SECAUCUS, N.J. and ANNISTON, Ala., Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, and Regional Medical Center Health System (RMC), a regional health care provider for a five-county service area in northeast Alabama, are teaming up to enhance the quality and value of diagnostic services to patients and their doctors through a new partnership agreement under which Quest will provide supply chain expertise, as well as perform laboratory reference testing.    

"We are pleased to partner with RMC Health System, the leading regional health care provider in its area," said Steve Rusckowski, Chairman, President and CEO, Quest Diagnostics.  "In today's pressurized health care environment, premiere health systems like RMC are turning to Quest for help on executing their lab strategy, taking advantage of our expertise, innovation and scale so they can focus on what they do best, providing quality care to their patients."  

Under the agreement Quest will manage laboratory equipment, supplies and procurement processes for RMC and Stringfellow Memorial Hospital in Anniston, Al., in addition to providing reference testing for both hospitals.   

"The ongoing changes prevalent in healthcare today present many challenges and opportunities for health systems like ours," said Louis Bass, President and CEO of RMC Health System.  "We are pleased to partner with Quest Diagnostics to garner value and benefit from their innovative technologies, scale, and diagnostic capabilities.  Most importantly, this new venture will allow us to remain focused on improving patient care and outcomes, while teaming up with a leader in the field who has access to the most sophisticated diagnostic equipment available."

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 45,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

About RMC Health System

With 323 inpatient beds at RMC Anniston, 125 acute care beds at Stringfellow Memorial Hospital, as well as numerous outpatient facilities and physician offices, RMC is the largest not-for-profit healthcare provider in Northeast Alabama. With more than 2,200 employees, 300 volunteers and over 200 primary care and specialty physicians, RMC Health System provides state-of-the-art integrated healthcare with integrity, skill and compassion. RMC Anniston is accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, is an associate of the UAB Health System Cancer Community, is recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama as a Blue Distinction® Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement and Maternity Care, and is the first designated Baby Friendly birthing facility in Alabama. The Joint Commission, the leading accrediting agency for hospitals in the U.S., accredits all hospitals within RMC Health System. For more information, visit www.rmccares.org.

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics; Regional Medical Center Health System