Genomics Testing

A brief blurb from a NY Times article online that I came across. I thought this was quite relevant to some of our lectures in the 2007 Summer Public Health Institute.

“Yet UnitedHealthcare is trying a risk-sharing experiment with Genomic Health, a company that sells a $3,460 genetic test meant to help determine whether a woman with early-stage breast cancer would benefit from chemotherapy.
The insurer has agreed to pay for the test for 18 months while it and Genomic Health monitor the results. If too many women are still receiving chemotherapy even if the test suggests they do not need it, Dr. Newcomer said, UnitedHealthcare will seek to negotiate a lower price on the ground that the test is not having the intended impact on actual medical practice.
“The point is to try to make the manufacturer responsible for how their product is used in the medical marketplace,” he said.
Genomic Health said it could not comment on individual contracts but acknowledged it was working with various payers on performance-based contracts.”