No, in fact the Genomind panel is endorsed by numerous medical and psychiatric institutions. Medicare, Medicare Advantage and most commercial insurers cover the testing. Genomind provides important data which helps reduce the trial and error approach to psychiatric care and pain management.

No, genetic testing is never able to provide stand alone medical diagnoses. The data must be used within the context of a full medical evaluation to provide diagnosis.

There are two ways genetic data is useful. One is for pharmacodynamic information and the other is pharmacokinetic information. Pharmacodynamics provide genetic risk factors for possible underlying mechanisms for presenting symptoms as well as for intervention options. For example, SSRI sensitivity, calcium channel instability… These genetic risk factors may provide insight into treatment planning which extend beyond simply which medication and at what dose. Pharmacokinetics provide genetic risk factors for anticipating how the patients’ body might absorb and/or metabolize a synthetic medication. This is especially useful when anticipating doses or possible drug interactions.

Many genetic lab reports focus primarily on pharmacokinetic information which may be misleading when a prescriber is choosing which medication or medication class to implement.

Yes, Dr. Sara will provide you with an overview of your genetic report in a format useful for your prescribing clinician.

Dr. Sara’s practice is a cash basis, out of network service. If appropriate she may be able to provide you with a superbill receipt which you may submit directly to your insurance to apply any out of network benefits you may have. The external labs which Dr. Sara submits orders to may or may not be in network with your insurance. These labs are a separate business from Dr. Sara including Genomind. It is important to check directly with your insurance company as well as with the lab for any billing questions or concerns. If you have Medicare or Medicaid you will need to sign a private contract with Dr. Sara prior to receiving any services as she has opted out of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Transparent pricing avoids surprise billing. When medical services are submitted to insurance companies for billing, diagnoses go into a database. Currently this database is not allowed to be used by healthcare insurance companies in our country for assessing preexisting conditions as protected under the Affordable Care Act. A cash basis practice allows for greater medical privacy and allows medically licensed providers to determine the recommended course of action.