Anthem Blue Cross Announces Genetic Testing Cost-Savings System

Anthem Blue Cross recently announced the launch of the Genetic Testing Solution, a program aimed at getting patients access to the most effective and efficient genetic testing options while decreasing costs in this emerging diagnostic field.

“Staying current with all the advances in genetic testing is really confounding for physicians,” Razia Hashmi, MPH, medical director for commercial business at Anthem, said in a press release. “With the health care community focused on disease prediction, detection and prevention, it’s more important than ever to empower providers with the best information possible about genetic testing so they can help their patients make informed decisions about their health care.”

According to the release, there are currently 70,000 genetic testing products on the market, with 10 new products announce every day. This can cause confusion and inefficiencies among providers and patients, leading to access costs due to the expensive price tag for genetic tests.

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The Genetic Testing Solution is a provider tool that streamlines approvals for genetic tests, basing them on clinical review and coordination with testing laboratories. The tool also aims to provide physicians with education to better understand the clinical and financial aspects of genetic testing.

The new tool will also improve the process for insurers, moving approvals from a post-service process to a quick prior authorization process. This will reduce the occurrence of errors and costly inefficiencies. The system also works to reduce claim processing times from a matter of days to minutes.

“Genetic testing is transforming genomic medicine and having a dramatic impact on health care today,” Rebecca Sutphen, MD, clinical and molecular geneticist and chief medical officer at InformedDNA, said in a press release. “When physicians and patients are informed by insights from appropriate genetic tests, we see better outcomes and management of potential downstream care.”

—David Costill