Stanford Health Care has begun using patients’ genetic information to guide prescribing decisions, a change designed to support clinicians while improving safety and outcomes for patients.
On May 20, Stanford Health Care activated pharmacogenomics-based medication alerts in its electronic health record system. When a patient has completed a pharmacogenomics panel, the system now checks new prescriptions against that person’s genetic results. If a gene variant is known to affect how a drug is processed or how well it works, an alert appears for the ordering clinician.
“This advancement helps providers deliver truly personalized medicine, ensuring patients get the right drug at the right dose based on their individual genetic profile,” said Alicia Pope, Director, Strategic Projects at Stanford Health Care.
For clinicians, the alerts bring complex genetic information into a familiar workflow. Instead of searching through lab reports or external resources, providers receive concise, point-of-care guidance. Alerts can recommend dose adjustments, suggest alternative medications, or direct clinicians to additional resources, including how to consult a pharmacist. This support is intended to reduce guesswork, save time, and help clinicians feel more confident in their prescribing decisions.
For patients, the program aims to reduce adverse drug reactions and the trial-and-error often involved in finding an effective medication and dose. By aligning prescriptions with a person’s genetic profile, clinicians may be able to avoid drugs that are less likely to work or more likely to cause side effects, and reach an effective regimen more quickly.
So far, approximately 150 patients at Stanford Health Care have undergone pharmacogenomics panel testing, all ordered in the outpatient setting, said Laura Gay, Genomic & Beaker Clinical Systems Analyst. The current panel covers 12 genes that are known to influence how patients respond to a range of commonly prescribed medications.
Patients are eligible for the panel if they are taking two or more medications whose prescribing can be affected by variants in those 12 genes, explained Gay. The list includes drugs across several therapeutic areas, such as cardiology, psychiatry, and pain management. This focus is intended to bring the greatest benefit to patients who are most likely to be affected by gene–drug interactions.
Clinicians obtain patient consent at the time of ordering the test. As part of that process, patients are informed that their genetic results may be used to adjust current or future medication choices. This transparency is meant to help patients understand how their data will be used and how it may influence their care over time.
A key technical change underpins the new alerts. Previously, genomic laboratory results were stored as generic lab data, which made it difficult for the electronic health record to interpret and act on them. The new approach stores genetic findings as discrete, structured data elements.
That shift allows the system to automatically match specific gene variants with specific medications at the moment a prescription is written. It also lays the groundwork for additional decision-support tools that could use genomic data in the future, such as more tailored monitoring recommendations or expanded panels as evidence grows.
The pharmacogenomics alerts are part of a broader effort to integrate precision medicine into everyday clinical workflows at Stanford Health Care. By making genetic information more accessible and actionable, the team aims to support staff in delivering care that is safer, more efficient, and more closely aligned with each patient’s individual needs.
