MedImpact Selects Translational Software to Launch a Pharmacogenetics Program to Personalize Formularies Ending "Trial and Error" Prescribing for their Members

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 30, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- MedImpact, a pharmacy benefit manager based in San Diego, California, has partnered with Bellevue, Washington based Translational Software & Genetics (TSI), to provide a full service pharmacogenetic solution for MedImpact plan members.

MedImpact, can now provide plan members a first-of-its-kind pharmacogenomics solution that systematically reviews every prescribed drug for a patient against a patient's genetic profile. This highly personalized approach protects patients against hundreds of ineffective and harmful drugs based on their genetic profile. It will reduce "trial and error" prescribing, reduce waste, lower the risk of adverse events, and improve member health.

"The PBM industry has traditionally approached healthcare in terms of 'populations,'" said Karen Geary, MedImpact Vice President of Strategy and Innovation. "We now can deliver pharmacy benefits that are personalized down to the formulary."

MedImpact's vision and approach are radically different than other PGx solutions attempted by PBMs. Today, most PGx programs test to determine how an individual will respond to a single therapy prescribed by a single provider for one point in time. MedImpact screens for genetic interactions with commonly prescribed medications. The company reviews claims history and notifies every provider who has prescribed medications for that patient when a potential genetic-drug interaction exists. In the future, the safety and effectiveness of every medication prescribed is then reviewed as claims are processed, and the pharmacist and patient are alerted to potential interactions.

"We excited to announce our partnership with MedImpact, as it aligns with our broader vision of continuing to democratize precision medicine and specifically pharmacogenetics," said Don Rule, CEO of Translational Software. "Where many PGx programs subject clinicians to novel workflows that struggle to gain acceptance, the MedImpact model integrates seamlessly into their existing process. This is another example of our diversified reach as we continue to service clinical laboratories, health systems, benefit brokers, and now PBM's in improving health outcomes via pharmacogenetic testing."

MedImpact has launched this program after conducting a successful year-long pilot during which 65% of prescribers who were notified of a drug-gene issue decided to make an adjustment to the dosage or change to a different drug. As a result, prescribing of medications that align with the member's genetics improved by 12% for members in the pilot.

"The challenges of controlling rising drug costs, improving health, and delivering a better member experience are becoming more urgent, and these challenges aren't going to be solved by traditional PBM thinking," said Dale Brown, President, MedImpact Healthcare Systems. "We believe that highly personalized, clinically driven, and technology-enabled solutions are the future of healthcare, and our unique pharmacogenomics solution is just one example of how we are proactively delivering that future for our clients."

About Translational Software
Translational Software enables healthcare providers to realize the promise of precision medicine. Its solutions simplify complex genetic data into evidence-based actionable recommendations to deliver genomic decision support in platform-agnostic formats. Translational Software's pharmacogenomic knowledge base and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR)-based API have been used to provide PGx recommendations for over one million patients. For more information, visit http://www.translationalsoftware.com.

About MedImpact
MedImpact is the PBM that puts clients and consumers first. For 30 years, it has had a single mission: To make pharmacy benefits affordable, understandable, and transparent. Today, MedImpact's team and technology serve many large employers and plans, and more than 55 million members in the US and around the world. Learn more at pbm.medimpact.com or follow us on Twitter @MedImpact.

SOURCE Translational Software