Media Coverage

Now that recreational pot is legal in Illinois, marijuana enthusiasts may feel like it’s finally time to emerge from hiding.[CR-LF][CR-LF]But people with jobs — or looking for them — might want to stay in the shadows for now as companies figure out how to handle employees who partake.

Medical companies that develop tests to diagnose neurological disorders, heart disease risk and fetal abnormalities have been in legal limbo since a 2012 Supreme Court ruling that limited the patenting of such tests, finding they occurred in nature and were not invented.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The high court may signal as soon as Friday whether it will revisit the subject as such tests become critical to the burgeoning field of personalized medicine, in which doctors determine whether a patient is genetically susceptible to a particular disease or would respond to certain treatments.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced that it will report fourth quarter and full year 2019 results on Thursday, January 30, 2020, before the market opens. It will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss the results beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on that day

PreemploymentDirectory.com, the background screening news and information portal for Human Resources professionals and Hiring Managers, has published an informative new guide on 'How to Select a Drug & Alcohol Screening Provider' to help employers select the right drug screening provider to meet their hiring needs at a time when drug use is on the increase.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The 'How to Select a Drug & Alcohol Screening Provider' guide was written specifically to help employers to select a drug testing provider who can meet their company's needs and to guide them in defining a successful program. Nina French, Managing Partner, Current Consulting Group, captures the intent of the Guide very well when she states, "Building a house relies on a good architect, a great contractor and excellent communication with the owner. Selecting the wrong vendors can be both expensive and frustrating. Likewise, a great substance abuse testing program takes great design, implementation and ongoing support. Understanding and translating your program design is key to building a successful partnership and selecting the right partner."

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), the state's largest locally based healthcare insurer, and Sharecare, the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, today announced a strategic partnership to empower every Arizonan, regardless of insurance coverage, to improve their holistic health and well-being. Additionally, this deal provides exclusivity to BCBSAZ as the only Arizona-based health plan to offer the Sharecare platform to members or commercial customer groups.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced December 27, 2019, that it is doubling the minimum annual percentage rate of random drug testing for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The agency is raising the minimum random drug testing rate of commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders from the current 25 percent to 50 percent for calendar year 2020.

DNA testing kits were a popular gift over the holidays, and now one company is offering users the chance to learn more about their health as well as their past. NBC investigative and consumer correspondent Vicky Nguyen joins TODAY with what you need to know.

Hackers have accessed over 7.9 billion consumer records so far this year, with experts predicting that over 8.5 billion accounts will be exposed by the end of the year.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The majority of the over 5,000 data hacks this year Risk Based Security has tracked so far consisted of only a few million accounts. Yet there were a few mega hacks that involved hundreds of millions.[CR-LF]In early June, lab-testing company Quest Diagnostics announced that it found a data breach affecting its billing and collections vendor, the American Medical Collection Agency.

23andMe tests for 29 variants of the CFTR gene that causes cystic fibrosis, he said, while his department uses Quest Diagnostics to test for 161. Quest also offers a broader test that can look for about 1,000 variants associated with 98 percent of cystic fibrosis cases. More than 1,700 variants of this gene have been discovered, according to the CF Foundation.

With the possibility of legalizing recreational marijuana appearing on the 2020 ballot, the Florida House Health Quality Subcommittee continued hearings on the potential consequences of legalizing cannabis on Wednesday. [CR-LF] [CR-LF]Pro-legalization advocates have raised concerns that lawmakers have focused too much on the negatives and given little time to the positives.[CR-LF] [CR-LF]Members heard from economics professor Dr. Rosalie Pacula with the University of Southern California.[CR-LF]And a drug testing lab, which suggested its research shows employees have steadily been increasing marijuana use over the past decade.[CR-LF] [CR-LF]“There's been a 70 percent higher self-reported use of marijuana among those respondents not subject to employer drug testing,” said Dr. Barry Sample with Quest Diagnostics.