LOS ALTOS, Calif. & FAIRFIELD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GenomeSmart, a Silicon Valley-based company delivering the first and only AI-powered genetic risk assessment and test recommendation platform to improve access to genetic testing, announced today that NorthBay Healthcare, an independent nonprofit health system in Northern California, has selected the GenomeBrain Platform for a pilot program planned to improve the routine use of genetic testing in patient care.
“We’ve looked at many options to support our providers but the GenomeBrain Platform offered us more of the critical features we wanted plus gave us the ability to customize to our needs,” said Lori Muir, Oncology Services Director. “NorthBay Healthcare is dedicated to delivering best-in-class oncology care to the patients we serve and we believe ensuring easy access to genetic testing is a critical part of those vital services. We’re looking forward to working with GenomeSmart to support our providers in better identifying patients for testing, efficiently tracking available tests, and speeding access to hereditary risk results.”
"This approach to screening patients will make it much easier for people to understand why and when genetic testing can impact their healthcare decisions. We are bridging an educational gap that, until now, has made access to genetic testing difficult. Our patients will no longer wonder if genetic testing is right for them—they will know before they even come in to see me," added Karen Vikstrom, MS, Certified Genetic Counselor, NorthBay Healthcare.
The NorthBay Healthcare pilot program will be completed in conjunction with the NorthBay Breast Cancer Program. The pilot is designed to ensure patients with breast cancer receive treatment based on genetic risk and to scale testing into routine care for healthy women and men to identify potential hereditary risks, ensuring appropriate access to screening and care programs. The GenomeBrain Platform will be incorporated into the current patient workflow and evaluated for effectiveness and ease of use.
The GenomeBrain Platform is accessed online through a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop device. The simplified experience first builds a patient profile, including their relevant personal medical history, family medical history, ethnicity and age, and then instantly matches them to the appropriate genetic tests based on the latest medical guidelines for genetic testing. GenomeBrain uses AI to ingest large amounts of data from patient history, genetic tests available on the market, and medical guidelines to simplify a cumbersome manual process that usually takes days to less than ten minutes on average.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with NorthBay Healthcare on this important initiative,” said Sanjay Sathe, CEO and co-founder, GenomeSmart. “The NorthBay team’s agility and interest in innovative approaches to care make them the ideal partner for us. They are able to implement efforts quickly and provide personalized care to their local community that rivals many larger urban-based institutions, all for the betterment of their patients.”
About GenomeSmart
GenomeSmart is on a mission to make genetic testing available to everyone. In May 2019, the company launched GenomeBrain™, the first and only AI-powered genetic risk assessment and test recommendation platform that matches and identifies people who could benefit from genetic testing. The affordable GenomeBrain Platform multi-functional solution is available to help genetic counselors, physicians, hospital systems, genetic testing labs, insurance companies, and corporations improve the effective use of genetic testing to save lives, improve quality and reduce costs of healthcare.
About NorthBay Healthcare
NorthBay Healthcare opened its first hospital in 1960 and remains Solano County’s only locally based, locally managed nonprofit health system. NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield and NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville offer 24-hour emergency care, intensive care, and sophisticated surgical and diagnostic services. NorthBay Cancer Center, located on the Vacaville campus, opened more than 30 years ago. NorthBay Healthcare is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, giving its patients access to world-renowned physicians and Mayo Clinic research.
