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For years stakeholders in the genetics and healthcare community have been vocal about the need for changes in the genetic testing system, but there has been little consensus regarding what those changes should be.While debate has ensued, the field has continued to evolve in the number, types, and indications for genetic tests.Now more than ever it is time for change.We are at a juncture where it is critical for health, medicine, government, and industry to get this right, so we must work together to create policy and transform systems, allowing for continued growth and innovation while ensuring the safety and quality of tests to improve health.The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), signed into law in 2008, addresses a major barrier in the genetic testing system-fear of discrimination based on genetic information-and provides an on-ramp to move forward into better health.Genetic testing, innovation, and technology give us the tools to transform health through genetics.But without improvements to the system as a whole, these tools cannot be utilized as intended, nor to their full potential, and we will all suffer the consequences.Benefits for individuals, families, and communities are the ultimate goal of the genetic testing system, and these benefits range from informational to life saving.We are all consumers; we all have been or will be patients; and we can all benefit from improved health through genetics.In evaluating this system and thinking about change, we must keep these important end goals in sight and be mindful that there are people waiting for tests and treatments that will save their lives.Within the genetic testing system, there are questions about science, access, reimbursement, coverage, and oversight.Informed decisions must be made on the basis of analytic and clinical validity, clinical utility, and individual usefulness, as well as an understanding of oversight, regulation, and reimbursement.Accurate, reliable, and validated information must be available to individuals and providers as they make decisions about testing and the information gained through the testing process.Although there is much work to be done in crafting a better system, a key and rather simple step is to develop a publically available, mandatory registry of genetic tests and laboratories performing genetic tests.Current lists are voluntary, so there is no comprehensive information available about tests that can be used by payers, providers, patients, and consumers for
Zonno et al. (Wed,) studied this question.