Provider FAQs: Clinical support

Yes, our team of board-certified and experienced genetic counselors trained in medical genetics is available to assist clinicians. Genetic counselors are available throughout the testing process to:

• review patient cases that may benefit from genetic testing
• differentiate between genetic tests to select the one that is most suitable for your patient
• aid in interpreting results
• provide result-specific background regarding variants, genes, and conditions
• identify gene-specific information including relevant literature and studies, published management guidelines, and patient resources

If you're ready to consult with one of our genetic counselors, please email clinconsult@invitae.com or contact Client Services.

Yes. A genetic counseling session is available to patients located in the United States (US), US territories, and Canada who have undergone any currently offered Invitae genetic test. Learn more on our genetic counseling page.

Our genetic counseling services are included in the cost of Invitae’s tests. Learn more on this page.

Patients in the United States (US), US territories, and Canada who have undergone any Invitae genetic test have the option to schedule a post-test genetic counseling session in their Invitae portal, if desired.

For more information, please see our genetic counseling page for patients.

Yes. This service is currently available for patients in the United States (US), US territories, and Canada who have undergone any currently offered Invitae genetic test. Learn more on this page.

Yes. We have access to interpreters who can provide services in most languages. Please schedule a genetic counseling appointment and note that language services are required. For more information, please visit this genetic counseling services patient page.

If your patient schedules a post-test genetic counseling session, the genetic counselor will briefly review your patient’s medical history and family medical history related to the testing, review information about the genetic test results, and discuss what those results may mean for your patient and their family. A consult note will be made available to both you and your patient after the session is complete.

Learn more on this page.

We believe that genetic counseling is important for patients considering genetic testing. The Genetics Provider Network (GPN) is a global network of genetics professionals, including genetic counselors, geneticists, and genetic nurses. Genetics providers included in the GPN cover a broad range of genetics specialties and offer both face-to-face and remote consultations.

• If you have a patient interested in locating a genetics provider, they can search our GPN by signing in to their Invitae patient account.
• If you are a provider interested in joining the Invitae GPN, please complete the GPN provider form.
• If you are already in the GPN and would like to update your contact information, please email gpn@invitae.com.
• If you are a provider and unsure whether you are in the GPN, please email gpn@invitae.com.

The Invitae Family History Tool is utilized to build, modify, share, and save patient pedigrees. It is available through the web and information integrates seamlessly with our online ordering process. If you already have an Invitae account, you can use the same credentials to sign in. For other inquires, contact us.

If you already have an Invitae portal account, you can use the same credentials to log into the Family History Tool.

With Invitae’s Family History Tool you can quickly, easily, and securely draw a complete picture of your patient’s health:

• Draw complex family pedigrees via an intuitive, customizable interface
• Send an electronic questionnaire to a patient that automatically creates their pedigree
• Share and collaboratively edit pedigrees with colleagues
• Export, download, and print pedigrees as PDF, PNG, XML, and CSV files
• Order Invitae tests with patient information and pedigree already attached
• Automatically sync pedigrees across devices
• HIPAA-compliant cloud-based storage

Yes, multiple users can log into the same Family History Tool account to modify and edit pedigrees; however, for better auditing and tracking of which user made edits to a pedigree, we recommend having users log in with separate accounts and edit pedigrees collaboratively using the “sharing” feature.

There is no limit.

It depends on the user's device performance. On a regular office PC, it's usually comfortable to work with pedigrees up to about 100 individuals. We have users that have up to 120 individuals in their pedigrees. Working with larger pedigrees may lead to delays when adding individuals and editing details.

Yes. You can download the pedigree to your desktop as a PDF, XML, PNG, or CSV file by selecting Actions > Download Pedigree from the top-right corner of the pedigree editor screen.

Yes. You can download a CSV file for each pedigree that contains the following information for all individuals on the pedigree: Name, Gender, Status, Age/DOB, Age at Death/DOD, Cause of Death, Fertilization, Conditions, Tests, Surgical Removals, Ancestries, Details, Proband, Fetus, Adopted, Multiple, Number.

