by Chené Murphy

Navigating The World Of Genetics With Advanced Tele-Genetic Counseling

Navigating The World Of Genetics With Advanced Tele-Genetic Counseling

Advanced Tele-Genetic Counseling (AT-GC) provides nationwide genetic counseling through telehealth for individuals and practices who have genomic questions or concerns, offering a personalized approach to learning more about the story encoded in your genomic information.  In this interview we caught up with Corenna Allen, Director of Strategic Development at AT-GC who shares the importance of genetic counselors and how they interpret the meaning of genomic data to provide important insights for you, your family members, and your healthcare provider to better understand and manage genetic risk.

Could you share the story behind AT-GC.  What was the inspiration in starting the company and how has it evolved?

Advanced Tele-Genetic Counseling (AT-GC) was cofounded in 2016 by two genetic counseling colleagues and has gained credibility as a genetic counselor managed, woman-owned small telegenetics practice that is focused on providing innovative solutions to increase rapid access to multidisciplinary genomics support. AT-GC was born out of the desire to increase genetic counseling availability to patients, providers and organizations no matter their locations. We offer comprehensive, compassionate genetic counseling support through our nimble, scalable telehealth platform from AT-GC’s dedicated, nationwide team of certified genetic counselors.

The inspiration behind AT-GC was passion combined with real world experience and seeing first-hand the traditional barriers to genetic counseling access and the impact those barriers had on patients being able to use their genetic information when managing medical conditions or receiving treatment. We currently see this today when we receive phone calls from patients and providers needing genetic counseling quickly and the wait lists in their geographical location are 6 months to years long and patients should not have to wait that long to receive the care they need.

As part of our mission, AT-GC is dedicated to providing the gold standard in genetics care through compassionate genetic counseling and consulting services by reducing traditional barriers to genomic healthcare through telehealth to provide continuity of care for patients, providers, and organizations.

Could you explain a bit more on the importance of genetic counseling for people who are taking genetic tests?

Genetic counseling is a personalized approach to learning more about the story encoded in your genomic information. Genetic counselors help interpret the meaning of this genomic data to provide insights that are important for you, your family members, and your healthcare provider to help understand and manage genetic risk.

Genetic counseling is a very important part of genetic testing and the gold standard involves both pre- and post-test counseling. Pre-test counseling involves an initial consultation with a health history review, personalized risk assessment, and interpretation of any existing genetic testing. Post- test genetic counseling includes a review of genetic testing results and what they mean for the future, medical management recommendations when available, and implications for family members.

Genetic counselors have specialized genetics/genomics training and provide psychosocial support to patients that make them vital to the entire genetic testing process.

What kind of information can be discovered through genetic testing and how could this change the way that people live?

A genetic test is a medical test that analyzes the DNA in your body by using saliva, blood, amniotic fluid, or tissue. By evaluating the coding of your DNA, a genetic test can determine if a mutation has occurred which may cause a segment of DNA to not function properly. These segments of DNA are called genes. If a gene does not function properly, it could mean that you have a confirmation of your diagnosis, are at increased risk for disease, or may pass on a genetic condition to a future child. Genetic tests are also useful for finding effective treatments or how your body will respond to a certain medication.

Based on your genetic testing results, your doctor may want to offer specialized screening or management options to keep you healthy. If your results are positive, you may want to consider ways to reduce the chance of developing symptoms related to your genetic findings. This can change the way people live by allowing them to be more educated about their personal information and make more informed health decisions. Our bodies are like machines and we have to maintain them appropriately so they function efficiently, but if you don’t, they can break down and need to be fixed. If you apply that same approach to your body with its genetic information, you can be proactive and stay on top of certain conditions that you may be more at risk for developing by adopting healthier habits or scheduling extra health screenings each year.

What are some of the concerns or risks with direct-to-consumer genetic tests and the results that are provided to consumers?

