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Quest Diagnostics received on Tuesday Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its SARS-CoV-2 rRT PCR test. The issuance allows Quest to provide the test for individuals suspected by their healthcare providers of having COVID-19.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker pledged Thursday morning that Massachusetts would soon see an “enormous increase” in testing for coronavirus as he acknowledged that the state’s capacity to screen people remained far below what was needed to blunt the local impact of the pandemic. Baker spoke to reporters after touring the private laboratory at Quest Diagnostics, which plans to rapidly ramp up its coronavirus testing. By next week, Quest hope to preform 2,000 to 3,000 tests a day at its facility in Marlborough, according to its chief executive officer, Steve Rusckowski, who joined Baker at the press conference

Quest Diagnostics Inc. made coronavirus tests available on Monday in California as part of a broader roll-out meant to dramatically expand the U.S.’s capacity to identify new cases. The company’s effort began when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave companies greater leeway to develop their own tests Feb. 29, Chief Executive Officer Steve Rusckowski said in an interview. Quest sprang into action, obtaining specimens of the virus from South Korea, he said.

As Nevada manages the possible spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Steve Sisolak today announced the federal government has provisionally approved testing for the virus at commercial labs throughout the state.Sisolak at a late morning briefing said Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp will be able to test for COVID-19 in the “near future,” joining the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory at UNR and the Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory, which each already has conducted a handful of tests leading to at least 14 negative results as of Friday.

U.S. government officials say a million promised tests for diagnosing coronavirus infections will soon be in the mail. But that still leaves many state and local laboratories without the ability to test for the virus, crucial for curbing its spread around the country.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Some states have developed their own tests. Clinical testing companies are now joining the ranks. LabCorp announced March 5 that physicians or other authorized health care providers could already order its test. Quest Diagnostics announced the same day that the company will also offer commercial tests as soon as March 9, pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews. Participation of those two commercial laboratories could greatly expand testing capacity in the United States.

The Trump administration pushed back Saturday against criticism that it has been slow to deploy testing for the coronavirus on a nationwide scale.[CR-LF][CR-LF]While health officials from Washington state to Florida have expressed concern over their lack of access to testing kits, administration officials told reporters at the White House that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had met all requests from the two states, where the virus outbreak has been most pronounced.

The number of Americans infected with the coronavirus keeps growing; so does the number of states with confirmed cases. We're going to talk now with someone who is on the frontlines, Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading across the world represents a distinct challenge for all physicians, especially oncologists who commonly treat patients who have compromised immune systems. The spread of the virus was discussed by Scott Gottlieb, MD, during the keynote address at the 37th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference®.

Some academic hospitals are developing their own tests. And commercial options are expanding really quickly. Quest Diagnostics says it will launch a coronavirus test on Monday. The company says it will be in a position to receive samples from hospitals, physician offices. And another big company, LabCorp, says it now has a test available that can be ordered by doctors, other health care providers. Now, results can take three or four days. Positive results will be reported to local health officials and to the CDC.

Since Renee Schwartz developed shortness of breath and a severe cough two weeks ago, she has been trying desperately to get a coronavirus test. She has already been tested for the flu — she was negative — and other problems have been ruled out. But while her doctor thinks a test is warranted, she told Schwartz she does not have access to any tests.[CR-LF][CR-LF]“I feel like crap,” said Schwartz, 60, of North Hills, Calif. “I want to know, why can’t I get this test?”

President Trump claimed again on Friday that anyone who needed a coronavirus test “gets a test.” But from Washington State to Florida to New York, doctors and patients are clamoring for tests that they say are in woefully short supply, and their frustration is mounting alongside the growing number of cases around the country.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In California, where thousands are being monitored for the virus, only 516 tests had been conducted by the state as of Thursday. Washington health officials have more cases than they can currently process. And in New York, where cases have quadrupled this week, a New York City official pleaded for more test kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Hampshire’s state laboratories are able to do more coronavirus testing after receiving additional supplies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Health Department said Friday.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The supplies will allow the laboratories to test an additional 200 people, the department said.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Also, Quest Diagnostics, the world’s largest diagnostic testing provider, is expected to make testing available to patients through their healthcare provider as of Monday, the department said.

