Utilization of a Third-party Partnership in Tele-genetic Risk Assessment Program in Genitourinary Oncology

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Oncology
• Healthcare Delivery

Background:

• Expanded clinical guidelines increase demand for genetic risk assessment in genitourinary cancers.
• Barriers to accessing genetic counseling and testing exist.
• A streamlined workflow is needed to improve care access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an academic/industry partnership to create a streamlined workflow for genetic risk assessment in genitourinary cancers.
• To evaluate the effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness of this new program.

Main Methods:

• A pilot program offered multilingual genetic counseling, hybrid telehealth/in-clinic pre-test counseling, and genetic testing to patients at risk for hereditary genitourinary syndromes.
• Post-test counseling was offered based on results.
• Testing results, patient satisfaction, and costs were evaluated between January 2020 and January 2022.

Main Results:

• 80% of eligible patients participated, with 89% completing pre-test counseling.
• Median time from referral to pre-test counseling was 11 days; median time to result release was 15 days.
• Patient satisfaction was high (mean score 27.9/30), and reimbursement by private insurers increased annually.

Conclusions:

• The program provided high patient satisfaction, rapid access to genetic counseling and testing, and timely results.
• The approach was cost-effective compared to traditional models.
• This model is scalable across settings and cancer types.