There are limitations with direct-to-consumer genetic tests that consumers should be aware of and understand what those are if they choose to pursue them. Many direct-to-consumer tests are ordered without involving their local healthcare provider and results are provided to them without a genetic counselor. This can lead to the consumer having more questions than answers because their results come in the form of overwhelming amounts of raw data. Most consumers will take their results to their PCP who may not be able to read them correctly, or lack important information such as the analytic validity and clinical validity of these tests.

It is also important to understand that not all tests on the market come from Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) facilities, CLIA sets the standards for regulating analytical validity of genetic tests. What this means for consumers is these tests may show higher false positive or false negative results.

While genetic counselors are able to review direct-to-consumer genetic test results and help the patient understand these, it is best practice to pursue genetic testing options that are ordered from your healthcare provider with the assistance of a genetic counselor. This ensures the most appropriate genetic test options are selected based on personal and family health history as well as the most clinically effective test available. The genetic tests ordered from healthcare providers will be able to test for inherited genetic variants associated with a moderate to high risk of increased cancer responsible for inherited cancer susceptibility syndromes. DTC genetic testing for cancer risk will only analyze the common inherited genetic variants usually found in those with a minor increased risk.

Could you tell us a bit more about how your service works and what the process is for the consumer?

AT-GC provides tele-genetic counseling services for patients who are interested in pursuing genetic testing or their providers have referred them for genetic counseling. Our genetic counselors can also provide post-test counseling to patients who have already received genetic testing and need to better understand their results or if there are implications to family members.

Patients can either self-refer themselves for a genetic counseling appointment or they can be referred directly by their healthcare provider. All of our appointments take place through secure video or phone calls and we offer appointments 7 days a week with a warm, open environment.  During a secure video appointment, AT-GC genetic counselors complete a thorough personal and family health history review and address any medical concerns the patient has. Our genetic counselors walk the patient through all of the options and what each step entails.

Not all patients will warrant genetic testing or choose that option, but if the patient decides to proceed the genetic counselor will coordinate the test ordering with the patient’s healthcare provider and insurance company. After the results are received, the genetic counselor will review those with the patient and the provider. AT-GC genetic counselors remain available for the patient and provider long after their appointment to address any concerns or assist with medical management and follow-up.

Have you seen an increase in demand with people in their personal capacity that are more interested in learning more about their genes and related health aspects?  Or are majority of clients directed to you through their medical practitioner?

AT-GC sees a mix of both patients, there are certainly more and more out there that are becoming increasingly aware or concerned about their health and take a proactive approach. We also work with provider offices and health care systems that use AT-GC as a referral source who may not have access to genetic counselors because of location or lack of resources. AT-GC exists because we want to increase access to quality genetic counseling support, but also increase awareness about genetics and how valuable genetic counselors are as part of a patient’s healthcare team. Knowing that we are enabling patients and healthcare providers to make better informed clinical decisions using their personal genomic information is why we continue to do what we do.

What advice or considerations do you have for consumers who are looking at taking a direct-to-consumer genetic test?

Any individual interested in pursuing direct-to-consumer genetic testing should do their research. They are certainly useful in learning more about personal health and wellness factors or ancestry, but if there is a personal or family health concern you are wanting to address, it would be best to consult your healthcare provider or a genetic counselor to learn more about your genetic testing options. Understanding that DTC genetic tests are highly marketed and sometimes not as regulated, will also go a long way in understanding how these tests work. 

Which trends and technologies do you expect to see more of in the coming years in the genetic testing industry?

As healthcare trends continue to evolve toward a more personalized approach and delivering care via digital models continue to become more normalized, AT-GC has been at the forefront of those advances by offering genetic counseling support via telehealth to keep providers on the leading edge of providing quality genomics care in their practices. Healthcare is rapidly advancing toward an approach that values personalized medicine and incorporating genetic counselors into practices is becoming a necessity.

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About Author
Chené Murphy
Chené Murphy

Chené Murphy is a dynamic content creator with a strong interest in health and wellness. Residing in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, South Africa, Chené is passionate about travelling and connecting with others from around the world.

Chené Murphy is a dynamic content creator with a strong interest in health and wellness. Residing in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, South Africa, Chené is passionate about travelling and connecting with others from around the world.