Get ready. Genomic data and precision medicine are redefining the point of care.
Wrriten by Claudia Greene
Bud Zborowski, Healthcare Executive, delivered a captivating presentation to the May PMI Atlanta Healthcare Forum. Attendees enjoyed an insightful and informative presentation and discussion on the evolution of Healthcare through Genomics and Precision Medicine at the point of care.
Bud is a healthcare corporate and business development executive. His healthcare career accomplishments are grounded in fundamental care delivery and reflect a passion for bringing emerging health technologies and innovative business solutions to market. He recently launched a major strategic initiative called Health Parks and has served in senior roles with national providers: Tenet Health, Mariner Post-Acute Care Networks, and Health Images.
Bud began his presentation with a Wayne Gretsky quote, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck... is going to be.” This he tied to the evening’s agenda and to encouraged participants to begin to develop a predictive mindset and focus on where healthcare is going – genomic-driven medicine. His opening also included a real hockey stick that passed to each attendees to hold while standing to introduce themselves.
Bud discussed the constantly evolving delivery of healthcare and its drivers – demographics (increased medical demand, medical workforce shortages, and lifestyle drive populations), and outcome and quality (cost and profitability pressure, care access and technology, convenience, location, on-demand care, and competitive medicine models). To focus on where healthcare is heading, we need to know “where the puck is going.” The challenge for all who are in Healthcare Project Management is no longer going from A to B, but going from A to C.
Bud shared some market disruptive trends that are pushing healthcare, including some companies that are pushing healthcare innovation:
- Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon and JP Morgan Chase partnership - important to mitigate the costs of healthcare for their employees.
- Google, Apple and IBM own content.
- Walmart partners with pharmacies.
Bud discussed another disruptive trend – all about me - (personal history, wellness devices, mobile apps, EMR, lab tests, diagnostic imaging, etc.). We are looking for data over a period - no longer looking at blood pressure now, but how it is over the years. We are moving from “I want the best care” to “I want the best data, the best data about me.” This leads to Precision Medicine, a market driven by genomics, which has a growth estimate of 11.2% CAGR from $43.6B in 2016 to $141.6B in 2026. When we talk about genomics, we are also talking about “me.”
Bud shared a video with the group on a new healthcare dimension that is emerging – Genomic-Driven Medicine. Genomic research (subset of precision medicine) is evolving very quickly and creating its own infrastructure. He pointed out that there are some issues that are inherent in research, including access to data, siloed independent databases (non-collaborative approach), incomplete data, skewed ethnicity, lack of patient autonomy, genomic data - consumer concerns (privacy, security, anonymity).
To highlight consumer concerns in the area of genomic data, Bud shared the story of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. However, there was no approval by her family for the use of her cells. Bud also gave suggested reading on this topic in the book, Who Owns You? The Corporate Gold Rush to Patent Your Genes by David Koepsell.
Bud discussed security concerns with DTC companies (such as 23andMe, Ancestry DNA) and that customers usually grant the DTC companies a perpetual, royalty-free, world-wide, transferable license to use their DNA and to sublicense and distribute the resulting analysis.
Bud’s presentation included a discussion on blockchain technology which genomic data networks are now incorporating. Blockchain is a second-generation internet that permits trust in transactions - privacy, security, authentication; sequence and time; tamper proof and permanent. This important technology has created companies in the market that did not exist 12 months ago – Encrypgen, Nebula Genomics, Luna DNA, and Shivom.
Bud closed the presentation with a final discussion on where the puck is headed - genome research, genomic wellness, genetic counseling, genomic medicine. Genomic data will drive decisions for family wellness, health choices, research and medical care. Bud then shared a video on Genomics in Primary Care, highlighting the importance of this data in treating the whole patient.
Please join our next Healthcare Forum on Wednesday, June 20 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location
Philips Healthcare
PHA Academy
One Deerfield Centre
13560 Morris Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004