pilot program, benchmarked against a readiness checklist for implementation of genomic medicine in Africa. Patient referral criteria were determined using healthcare funder claims data, employing the Adjusted Clinical Groupers and Resource Utilization Band risk rating structure to identify potential nonresponders to treatment.

Results: Three of the 135 doctors (2.2%) invited expressed immediate disinterest in the pilot, while 24 (17.8%) actively participated. Inherited, lifestyle-triggered, and therapy-related pathologies were simultaneously assessed in case reports, with special medical scheme reimbursement tariff codes applied to 25 patient referrals. The findings were used by the participating genetic counselor to select three patients for whole exome sequencing, utilizing a novel, level-up data processing algorithm for adaptive reporting.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated the implementation of genomics into an evolving workflow for patients with a history of frequent clinic visits. Eliminating the cost barrier provided valuable insights to guide future reimbursement policy decisions.