Telehealth to provide prenatal genetics services: Feasibility and importance revealed during global pandemic

Traditionally, prenatal genetic counseling is performed with face to face counseling in a prenatal diagnosis center. However, alternative forms of genetic counseling are available including use of telephone counseling, group counseling, and use of decision aids. Telegenetics services can benefit patients living in rural areas where there is limited access to providers with genetics expertise. Many women in the United States do not have access to prenatal genetic counseling and receive limited access to standard aneuploidy and carrier screening options because of insurance status even though these options should be offered to all pregnant women. Prenatal telegenetics services can address these inequalities but thus far have not been used broadly due to limited reimbursement and hospital unwillingness to provide the necessary start-up costs to implement prenatal genetics telehealth services.