In a press conference late on Friday, Vice President Mike Pence said that the government will finally have the capacity to provide over 1 million tests for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Joined by representatives of the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the vice president detailed the continuing efforts from the White House to coordinate a response to the spread of the coronavirus.

In a growing sign of how coronavirus is disrupting California, Stanford University said Friday night that it will move classes online for the final two weeks of the winter quarter.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Stanford also said large events would be "canceled or adjusted."[CR-LF][CR-LF]"The university is actively monitoring the local and global health situation and is taking precautionary measures in an effort to help limit the spread of infection," officials said in a statement.

Coronavirus testing capacity in Connecticut will grow significantly in the coming days with two private labs initiating testing, a move that is likely to help identify positive cases in the state.[CR-LF][CR-LF]By Monday, two companies — LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics — will be processing coronavirus tests in their Connecticut laboratories, the companies said Thursday. The state public health lab in Rocky Hill is currently the sole testing provider in the state.[CR-LF][CR-LF]That means possibly dozens or hundreds of tests a day will be processed in Connecticut, up from a maximum of about 20.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Connecticut has one confirmed case of COVID-19. On Friday night, officials said a New York nurse working at Danbury and Norwalk hospitals has tested positive for the virus.

As coronavirus continues its spread across the U.S., public health officials are racing to make more test kits available and laboratories are working around the clock to test for the virus that has killed more than a dozen people in the U.S. and infected more than 230. The federal agency in charge of testing efforts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is under fire for what one top national health official told CNN Friday were "missteps" that slowed efforts to contain the virus.

Three states now require insurers to limit out-of-pocket costs related to coronavirus testing, and more may soon jump on board. Tests administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for COVID-19, the disease caused by a new virus called SARS-CoV-2, are free. But many patients still face bills from related doctor’s appointments and hospital visits.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In Florida, a patient reported a staggering $3,270 bill after getting tested to see if he had COVID-19. A blood test confirmed he just had the flu, but then he was stuck with the bill; his catastrophic insurance plan refused to cover the balance, according to the Miami Herald.

The United States "desperately" needs more tests to screen for the new coronavirus, a public health expert told Congress on Friday.[CR-LF][CR-LF]"Testing capacity is not currently adequate, and we need more," said Dr. Lisa Maragakis, senior director of infection prevention for the Johns Hopkins Health System and an epidemiologist. "We need this as soon as we can have it."[CR-LF][CR-LF]Maragakis' remarks were part of a briefing on Capitol Hill by five experts from Johns Hopkins, which has been tracking the international outbreak.

The Trump administration has faced criticism over the availability of coronavirus test kits in the United States. Vice President Mike Pence has said any American would be able to get tested for the disease it causes, COVID-19 — but acknowledged this week, as the government raced to distribute tests, that the capacity wasn't there yet.[CR-LF][CR-LF]So what should someone do if they want to get tested?[CR-LF][CR-LF]According to the American Hospital Association, people who think they have the coronavirus should call their physician to see if a test is warranted. If so, they will direct you to an appropriate testing site.

The administration is working to quickly expand testing by making the kits more readily available to state and local laboratories across the country as the case count increases, particularly among patients who did not travel to China — the origin of the outbreak — and have no direct link to travelers.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Initially, the government limited the testing to only those exhibiting symptoms of the virus who had also traveled to China. The tests were only being performed in a handful of laboratories in certain states at first.

Public health officials have been clamoring for greater testing capacity to help them combat the spread of the new coronavirus in their communities. Now, as testing is poised to become more widely available from commercial labs, the cost of those diagnostic tests could become a factor in the effort to control the virus.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Lab Corp. announced Thursday it was immediately offering testing for COVID-19, while Quest Diagnostics said it will start testing specimens next week, increasing the options for hospitals, physicians offices and urgent care clinics.

President Trump, on a visit to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, asserted that coronavirus tests are available to "anybody." "Anybody that wants a test can get a test," he said. "That's what the bottom line is."[CR-LF][CR-LF][CR-LF]And he added, "Anybody right now and yesterday, anybody that needs a test gets a test. They're there. They have the tests and the tests are beautiful. Anybody that needs a test gets a test. If there's a doctor that wants to test, if there's somebody coming off a ship like the big monster ship that's out there right now, which you know again, that's a big decision. Do I wanna bring all of those people on? People would like me to do that. I don't like the idea of doing it."

