17 Dec This is why doctors consider precision of medicine to be the future of health care

By Meredith Newman, Delaware News Journal

Tucked among the acres of farmland in Amish country is a clinic that treats its patients in ways that may be a harbinger of medicine’s high tech future.

The Clinic for Special Children and its 17-person staff analyze the intricacies of its patients’ DNA to determine the best course of treatment. In some cases, the clinic has been able to personalize care based on genetic testing to the point that a child doesn’t suffer from a brain injury or have to depend on a wheelchair.

Most impressive: The non-profit clinic doesn’t take insurance or federal grants. And it makes sure the prices of its services are affordable for the families of the sick Amish and Mennonite children it treats.

For decades, the clinic has been practicing a type of patient-specific medicine that major U.S. health systems are just now gearing up to do. Read more …