Precision medicine not a key goal for hospitals, health systems

Precision medicine projects are not top of mind for healthcare organizations, despite President Obama's much-touted initiative.

The president mentioned personalized medicine briefly during his State of the Union address last week, and his original plan was unveiled in last year's address. However, despite a lot of talk about the promises of personalize medicine, 59 percent of hospitals and health systems responding to a new survey by Health Catalyst said they do not see it being a key goal in the next five years.

Academic medical centers are more likely to see precision medicine as important, with 71 percent saying it will play a significant role for them in the coming years, according to an announcement on the report.

About 60 healthcare professionals responded to the online survey, Health Catalyst confirmed to FierceHealthIT; 53 were in executive roles, including 28 chief information officers and 12 chief medical informatics officers.

The findings also reveal that genomics capabilities are not being built into many organizations' electronic health records. While genomics is one of the key proponents of precision medicine, about 60 percent of respondents said they have no plan to integrate such data into their EHRs.

"The disconnect between the recognition that genomics holds great promise and yet the lack of preparation for precision medicine may reflect the fact that technology adoption is often driven by research efforts at major academic medical centers, with others following in their footsteps," David Crockett, Ph.D., senior director of research and predictive analytics for Health Catalyst, said in the announcement.

However, there are some health systems that are full steam ahead when it comes to the effort. Gregory R. Weidner, M.D., medical director of primary care innovation and proactive health at Carolinas HealthCare System recently spoke with FierceHealthcare about his organization's developments in precision medicine, including designing and developing new models of care delivery that leverage team-based, technology-enabled, person-centered care and that promote patient engagement and empowerment.

To learn more:
- here's the announcement