The North Shore-LIJ Health System announced Monday an alliance with a Miami-based pharmaceutical and diagnostics company which would give patients access to the largest range of genetic testing available in a hospital setting.
“The purpose of this alliance is to advance the promise of precision medicine by providing our patients with greater access to these potentially life-saving tests, while at the same time evaluating their utility and clinical value,” said James Crawford, chair of pathology and executive director of laboratory services at North Shore-LIJ.
As part of the alliance with OPKO Health, Inc., North Shore-LIJ and GeneDx, a genetic testing laboratory of OPKO’s BioReference Laboratories division, have formed a Limited Liability Company partnership.
The LLC partnership will allow doctors to gather patient data in the North Shore-LIJ system to determine the effectiveness of genetic testing for prenatal screening, pediatric and postnatal diagnosis, inherited cancer risk, genetic cardiac abnormalities, neurological disorders and cancer sensitivity to drug therapies, according to a North Shore-LIJ press release.
“We are pleased to be partnering with North Shore-LIJ to leverage our collective expertise, experience and resources in genomics and clinical care to further expand access to targeted treatment options for patients,” Chief Executive Officer of BioReference Laboratories Marc Grodman said. “The leadership of North Shore-LIJ has demonstrated a visionary approach to incorporate genomics in a coordinated, strategic manner throughout its health system. Our GeneDx and GenPath business units have extensive capabilities that will be leveraged in this alliance to further enhance NSLIJ patient care, education and research.”
Genetic testing will be available to patients beginning this January, according to Carly Erickson, manager of government relations and healthcare at MWW Public Relations, which represents GeneDx.
North Shore-LIJ, which will change it’s name to Northwell Health in January, will use GeneDx and OPKO’s GenPath division as the primary laboratories for genetic testing, according to the release.
“The breadth of care provided by our health system gives us the opportunity to advance clinical knowledge through genomic testing. Linking genomic information with clinical outcomes is critical to understanding, diagnosing and treating disease,” North Shore-LIJ President and CEO Michael Dowling said. “This strategic alliance with GeneDx and BioReference in genomics will further elevate our stature as a premier provider and destination for world-class care.”
Erickson said the LLC partnership would offer patients the largest ever genomic and molecular testing service.
She added that North Shore-LIJ would pay most of the testing costs, with patients paying no out-of-pocket expenses that would not be reimbursed by insurance.
North Shore-LIJ is the country’s 14th largest health-care system, delivering clinical care throughout the New York metropolitan area. North Shore-LIJ is also Long Island’s largest employer, with more than 61,000 employees.
