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Local US hospitals are increasingly facing an impossible choice: Merge with larger hospitals or close
Locally owned and operated community hospitals these days often face an impossible dilemma: Should they allow a larger hospital system to take over their operations, which can mean cuts to staff and services — or close entirely? These hospitals are an essential lifeline for health care, often the only place where patients can receive hospital-level care without having to travel hours away from their homes. They are part of the fabric of the community, providing not only medical services but also good-paying jobs and other secondary benefits. But the US health care system puts small, locally controlled hospitals at a disadvantage. Revenue is based almost entirely on the volume of…
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Why Pharmacogenomics is Increasingly Relevant
Pharmacogenomics looks at how genetic influences affect an individual’s response to therapeutic medications. Pharmacogenomics looks at how genetic influences affect an individual’s response to therapeutic medications. Rather than taking the approach that therapy for all people with a certain health condition should begin with the same medication at the same dose, pharmacogenomics has the potential to enable personalized medicine selection and dosing to a degree not previously possible. As of late 2021, 180 approved drugs were labeled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with genetic factors. While many pharmaco-economic studies suggest that pharmacogenomic testing is cost-effective, a growing body of evidence also highlights the clinical impact of pharmacogenomics.…
