Barriers to clinical adoption of next-generation sequencing: a policy Delphi panel's solutions.

AIM: Identify solutions to the most important policy barriers to the clinical adoption of next-generation sequencing. MATERIALS & METHODS: Four-round modified policy Delphi with a multistakeholder panel of 48 experts. The panel deliberated policy solutions to (previously reported) challenges deemed most important to address. RESULTS: The group advocated using consensus panels to promote consistency in payer policies and to standardize test reporting, and favored making genomic data-sharing a condition of regulatory clearance, certification, or accreditation processes. They were split on the role of US FDA. CONCLUSION: Panelists found common ground on solutions for health plan coverage policy consistency, data-sharing, and standardizing reporting, but were sharply divided on the role of the FDA in mitigating risks to patients.

Barriers to clinical adoption of next generation sequencing: Perspectives of a policy Delphi panel.

This research aims to inform policymakers by engaging expert stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and deliberate the most important and tractable policy barriers to the clinical adoption of next generation sequencing (NGS). A 4-round Delphi policy study was done with a multi-stakeholder panel of 48 experts. The first 2 rounds of online questionnaires (reported here) assessed the importance and tractability of 28 potential barriers to clinical adoption of NGS across 3 major policy domains: intellectual property, coverage and reimbursement, and FDA regulation. We found that: 1) proprietary variant databases are seen as a key challenge, and a potentially intractable one; 2) payer policies were seen as a frequent barrier, especially a perceived inconsistency in standards for coverage; 3) relative to other challenges considered, FDA regulation was not strongly perceived as a barrier to clinical use of NGS. Overall the results indicate a perceived need for policies to promote data-sharing, and a desire for consistent payer coverage policies that maintain reasonably high standards of evidence for clinical utility, limit testing to that needed for clinical care decisions, and yet also flexibly allow for clinician discretion to use genomic testing in uncertain circumstances of high medical need.

Clinical integration of next generation sequencing: a policy analysis.

Clinical next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are challenging existing regulatory paradigms. We advocate a coordinate policy approach, which first requires a comprehensive understanding of the existing regulatory and legal structures. This paper introduces four key policy domains - including quality assurance, insurance coverage, intellectual property management, and data sharing - that must be addressed to ensure high quality clinical NGS. In bringing these policy issues into conversation through this special issue for the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, we hope to lay the foundation for further discussion by a range of stakeholder groups with diverse and strong interests in the governance of NGS.