I use the GeneSight test because it gives me objective data

July 21, 2020

Carmen Kosicek, MSN, APNP, PMHNP-BC

Wisconsin

I came to psychiatry via a rather circuitous route.

As a Nurse Midwife, working with female inmates in a maximum-security women’s prison, I discovered that many incarcerated women suffered from mental health issues. I was so moved by them and their struggles that I decided I wanted to help on a broader scale. I returned to school and became a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

As the CEO and Founder of Alay Health Team, I now have several psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners working with me in Wisconsin as we continue to experience growth.

The residents of this state, WI, severely lack resources to mental health care. In fact, Wisconsin is the second ranked state in the nation in the shortage of psychiatric prescribing providers.

My team mainly treats a large, rural population throughout Wisconsin. We offer telepsychiatry in small and medium sized towns across Wisconsin, and we have additionally expanded to offering our services in Arizona and Oregon.

The GeneSight Psychotropic Test: Objective Data

I have used the GeneSight Psychotropic test since I founded my practice.

I first heard about the GeneSight test while I was in school in the Apple Distinguished Program for innovation, leadership and educational excellence at the University of Cincinnati. When we were taught about pharmacogenomics, I thought it was the biggest “no brainer” ever.

I introduce it to my clients by asking if they would like to have a test that will help to aid in the selection as they often have been on many different medications. The test would help strategically inform me which medications may require dose adjustments, may be less likely to work, or may have an increased risk of side effects based on the patient’s genetic makeup.

I have used it routinely on Medicare/Medicaid patients that have failed at least one psychotropic medication, and often on younger clients who have already been on multiple medications. If I have a patient who has tried and failed two medications from one class, I order the GeneSight test.

I love the GeneSight test as it provides objective data. As a prescriber, objective data in turn informs the decision-making process for the plan of care.

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