Yes. Users can print the pedigree directly by selecting Actions > Print Pedigree. Pedigrees can be printed in both color or black and white and across multiple pages.

We recommend using the Poster printing feature of Adobe Reader, if you need to print a large pedigree. To do that, open the exported PDF file in Adobe Reader, choose File – Print, and then use the 'Poster' tab under 'Page Sizing & Handling'.

Yes. Users can securely share and collaboratively edit pedigrees through the Family History Tool by selecting Actions > Share Pedigree and entering the recipient’s email address. Once shared, the pedigree will appear in both accounts and any changes to the pedigree are reflected in both places. We also include a revision history audit trail showing what changes were made, allowing the ability to revert to an older version if you desire.

Users can do one of two things:

1. Set up a generic shared email address that all users log into to view the same set of pedigrees.
2. Each have their own account and "share" individual pedigrees with each other. They can share the pedigrees with each other by selecting "Share Pedigree" and entering the email address that the other GC's use to log into their FHT accounts. This allows them to both view and collaboratively edit pedigrees.

Yes. You have the option to send an electronic questionnaire to your patient through the Family History Tool in anticipation of their appointment. Once the patient has completed the questionnaire, it automatically draws a pedigree and adds it to your account.

Yes. You can easily de-identify a pedigree when downloading the pedigree by selecting the “de-identify” option.

Yes. Users can represent same-sex marriages in the Family History Tool.

The patient questionnaire covers first, second-, and third-degree blood relatives, including:

• first degree relatives: parents, full siblings, half-siblings, children
• second degree relatives: grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces/nephews
• third degree relatives: cousins

The Invitae Family History Tool can be accessed at familyhistory.invitae.com.

• Firefox ver 22 and later
• Chrome ver 28 and later
• Safari ver 5 and later
• Internet Explorer ver 10 and later
• IE6-9 runs with IE plugin called Chrome Frame, which essentially uses Chrome rendering engine for specific sites, otherwise not changing IE behavior. If a user logs into the Family History Tool in IE6-9, he/she would be asked to install Chrome Frame.

Yes. The current version of the Family History Tool allows users to order Invitae’s genetic tests directly. However, it is neither expected nor required that the user orders Invitae tests in order to use the Family History Tool.

Yes. Users can import pedigrees as GEDCOM, HL7, and XML files.

The current version of the tool does not integrate with EMRs. However, pedigree files downloaded from the Family History Tool can be uploaded or copied into most EMRs.

The current version of the Family History Tool does not integrate directly with any other 3rd party tools; however, we do have an API. We also allow users to export a pedigree as a XML or CSV file which can then be imported into another tool that supports XML/CSV imports.

Invitae’s Family History Tool is fully HIPAA-compliant. All protected health information is encrypted in storage and communication.

When it comes to security, we follow the HIPAA regulations as required of a Covered Entity. This means that data is encrypted in motion and at rest, we restrict access to servers housing the data as needed, the servers are locked and protected by armed guards, and we keep access logs, among many other features.

Yes.

Family History Tool data is stored on a HIPAA-compliant cloud server. We understand how important it is to securely store pedigree information, and we adhere to the highest technological standards for securely storing the information entered into the tool.

Currently all user management and audit capabilities are on the lab side. FHT has extensive audit logging: every time a user accesses or changes any pedigree, the access and changes are logged. We also log exporting, printing and sharing events.

While we can provide reports for particular users, there is no user interface to do this without programmatic effort. Termination of users accounts is also currently controlled by us.

We will sign a BAA with FHT users, however there is no need/requirement to do this when a covered entity discloses information to us in the FHT for treatment purposes (see www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/faq/business_associates/240.html)

Yes, we regularly backup Family History Tool data and have a restoration process in place.

All changes made are saved immediately.

We meet the data responsibility obligations required of a HIPAA Covered Entity.