New coronavirus cases emerge across the country. Michigan is the biggest of the six primary states voting next week. And, a cease-fire between Turkey and Russia is in effect in northwestern Syria.

Nearly a week after the first U.S. coronavirus death was announced, the Trump administration scrambled Friday to meet its target for increasing the number of people able to be tested. But it still could take weeks for the actual tests to take place.[CR-LF][CR-LF]HHS Secretary Alex Azar told reporters that the government had shipped out materials for 700,000 coronavirus tests — well short of the 1.5 million that Vice President Mike Pence had said would be available to hospitals this week, in remarks on Wednesday. Late Friday, Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir told POLITICO that more tests passed quality checks, bringing the total ready to 1.5 million.

Hospitals across the state are preparing for an influx of people wondering whether they’ve contracted coronavirus by making plans for “triage centers” outside their main buildings.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The centers could be tents in hospital parking lots, or temporary trailers or office space, not necessarily near the hospitals that would open them.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The extra infrastructure would be used primarily for screening and testing, not treatment, in order to keep people who think they may have contracted the COVID-19 coronavirus out of waiting rooms and emergency departments where people with otherwise compromised immune systems might be.

Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips recalled the day the first U.S. patient infected with COVID-19, a 35-year-old man from Snohomish County in Washington state, had taken a “turn for the worse.”[CR-LF][CR-LF]“He was day nine in his course and he actually started going downhill, started getting worse,” said Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer of Providence St. Joseph Health, where the patient was treated.[CR-LF][CR-LF]At first, the patient only had common cold-like symptoms, Compton-Phillips said. But very quickly he began to have shortness of breath and a cough, she said. His X-ray also showed viral pneumonia. He needed supplemental oxygen and had to be put on an experimental antiviral treatment.

Connecticut lawmakers will begin the daunting task Friday of crafting a strategy to mobilize the public and private sectors to combat the coronavirus – an effort that comes as state health officials acknowledged hundreds of residents are being monitored for the illness.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The state Department of Public Health is aware of 200 people currently being monitored for the virus, said Max Reiss, spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont. The governor was briefed Thursday by Renee Coleman-Mitchell, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, and Dr. Matthew Carter, the state epidemiologist.

A major health insurance trade group is pledging its member plans will cover doctor-ordered testing for the coronavirus amid rising confusion and concern about who will bear the cost of care in an outbreak.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez on Thursday joined with 14 Senate colleagues to urge U.S. employers to commit not to penalize workers for following recommended health procedures in order to protect the public from further spread of the coronavirus.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In a letter to major industry groups, which together represent thousands of companies employing millions of Americans, the senators wrote: “As the United States mobilizes to respond to the recent outbreak and spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, we write to urge your member companies to prioritize their employees’ health, economic well-being, and security during this response. The companies you represent are some of the largest, most high profile companies in the United States. The broader business community watches their actions closely and we believe they have an opportunity, and an obligation, to lead in this moment.”

U.S. lab operator Quest Diagnostics Inc said on Thursday it was launching a test service for coronavirus and can start testing from next week.[CR-LF][CR-LF]On Wednesday, the Trump administration met with private lab test developers to discuss increasing the availability of diagnostics.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The company said test services will be provided as a laboratory developed test, pending review by the FDA under emergency-use authorization.

Trump administration officials doubled down on their promise to deliver 1 million tests for the coronavirus this week as states reported limited testing supplies and federal lawmakers expressed doubts about the government's timeline.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters Thursday that a private manufacturer authorized to make the tests expects to ship the kits to U.S. laboratories by week's end. That amounts to the capacity to test roughly 400,000 people, given that it takes multiple test samples to a confirm a result.

Secaucus-based Quest Diagnostics, a provider of diagnostic information services, said Thursday it will launch a coronavirus test service.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The new test service aids the presumptive detection of nucleic acid in respiratory specimens of patients meeting CDC’s clinical criteria for COVID-19 testing. Quest will be in position to receive specimens for testing and begin to provide testing on March 9.

