The Genetic Testing Unit (GTU)

The genetic testing market is growing fast and evolving rapidly. With more than 160,000 clinically orderable genetic tests on the market, stakeholders are struggling to communicate effectively and efficiently across the Genetic Health Information Network.

One significant challenge is communication between parties about specific genetic tests. Concert Genetics is addressing this problem by making its unique test identifier, the Concert GTU (genetic testing unit), available to the industry. For years, the GTU has played an essential role in enabling Concert to track and organize the industry’s genetic tests. Because ambiguity in test identification remains a persistent challenge for the healthcare system, Concert’s proven method for test identification has broad utility and value. 

This paper describes the GTU system in greater detail, including:

• Objectives of the GTU test identification system

• Guiding Principles & Technical Design of GTU test identifiers

• Suggested Uses of the Concert GTU in structured (e.g., claims) and unstructured healthcare communication

Finally, the paper summarizes how GTUs may be accessed on a royalty-free basis, and how to contact Concert for additional uses including derivative works.