Improving Evidence for and Patient Access to Potentially Beneficial Clinical Genomic Technologies and Targeted Therapies

This phase of work in genomics followed the August 2015 release of model policy guidelines for coverage of next generation sequencing-based testing and sought to promote the conditions needed for adoption of the guidelines. Because one of the largest barriers to achieving the full potential of precision medicine is the inability to track outcomes for patients treated with molecularly targeted therapies, CMTP collaborated with the Medical Evidence Development Consortium (MED-C) and several other groups in the US and abroad to develop a set of consensus core clinical data elements and standards to be collected across all cancer genomics repositories. We also worked with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) to broaden understanding, particularly among payers, of the changes being made in 2017 in the CAP accreditation program for next generation sequencing (NGS). Finally, in order to advance knowledge and development of important genomic and related clinical technologies, CMTP held a Genomic Technologies Forum where innovators, payers, patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders came together to discuss the current state of evidence development for innovative approaches to DNA sampling and sequencing, as well as RNA, proteomics, and other methods for the prediction, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of disease.