Color and Sanford Health to scale leading genomics program, Imagenetics

Color and Sanford Health, the nation’s largest rural not-for-profit health care system, today announced together they will strengthen and scale Sanford’s leading genomics program, Imagenetics.

Sanford Health and Color will build on the success of Imagenetics and provide physicians with further access to innovation, data, and insights to enhance clinical decision-making. Sanford also will implement Color’s unique digital tools to engage patients, increase adoption, and streamline clinical reporting across Sanford Health’s locations in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

“Sanford has invested in integrating genomics into routine clinical care to enhance patient care,” said Cassie Hajek, M.D., medical geneticist at Sanford Health. “This collaboration allows us to enter a more ambitious phase, both in the sequencing technology and the patient experience with the Color platform.”

The Imagenetics program, which began in 2014, allows Sanford Health to embed genetic medicine directly into primary care. Beyond providing testing, the model also offers genetic counseling for patients and guidance for how to navigate their results. Genetic counselors help people understand the medical, psychological and familial effects of genomics in a disease process.

“Color has helped implement many large-scale genomics and precision health programs, but we are particularly thrilled to partner with Sanford and the Imagenetics program as they accelerate access to genomics in routine care,” said Color CEO Othman Laraki. “Sanford is thinking about how to fundamentally change care delivery through genomics, and together with Color, has a model that other health systems will follow.”

The Imagenetics program will incorporate Color’s Population Health Genomics Platform to:

– Move the Imagenetics program sequencing from array-based technologies to next-generation sequencing (NGS) to expand the clinical impact of the program;

– Continue to integrate patient genomic information into clinicians’ day-to-day workflows and Sanford’s EHR;

– Introduce an updated patient-facing experience and program to help patients enroll, understand their results, and stay engaged with their clinicians; and

– Continue to ensure that every patient who enrolls in the Imagenetics program at Sanford Health receives actionable information.

The next phase of Imagenetics, with Color, will launch by the end of March and will be available to eligible patients throughout the Sanford footprint.

About Color

Color is the leader in delivering precision healthcare through cutting-edge technology. Color makes data-driven health programs such as clinical genetics accessible, convenient, and cost-effective for everyone. Color partners with leading health systems, premier employers, and national health initiatives around the world including the million-person All of Us program by the National Institutes of Health. For more information about Color, visit www.color.com

About Sanford Health

Sanford Health, one of the largest health systems in the United States, is dedicated to the integrated delivery of health care, genomic medicine, senior care and services, global clinics, research and affordable insurance. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization includes 44 hospitals, 1,400 physicians and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and nine countries. Nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford have transformed how Sanford Health improves the human condition. For information, visit sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.