Key Takeaways

Mainstreaming genetics – Testing now guides real-time treatment.
New care models – Clinicians empowered, workflows optimized.
Education & coverage – Training gaps and reimbursement hurdles persist.
AI with oversight – Scales insights but needs human validation.

Genetic testing is rapidly moving genomics from a niche specialty to becoming more integrated into mainstream clinical practice. Once deployed primarily to diagnose rare and inherited conditions after initial clinical evaluations, genetic insights are now shaping real-time treatment decisions across clinical specialties to benefit patients earlier in their healthcare journeys and to promote delivery of personalized care.

During a recent webinar hosted by Becker’s Healthcare, leaders from Providence’s Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, Labcorp, and Gene Pool Media shared perspectives on embedding genetics into everyday care and strategies to expand precision medicine at scale.

Here are four key takeaways from their discussion:

1. Transforming cancer care

Genetic testing has moved beyond academic centers to being reflected in clinical guidelines adopted by a growing number of clinicians. Marianne Dubard-Gault, MD, medical director of Cancer Genetics & High-risk Services at Swedish Cancer Institute, routinely offers genetic testing to patients newly diagnosed with breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

The presence of specific biomarkers or variants in a tumor can affect the treatment sequence or type of therapy a patient receives.

“Targeted therapy is possible because we identified the genetic predisposition or the biomarker in the blood or the tumor, and we were able to tailor and prescribe medication developed for that particular thing and really give people outcomes that we haven’t seen in the past,” said. Dr. Dubard-Gault.

Rebecca Previs, MD, director of medical affairs for oncology at Labcorp, agreed and also highlighted the shift from a one-size-fits-all model to personalized care in ovarian cancer, with somatic and complementary germline testing now central to treatment decisions.

“We have this unique ability to understand a patient’s biology within their own tumor,” said Dr. Previs. “For many patients in the oncology space, including ovarian cancer, both germline [inherited] and somatic [tumor/acquired] testing are at the heart of this paradigm shift.”

2. New models of care

Despite growing evidence of its real-time impact on patient’s health, genetic testing is still often underutilized due to a disconnect between established clinical guidelines and broader real-world adoption as noted by Dr. Previs. She also observes that testing is often not ordered due to inconsistent workflows and limited resources.

“Testing doesn’t happen unless providers know to order the test,” Dr. Previs said. “There are a lot of stakeholders involved for physicians and the multidisciplinary healthcare team. That clinical utility piece is so critical and we have to lead with evidence.”

As genetics becomes an integral part of everyday healthcare, it’s essential to evolve care models to seamlessly support and enable genetic testing. Sarah Young, clinical program manager for oncology at Labcorp, pointed to workforce shortages and that there aren’t enough genetics professionals for every patient. Empowering clinicians to order genetic tests, while reserving genetic counselors for complex cases, has proven effective for the teams she works with.

3. Education and reimbursement remain major hurdles

All panelists stressed the importance of provider education. Kira Dineen, CEO of Gene Pool Media and host of the DNA Today podcast noted that physicians receive little genetics training in medical school.

Insurance coverage also lags behind scientific progress. Dr. Dubard-Gault said she spends up to a third of her time on prior authorizations, which can help minimize financial burden to patients but can introduce delays in initiating genetic testing. Ms. Dineen added that reimbursement gaps create frustration.

One positive development is a new 2025 billing code for genetic counseling that covers preparation and documentation time.

“The ROI is so much better than it was last year because of this new billing code,” Ms. Dineen said. “Hiring a genetic counselor might make you money as opposed to losing money that it used to. We’re specialized in genetics. New codes like the one above help payers, providers and patients alike to streamline healthcare delivery.”

4. The future of genetics

The panelists also discussed the role of AI in genetics. Dr. Previs called AI “a future state tool” that could help scale variant interpretation and patient education. But she stressed that human oversight is essential. Clinicians must be empowered to do their jobs more efficiently, not have their clinical judgment replaced by AI.

While AI can be a powerful tool to help clinicians, Dr. Dubard-Gault cautioned that clinicians should not rely solely on automated analysis. A system created with close collaboration between clinicians and AI developers, with clinicians validating outputs, is key to giving patients peace of mind and helping to improve outcomes.

The panelists agreed that genetic testing should no longer be viewed as exceptional. In order to meet a new reality where genetic insights are part of everyday care, education, reimbursement reform and thoughtful use of technology will be critical to scaling access.

“Genetic testing saves lives,” Dr. Dubard-Gault said. “We don’t always see it because when we do it well, we prevent cancer. We identify that common thread in the family and catch the next cancer before it can even start.”

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