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New Database Filters Out Useless Molecular Diagnostics

ECRI claims only 5% of the 60,000 genetic tests out there are clinically relevant.

Blood Test / Photo: Getty Images/Adam Berry
Blood Test / Photo: Getty Images/Adam Berry

A recent MedCityNews article discussed ECRI’s effort to bring transparency to molecular diagnostics. ECRI Institute is a non-profit organization focused on assessing medical technology to find the best medical procedures, devices, and drugs. Their goal is to help hospitals and other stakeholders filter through the noise to find tests that are relevant, effective, and cost-efficient.

Their new database, ECRIgene, assesses the relevance of molecular diagnostics by offering tests’ descriptions, indications of use, regulatory status, reimbursement information, and links to evidence reports. To stay on top of the ever-evolving industry landscape, ECRI is assembling a team of medical librarians with a “protocol for identifying new tests, searching for evidence, identifying new information on existing tests, and inputting new information daily to the database,” according to Diane Robertson, ECRI’s director of health technology assessment.