Media Coverage

In 2020, Covid-19 prompted a delay of non-urgent in-person medical care and concurrently exacerbated contributors to substance use disorders, including job loss, economic hardship and mental health issues. A Health Trends report from Quest Diagnostics found that 70% of physicians fear they missed signs of drug misuse during the pandemic, and the large majority fear overdose deaths will continue to rise even as the pandemic subsides.

Governor Kathy Hochul today recognized Choose Healthy Life for its work during the pandemic for offering COVID-19 testing and vaccinations through its Black churches across the five boroughs of New York. The state’s commitment is part of a public-private collaboration that includes funding support from founding CHL partner Quest Diagnostics Foundation to hire the church-based community health workforce that has been established in New York and engaging the underserved communities in preventive care and wellness.

Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) and several Quest employees participated in an Earth Day weekend community event with the Black Church Food Security Network; an association of congregations, farmers, food advocates, and community activists working together to create an alternative food system in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, at Quest Diagnostics, we were in the midst of challenging what a traditional lab looked like to enhance quality, capacity, and efficiency while improving the employee experience. We remained committed to moving our East Region lab operations from our legacy lab in Teterboro, NJ, to Clifton, NJ, despite the pandemic challenges. The Clifton lab was built for our employees, with our employees.

As drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease come to market, led by the US Food and Drug Administration approval of Biogen's Aduhelm nearly a year ago, diagnostic tests to detect the disease are following suit. Blood-based biomarker tests have gained particular prominence, as they're less invasive and cheaper than both PET imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker testing – two current standards of care for patients presenting with Alzheimer's symptoms. Michael Racke, medical director for neurology at Quest Diagnostics, said in an interview that plasma tests are beneficial because they can be used to screen patients who are "normal cognitively" and may be candidates for intervention before they decline.

"Allergy and Omicron symptoms may mimic one another," Jeffrey Dlott, MD, senior medical director at Quest Diagnostics, told Health. "Because of this, someone may confuse COVID symptoms for allergy symptoms and not take the proper precautions to reduce spread." Here's what to know about how similar Omicron symptoms can look compared to allergies, and steps to take to confirm either diagnosis.

Liquid biopsy is proving itself as both an efficacious and cost-effective way to provide a cancer diagnosis to patients. However, to fully realize its potential there will need to be a paradigm shift with a focus on primary care physicians and collaboration across the healthcare enterprise. By Yuri Fesko, MD

Springtime can be a beautiful time of year. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and vibrant colors are simply popping out all over. If you deal with seasonal allergies, though, the side effects aren't too pretty. We spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Dlott, Medical Director, QuestDirect to get the lowdown on the ugly side effects of seasonal allergies.

By predicting which individuals are most likely to require therapies for chronic kidney disease within the next year, health plans can better organize resource allocation to smooth or delay the transition for the patient, according to Rehan Waheed, MD of Quest Diagnostics.

The rate of positive drug test results among America’s workforce in 2021 reached its highest level since 2001 and was up more than 30% in the combined workforce from an all-time low in 2010-2012, Quest Diagnostics’ annual Drug Testing Index found. Although year-over-year comparisons showed only small increases in 2021 over 2020, Quest said it rose substantially over the previous five years in most drug categories.