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GRAIL and athenahealth Collaborate to Enhance Cancer Detection

In a notable development in healthcare technology, GRAIL, Inc., a pioneering company in cancer detection, has announced its partnership with athenahealth. This collaboration aims to simplify the ordering process for the innovative Galleri® test, an advanced multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tool.

What is the Galleri Test?

The Galleri test is a groundbreaking advancement in cancer screening that allows healthcare providers to detect multiple types of cancer at an earlier stage, giving patients a better chance for successful treatment. By utilizing a simple blood draw, the Galleri test identifies DNA fragments shed by cancer cells, which serve as a unique "fingerprint" indicative of various cancers. This is particularly significant for cancers that lack effective conventional screening methods, such as pancreatic and ovarian cancer.

The New Collaboration

As part of this partnership, GRAIL's Galleri test will be integrated into athenahealth's athenaCoordinator Core. This service enhances care coordination and simplifies laboratory ordering processes for healthcare providers. By allowing over 160,000 clinicians on the athenahealth network to directly order Galleri through their electronic health record (EHR) systems, the collaboration aims to streamline the workflow for medical professionals.

Dr. Josh Ofman, president at GRAIL, remarked, “Cancer remains a public health crisis. There is a clear need to transform the way we screen for cancer while still asymptomatic, when it can be more easily treated.” With this integration, clinicians can place orders with fewer steps, allowing patients to take their Galleri test kits to local lab facilities with ease.

Benefits of the Integration

The integration not only fosters increased efficiency for healthcare practices but also reduces the administrative burden on clinicians. Once an order is placed, test results will automatically appear in the patient's records, facilitating quicker decision-making and follow-up actions for healthcare providers. By increasing accessibility to the Galleri test, the partners hope to enhance early detection efforts and manage the cancer care continuum more effectively.

Furthermore, the Galleri test is especially targeted at individuals aged 50 and over, or those at elevated risk for cancer, reinforcing the importance of early screening that can lead to timely intervention.

Implications for Cancer Screening

This collaboration is a significant step toward transforming cancer care. The proactive approach to cancer screening offered by the Galleri test aligns with current trends in healthcare, where technology plays a crucial role in improving patient outcomes. By focusing on earlier detection when treatment options are more effective, the partnership aims not only to improve survival rates but also to alleviate the long-term financial and emotional burdens associated with late-stage cancer diagnosis.

As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, GRAIL's commitment to innovation and healthcare accessibility through its partnership with athenahealth stands out as a model for improving patient care. By streamlining the ordering process and enhancing detection capabilities, they are paving the way for a future where early cancer detection is the norm.

For more information about the Galleri test and its implications for cancer detection, interested parties can visit grail.com. This partnership signifies a hopeful advancement in the battle against cancer, emphasizing the importance of integrating technology into healthcare for better patient outcomes.