PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., July 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The struggle is real: with more than 60,000 genetic tests available, payers and providers have a tough time sorting through which ones are worthwhile.

Today, ECRI Institute introduces its revolutionary new service, ECRIgene™, a dynamic, searchable knowledge base of the genetic tests that matter most.

"ECRIgene is an evidence resource for overwhelmed payers and providers who can use it to base their genetic test decisions on evidence, not hype," says Vivian Coates, vice president, health technology assessment, ECRI Institute.

For the first time, payers, providers, manufacturers, and labs can obtain practical, evidence-based information they need to understand which tests benefit patients. ECRIgene gives fast access to test descriptions and purposes, gene(s) comprising each test or panel, and the diseases and conditions targeted by each test.

The continuously updated database keeps users abreast of changes within regulation and lab accreditation, payment codes, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and private payer coverage policies.

The service includes access to content experts for custom research requests and fast, targeted answers.

ECRI Institute's multidisciplinary experts designed a proprietary methodology to determine which tests to include in ECRIgene. The ones that matter are typically problematic, controversial, complex, and aggressively marketed to consumers, says Coates.

"Our members have been asking for a resource like this for years," says Diane C. Robertson, director, health technology assessment, ECRI Institute. "As an unbiased, independent evaluator of health technologies, we knew we had to put genetic tests to the evidence bar test and establish a rigorous service to meet key needs of providers and payers."

To learn more or to schedule a demonstration, please visit www.ecri.org/ECRIgene or contact ECRI Institute by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5181; by e-mail at gene@ecri.org; or by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA.

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About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best to enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for nearly 50 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

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SOURCE ECRI Institute

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