Oxycodone, Overdoses, and Pharmacogenetics

Everywhere we look, news about the epidemic of opiate abuse, both prescription and illicit, abounds. We hear about frightening statistics, celebrities and neighbors alike overdosing; even the availability of overdose reversal agents has become a talking point among presidential candidates.  Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported here that 78 Americans die every day from an opioid … Read More

Recent Article in JAMA Underscores Need for Pharmacogenetics

On March 21, an article published online in JAMA Internal Medicine examined changes in the prevalence of medication use and the frequency of major drug-drug interactions. The study was authored by Dima M. Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD of the Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues. In-home interviews, with direct medication … Read More

HIMSS16 Recap

YouScript has received a fair amount of attention at HIMSS since we first began attending the conference in 2013. Pharmacogenetic testing and precision prescribing are always hot topics that draw a lot of attention. Unfortunately, over the past few years that attention has had a challenging time evolving into action. The concept seems to have trouble gaining traction in the … Read More

U.S. VA Awards Genelex Contract to Reduce Veterans’ Healthcare Costs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a Federal Supply Schedule contract to Genelex as a government supplier, which took effect March 15th, 2016. The contract makes pharmacogenetic testing accessible to clinicians in the Veterans Administration, so their patients can immediately benefit from precision medicine. The approval will also allow healthcare providers in the Department of Defense, Bureau of … Read More

Visit Genelex this week at HIMSS16 in Las Vegas

Visit Genelex this week at HIMSS16 in Las Vegas and see why we’re in the headlines:   HIMSS Honoree explains why you won’t want to miss Genelex at the conference: “This is a real, practical application of precision medicine that saves lives by helping solve the ADE problem. “ –Dave Garets, internationally known Healthcare IT Industry Analyst, author, and speaker. … Read More

An Alternative to the Hype of the HIMSS16 Show Floor

Dave Garets, Healthcare IT industry analyst I know what you’re thinking: “Garets is mouthing off again. Thank goodness he doesn’t do it more than once a year.” Last year about this time I blogged about what you’d see at HIMSS15. Now I’m going to suggest something you ought to check out at HIMSS16 beyond the blather about BI/analytics/big data, population … Read More