Web-based software eases onboarding, offers education for patients, research participants
Orlando, Fla. – Genome Gateway™, a web-based software portal created by HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Ala., was highlighted in a presentation at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) annual meeting in Orlando.
Genome Gateway™ manages interactions between genomic medicine patients and clinicians at the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine, also in Huntsville. Patients can use the software, which is hosted on a HIPAA-compliant server, to complete their initial paperwork, fill in family history to create a pedigree, and engage in educational activities prior to their initial visit, or throughout their care.
“Onboarding through Genome Gateway is a critical feature of patient experience, because it sets the tone for future interactions. By offering online forms and reducing the number of times a patient has to fill out those forms, the visit is streamlined and patient satisfaction increases,” said Adam Hott, Ed.D., who led the Genome Gateway™ project and also is the digital applications lead for HudsonAlpha.
Hott presented data from the implementation of Genome Gateway™ at ASHG. The clinic team reported a 45-60 minute decrease in the length of clinic visits. More than two-thirds of patients engaged with educational materials prior to their first visit as well.
“Genome Gateway™ is designed to be truly interactive. Besides the customized learning platform, patients can also ask questions of providers and access their medical results online through the secure software,” added Hott.
In addition to its use as a clinical tool, researchers also integrate Genome Gateway™ into projects. Participants in the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative (AGHI) will soon be utilizing a separate instance of the gateway for education and communication, as will future participants of HudsonAlpha’s CSER funded project SouthSeq.
“Both clinicians and scientists have been inquiring about Genome Gateway™ because of its unique research tools and its ability to provide de-identified data for research. In the field of genomics, aggregating as much data as possible will help scientists make new discoveries about variants known to cause disease, as well as variants of unknown significance,” Hott said.
For more information about Genome Gateway™, contact Adam Hott, Digital Applications Lead at ahott@hudsonalpha.org, 256-327-0574.
