Myriad Genetics, Salt Lake City, acknowledges the release of a final local coverage determination (LCD) for pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing by Palmetto GBA, one of the administrative contractors for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The new LCD does not restrict pharmacogenomic testing by provider type as long as the provider has the licensure, qualifications, and necessary experience and training to both diagnose the condition being treated and also to prescribe medications. The LCD provides coverage across a range of psychiatric conditions.
The new LCD is a limited coverage policy for pharmacogenomic testing that establishes coverage for single-gene and multigene tests. While Palmetto states that there are insufficient data to support coverage of combinatorial tests, the LCD notes “that combinatorial tests are a subtype of multi-gene pharmacogenomic tests, and there may be components within those tests that are necessary and reasonable and thus may be covered.”
“We are encouraged by the issuance of a pharmacogenomic LCD with broad coverage of tests ordered by any licensed physician for the treatment of a range of psychiatric conditions,” says Mark S. Verratti, president of Myriad Neuroscience and Myriad Autoimmune. “Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated the clinical value of the GeneSight Psychotropic combinatorial test.”
The GeneSight Psychotropic test is a pharmacogenomic test for depression medications. The test can help inform doctors about genes that may impact how patients metabolize or respond to certain depression medications.
For more information, visit Myriad Genetics.
