Konica Minolta Precision Medicine (KMPM) Launches Care for COVID Program

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ambry Genetics Corporation (Ambry), a leading clinical genetic testing laboratory, announced the launch of its CARE for COVID Program to provide employers with the system, tools, and support they need to screen, test, and manage their employees' health with respect to COVID-19 as they return to work.

Leveraging the existing Ambry CARE Program ™, which currently enables hereditary cancer risk-assessment at scale, the CARE for COVID Program helps employers make informed decisions about which employees to test, and how frequently, using an online symptom and exposure questionnaire based on the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations. Ambry is developing a comprehensive testing portfolio to integrate within the CARE for COVID Program to create a comprehensive end-to-end screening, testing, and employee health-management solution. Ambry's initial test offering will be a saliva RT-PCR test for active COVID-19 infection detection, with incremental test options to be rolled out shortly thereafter, and will include point-of-care antigen testing.

An AI-based virtual assistant enables employees to answer the screening and exposure questionnaire from their computers, tablets, or mobile phones to assess the risk of returning to work, and to guide them to the appropriate tests.

"To aid in employee safety, return-to-work initiatives, and general peace of mind, employers need a clinically validated, comprehensive, and cost-effective approach. The CARE platform is that turn-key solution from screening to testing that helps provide a safe work environment and limit potential exposure," Ambry Chief Executive Officer Aaron Elliott said. "We can tailor our CARE for COVID Program to meet employers' individual needs as employees return to work and to support continued employee health and wellness."

The CARE for COVID Program follows a simple process. Ambry's Virtual Assistant (AVA) guides employees through the online exposure and screening questionnaire, after obtaining their consent, educating them on the process, and guiding them through the questions. Once completed, the employee will be notified whether they should consider testing, and provides employers information to help them assess whether the employee should return to work. The CARE for COVID Program also includes a HIPAA-compliant portal for employers to track employee completion status. In later versions, the Program plans to offer workplace exposure tracking, helping to quickly identify additional employees who may be at risk and flagging them for testing to help reduce further spread of the virus. 

The CARE for COVID Program incorporates the latest guidance from federal agencies, including the CDC. Ambry worked directly with noted experts in academia, industry, and government to develop the program.

The CARE for COVID Program can be customized depending on each organization's needs.

"We recognize that every business has its own specific needs and concerns as they open up again and that a best-in-class screening and testing program would have to be flexible enough to fit any organization," Ambry Chief Commercial Officer Tom Schoenherr said. "Our CARE for COVID Program will soon incorporate a portfolio of testing options providing businesses a full view of the landscape of employee health to help ensure that everyone is as safe as possible in the face of the ongoing pandemic."

The Ambry CARE (Comprehensive Assessment, Risk, and Education) program is a population-health, precision-medicine tool that can be used to address employee health and wellness across a range of medical issues. Already used to help people learn whether they are at risk for hereditary cancers including breast and colon cancers, the program can also be adapted to help employees identify and manage diabetes, cardiovascular, and other diseases. To learn more about the CARE program and hereditary cancer risk, please visit ambrygen.com/care.

ABOUT AMBRY GENETICS®
Ambry Genetics, as part of Konica Minolta Precision Medicine, excels at translating scientific research into clinically actionable test results based upon a deep understanding of the human genome and the biology behind genetic disease. Our unparalleled track record of discoveries over 20 years, and growing database that continues to expand in collaboration with academic, corporate and pharmaceutical partners, means we are first to market with innovative products and comprehensive analysis that enable clinicians to confidently inform patient health decisions. We care about what happens to real people, their families, and the people they love, and remain dedicated to providing them and their clinicians with deeper knowledge and fresh insights, so together they can make informed, potentially life-altering healthcare decisions. For more information, please visit ambrygen.com.

For more information on risk factors for hereditary cancer, please visit cancer.gov's fact sheet on hereditary cancer and genetic testing.

Press Contact:
Liz Squire
[email protected]
(202) 617-4662

SOURCE Ambry Genetics