"Mainstreaming" Germline Genetic Testing: How Nongenetics Providers Can Help Fill the Workforce Gap

Germline genetic testing can play an essential role in identifying cancer risk, guiding treatment decisions, and informing screening and/or preventive strategies for both patients and patient family members. Access to timely and convenient genetic testing can be challenging based on increased indications for testing, larger gene panels, and high numbers of positive tests which are overloading a limited genetics workforce. This is leading to long wait times and widening disparities in access to genetic testing. Dr. Chino welcomes Dr. Trevor Hoffman to discuss an intervention he helped pilot using non-genetics providers to increase access while maintaining quality.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Fumiko Chino: Hello and welcome to Put Into Practice, the podcast from the JCO Oncology Practice. I'm Dr. Fumiko Chino, an assistant professor in radiation oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center with a research focus on access, affordability, and equity.

Germline genetic testing can play an essential role to identify cancer risk, guide treatment directions, and inform screening or preventative strategies for both patients and patient family members. Access to timely and convenient genetic testing can be challenging based on increased indications for testing, larger gene panels, and high numbers of positive tests that are overloading a limited genetics workforce. This is leading to long wait times and widening disparities in access to genetic testing. I'm happy to welcome a guest today to discuss an intervention he helped pilot using non-genetics providers to increase access while maintaining quality.

Dr. Trevor Hoffman, MD, PhD, is an associate professor in clinical medicine at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and the Regional Chief of Medical Genetics in the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group. He leads a department of 10 medical geneticists and approximately 40 genetic counselors, serving 5 million Kaiser members in Southern California. He is the first author of a JCO OP manuscript, "Expanding Germline Hereditary Cancer Gene Panel Testing by Non-Genetics Providers," which was published earlier this year.

Our full disclosures are available in the transcript of this episode, and we've already agreed to go by our first names for the podcast today.

Trevor, it's wonderful to speak to you today.

Dr. Trevor Hoffman: