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Personalized Health Care > Goals

Personalized Health Care
Goals

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Goals
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The goals outlined below are the fundamental building blocks for the
Personalized Healthcare Initiative:
Establish a secured electronic system to exchange, aggregate and
 analyze key data from a large number of existing secure health
 care databases;

Support the science and health information technology base and
 enable it to expand;
Support efficient and effective drug development partnerships
 between public and private sector leadership, and

Help integrate the Personalized Health Care into the mainstream of
 clinical practice.
In addition, the Department will make sure that all information
gathered from healthcare databases is used properly and securely in
order that the privacy and security of individually identifiable
health information is maintained.

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Topics on This Page:

Goal 1: Link Clinical and Genomic Information to Support
 Personalized Health Care
Goal 2: Protect individuals from discrimination based on
 unauthorized use of genetic information

Goal 3: Ensure the accuracy and clinical validity of genetic tests
 performed for medical applications purposes
Goal 4: Develop common policies for access to genomic databases
 for federally sponsored programs

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Goal 1: Link Clinical and Genomic Information to Support Personalized
Health Care

Initiative Activities
Personalized Health Care (PHC) Request for Information (RFI,)
 11/1/2006: For the purpose of achieving a broader understanding of
 rapid changes occurring in the health care setting that may have
 an impact on the future of personalized health care, HHS requests
 input from the public and private sectors on plans for developing
 and using resources involving health information technology (IT)
 and genetic and molecular medicine, with specific reference to
 incorporating these capacities in evidence-based clinical
 practice, health outcomes evaluations, and research.

American Health Information Community (AHIC) Personalized Health
 Care (PHC) Workgroup, formed 10/31/06
 Broad Charge for the Workgroup: Make recommendations to the
 American Health Information Community for a process to foster a
 broad, community-based approach to establish a common pathway
 based on common data standards that encourage the incorporation of
 interoperable, clinically useful genetic laboratory test data and
 analytical tools into electronic health records to support
 clinical decision-making for the health care provider and patient.
Specific Charge for the Workgroup: Make recommendations to the
 American Health Information Community to consider means to
 establish standards for reporting and incorporation of common
 medical genomic tests data into electronic health records, and
 provide incentives for adoption across the country including
 federal government agencies.

Related Activities
AHIC Electronic Health Record (EHR) working group: The AHIC
 recommended that Electronic Health Records (EHR) adoption be its
 top priority. Broad charge: to ensure widespread adoption of
 certified EHRs over time. Specific charge: to deploy a
 standardized means of accessing/deploying lab
 results/interpretations within one year.

National Committee on Vital Health Statistics (NCVHS): This
 committee is intended to serve as a forum for the collaboration of
 interested parties to accelerate the evolution of public and
 private health information systems toward more uniform, shared
 data standards, operating within a framework of protecting privacy
 and security.
The Biomarkers Consortium: exit disclaimer The Biomarkers
 Consortium is a public-private biomedical research partnership of
 the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc. that
 involves a variety of public and private stakeholders including
 the NIH, FDA, and CMS; the pharmaceutical, biotechnology,
 diagnostics, and medical device industries; non-profit
 organizations and associations; and advocacy groups. The
 Consortium will search for and validate new biological
 markers—biomarkers—to accelerate dramatically the competitive
 delivery of successful new technologies, medicines, and therapies
 for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of
 disease.

The NIH Pharmacogenetics Research Network (PGRN) was formed in
 2000 to enable a network of multi-disciplinary research groups to
 conduct studies addressing research questions in pharmacogenetics
 and pharmacogenomics and to populate a knowledge base. These
 projects are helping develop genetic tests that are now being used
 in identifying diseases earlier and selecting the right
 medications for the right patients. These types of studies are
 helping in our understanding of disparities in the outcomes in
 certain populations of patients and will help overcome them.
 Medical research projects are underway to support the connections
 between the genetic basis of disease and their clinical
 manifestation.
FDA’s Critical Path: The Critical Path Initiative is FDA's effort
 to stimulate and facilitate a national effort to modernize the
 scientific process through which a potential human drug,
 biological product, or medical device is transformed from a
 discovery or "proof of concept" into a medical product.

Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society
 (SACGHS): The Committee shall explore, analyze, and deliberate on
 the broad range of policy needs associated with the scientific,
 clinical, public health, ethical, economic, legal, and social
 issues raised by the development, use, and potential misuse of
 genetic and genomic technologies and make recommendations to the
 Secretary and other entities as appropriate.
Database of Genotype and Phenotype (dbGAP): Administered by the
 National Library of Medicine (NLM), this is a new database
 designed to archive and distribute data from genome wide
 association (GWA) studies. dbGaP will, for the first time, provide
 a central location where interested parties can see all study
 documentation and view summaries of the measured variables in an
 organized and searchable Web format. The database will also
 provide pre-computed analyses of the level of statistical
 association between genes and selected phenotypes.

The Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (CaBIG): The National
 Cancer Institute (NCI) has launched the caBIG™ initiative to
 accelerate research discoveries and improve patient outcomes by
 linking researchers, physicians, and patients throughout the
 cancer community. caBIG™ serves as the cornerstone of NCI’s
 biomedical informatics efforts to transform cancer research into a
 more collaborative, efficient, and effective endeavor.
The Cancer Genome Atlas: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a
 comprehensive and coordinated effort to accelerate our
 understanding of the molecular basis of cancer through the
 application of genome analysis technologies, including large-scale
 genome sequencing. The cancers being studied in TCGA Pilot Project
 are lung, brain (glioblastoma), and ovarian.

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of
 the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is an authoritative source of
 information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States.
 SEER currently collects and publishes cancer incidence and
 survival data from population-based cancer registries covering
 approximately 26 percent of the US population. SEER coverage
 includes 23 percent of African Americans, 40 percent of Hispanics,
 42 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 53 percent of
 Asians, and 70 percent of Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders.
CDC National Program of Cancer Registries, covers 96% of US
 population. Data collected by state cancer registries enable
 public health professionals to understand and address the cancer
 burden more effectively. CDC provides support for states to
 maintain registries that provide high-quality data.

The National Office of Public Health Genomics (NOPHG), works to
 integrate genomics into public health research, programs, and
 policy. Special consideration will be given to research proposals
 addressing the following priorities: Family History, Genetic
 Testing, and Genetics for Early Disease Detection and
 Intervention.
Human Genome Epidemiology Network, (HuGENet™) is a global
 collaboration of individuals and organizations committed to the
 assessment of the impact of human genome variation on population
 health and how genetic information can be used to improve health
 and prevent disease.

National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) The
 National Health Survey Act, 1956, provided the legislation
 authorizing for a continuing survey to provide current statistical
 data on the amount, distribution, and effects of illness and
 disability in the United States. NHANES was created to fulfill the
 purpose of this act.
National Coordinating Center for regional genetic and newborn
 screening collaboratives exit disclaimer The Maternal and Child
 Health Bureau (MCHB) of the Health Resources and Services
 Administration (HRSA), using a cooperative agreement with the
 American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) http://www.acmg.net/
 exit disclaimer has organized a National Coordinating Center for
 regional genetic and newborn screening collaboratives. The seven
 Regional Genetic and Newborn Screening Collaboratives supported by
 HRSA aim to enhance access to genetic services, and support the
 screening capacity of states.

Related Documents
SACGHS report on Pharmacogenomics (PDF-180KB), in progress

SACGHS report on Coverage and Reimbursement of Genetic Tests
 (PDF-850KB)
SACGHS Resolution on Education of Health Providers (PDF-56KB)

Senator Obama Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act of 2006
 (PDF-88KB)
NCVHS Report on Personal Health Records and a Personal Health
 Record System

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Goal 2: Protect individuals from discrimination based on unauthorized
use of genetic information
Initiative Activities

Michael Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, states
support for genetic nondiscrimination legislation (PDF)
Related Activities

AHIC Confidentiality, Privacy, and Security working group: At its
 May 16, 2006, American Health Information Community (the
 Community) meeting, Community members approved a recommendation to
 create a new cross-cutting consumer empowerment group comprised of
 privacy, security, clinical, and technology experts. HHS decided
 to act on this recommendation and established a new workgroup that
 includes members from the Community's Consumer Empowerment,
 Chronic Care, and Electronic Health Records Workgroups.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (PDF-172KB): This law
 would prohibit discrimination in the workplace and health
 insurance settings based on an individual’s genetic information.

Related Documents
SACGHS report on Legal Analysis of Current Protections
 (PDF-1.76MB)

Discussion document (PDF-244KB) for NHGRI Workshop on Privacy,
 Confidentiality, and Identifiability in Genomic Research
June 23, 2001, President George W. Bush's radio address supports
 legislation on genetic discrimination.

October 14, 2003, Executive Office of the President, OMB,
 Statement of Administration Policy; S. 1053 – Genetic
 Non-Discrimination Act of 2003
February 16, 2005, Executive Office of the President, OMB,
 Statement of Administration Policy; S. 306 - Genetic Information
 Non-Discrimination Act of 2005

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Goal 3: Ensure the accuracy and clinical validity of genetic tests
performed for medical applications purposes
Related Activities

The objective of the Clinical Laboratories Improvement Amendments
 (CLIA) program is to ensure quality laboratory testing. This
 program is administered by specific groups within the FDA, CMS,
 and CDC.
At AHRQ, the mission of the US Preventative Services Task Force is
 to evaluate the benefits of individual services based on age,
 gender, and risk factors for disease; make recommendations about
 which preventive services should be incorporated routinely into
 primary medical care and for which populations; and identify a
 research agenda for clinical preventive care.

The CDC Office of Genetics and Disease Prevention addresses the
 public health impact of advances in genetic research, and supports
 the Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention
 (EGAPP) to evaluate GT that are transitioning from research to
 clinical and public health practice.
The CDC Division of Laboratory Systems develops standards for
 laboratory certification.

AHRQ Technology Assessment Program evaluates beneficial and
 adverse outcomes of health care interventions to inform consumers,
 providers and payers.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Advisory
 Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns
 and Children: The Committee shall advise and guide the Secretary
 regarding the most appropriate application of universal newborn
 screening tests, technologies, policies, guidelines and programs
 for effectively reducing morbidity and mortality in newborns and
 children having or at risk for heritable disorders.

Genetics Home Reference provides consumer-friendly information
 about the effects of genetic variations on human health.
GeneTests: Publicly-funded medical genetics information resource
 developed for physicians, other healthcare providers, and
 researchers, available at no cost to any interested persons.

Related Documents
Direct to Consumer marketing of genetic tests :
• SACGHS Letter to the Secretary concerning Direct to Consumer
Marketing of Genetic Tests (1) (PDF-120KB), February 8, 2006
• SACGHS Letter to the Secretary concerning Direct to Consumer
Marketing of Genetic Tests (2) (PDF-124KB), December 8, 2004
• Government Accountability Office (GAO) Nutrigenetic Testing Report
(PDF-624KB), July 27, 2006
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Report on Direct to Consumer Genetic
Tests (PDF-208KB), July 2006

Government Regulation of Genetic Testing Laboratories and Kits:
• Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing (SACGT) Report on
Enhancing the Oversight of Genetic Tests (PDF-228KB), July 2000
• FDA regulation of in vitro multivariate diagnostic assays (1)
(PDF-108KB), September 7, 2006 and Analyte Specific Reagents (ASR) (2)
(PDF-216KB), September 7, 2006.
• SACGHS Session on Oversight of Genetic Technologies and Genetic
Testing Laboratories (PDF-160KB) November 13, 2006
• GAO report on Clinical Lab Quality: CMS and Survey Organization
Oversight Should be Strengthened (PDF-2.94MB)
Future Activities

Departmental Genetic Testing Working Group, to be formed
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Goal 4: Develop common policies for access to genomic databases for
federally sponsored programs

Related Activities
NIH Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS), Goal: To advance
 science by identifying common genetic factors that influence
 health and disease through the creation of a centralized NIH GWAS
 data repository (RFI), August 30, 2006.

FDA policies on electronic submission of regulatory information
 (PDF-92KB): Public hearing 12/18/2006 to solicit general views and
 information on issues concerning the electronic submission of
 product information.
FDA best practices and development of standards for submission of
 genomic data (PDF-176KB), November 2006: The FDA plans to develop
 guidance for genomic data submissions along with data submitted
 under investigational new drug applications, drug applications,
 and biologics license applications.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Part D Data
 (PDF-100KB), October 18, 2006: Proposed rule would allow the
 Secretary to use the claims information being collected for Part D
 payment purposes for other research, analysis, reporting, and
 public health functions.
NIH Genes and Environment Initiative: Two main components – the
 genetics program would be a pipeline for analyzing genetic
 variation in groups of patients with specific illnesses, and the
 exposure biology program would produce and validate new methods
 for monitoring environmental exposure that interact with genetic
 variation to result in human disease.

Related Documents
National Research Council (NRC) Report : Reaping the Benefits of
 Genomic and Proteomic Research: Intellectual Property Rights,
 Innovation, and Public Health exit disclaimer

SACGHS Task Force on Gene Patents and Licensing Practices
 (PDF-44KB), November 13, 2006.
CRS Report on ‘Gene Patents : A Brief Overview of Intellectual
 Property Issues,’ (PDF-68KB) exit disclaimer

CRS Report on Patent Reform : Innovation Issues (PDF-184KB)
 exit disclaimer
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