Quest Diagnostics, one of the largest commercial lab companies in the country, announced on Thursday it is launching a laboratory-developed test for the coronavirus next week, but it is unclear how many tests it will be able to run or how much it will cost. A spokesperson told POLITICO the test is in the process of being validated at Quest’s lab in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Quest Diagnostics plans to launch a nationwide testing service for the novel coronavirus next week—moving forward with its own assay after the FDA gave companies the green light to proceed with validated tests before receiving any agency review or authorizations.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The company described its lab-developed, molecular-based test as designed to detect viral RNA in respiratory specimens, and that it will be used for presumptive detection of the disease known as COVID-19.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Quest said it plans to begin receiving and testing specimens March 9, and will work to submit its test for agency review within the mandated 15-day timeline.

On Thursday, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. that had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) swelled to 100 -- and next week, that number is probably going to climb much further. That's because the country's second-largest provider of clinical testing services, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE:DGX), has announced plans to begin helping the CDC unwind its backlog of coronavirus tests.[CR-LF][CR-LF]During January and February, U.S. healthcare officials isolated some people at risk of carrying SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Unfortunately, a shortage of fully approved testing kits means that it's still unclear how many infected individuals may have slipped through the cracks. It's fairly likely to be a large number. In the past two months, just a few thousand people with suspected cases of COVID-19 were actually tested in the U.S.

Lab operators Quest Diagnostics Inc and OPKO Health Inc said on Thursday they would be able to begin testing for coronavirus from next week, as the U.S. government ramps up efforts to increase diagnostic capabilities.

Despite intense scrutiny and criticism of the diagnostic testing rollout in the US for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the emergency regulatory process may actually be proceeding at a much more rapid pace than past emergencies, which did not involve newly-emerged pathogens.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Commercial tests in development to date have faced bottlenecks in test validation, but the logjam now appears to be clearing with new US Food and Drug Administration feedback and the availability of control materials.

After a weekslong delay, thousands of coronavirus test kits are headed to state and local laboratories, Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday.[CR-LF][CR-LF]But questions remain about when, exactly, those promised test kits will arrive and how well they will work.

The Trump administration met with private lab test developers on Wednesday to discuss increasing the availability of tests for the coronavirus and said that the companies had formed a consortium. Vice President Mike Pence said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has included coronavirus testing as an essential health benefit for health plans in a bid to increase Americans’ access to tests.[CR-LF][CR-LF]“We want every American to have access to testing,” Pence said.

Thanks, Mr. Vice President. I appreciate the opportunity and your leadership on this matter. We understand this a public health issue that we all have a role in, and we’re deeply committed to working through this together.[CR-LF][CR-LF]We also appreciate the support of the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control. They’ve been very good partners in this regard. And particularly over the weekend — the decision that was made to give us — a decision that accelerated our path to bringing tests to the market place. As Adam said, we’re validating it as we speak. And, hopefully, by the next week, we’ll able to ramp that up at a number of our laboratories throughout this country.

President Trump and Vice President Pence hold a White House briefing with airline CEOs and diagnostic lab CEOs on coronavirus. There are at least 100 confirmed cases in the country, along with nine deaths, but some experts have suggested that the real number may be considerably higher if testing is expanded.

Following ongoing developments related to COVID-19 testing and response, included below is a statement from ACLA President Julie Khani following today’s meeting with the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force:[CR-LF][CR-LF]“We appreciated the opportunity to meet with Vice President Pence and members of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force this afternoon on the critical issues related to testing capacity. As an industry, clinical labs have taken steps to meet the growing demand for national testing and are working together with the Administration, the CDC and FDA as well as state and local public health labs, hospitals and academic medical centers.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Monday that, by the end of the week, U.S. labs would have enough materials to perform close to 1 million tests. Public health experts say that figure is misleading because it is far larger than the number of samples that can be processed in labs in the coming weeks.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The realistic estimate is now likely around 5,000 each day, according to a public health lab industry group.

With legal marijuana use laws continuing to make traction throughout the U.S., and the perception of a dwindling job applicant pool, some employers are asking if they should continue to conduct screening for marijuana. Some employers are also challenging the entire idea of performing drug testing in their workplaces. Is there still a benefit to having a drug-free workplace program?

It could be weeks before the United States can meet the demand for coronavirus testing because doctors, hospitals and some public health labs say they aren’t set up yet to do the tests.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Ratcheting up the country’s ability to detect the disease is crucial to understand how the coronavirus — now confirmed in at least 12 states — is spreading. But testing so far has been severely limited by problems with a diagnostic test developed by CDC.

Aimed at making it a bit easier to track the ever-increasing list of coronavirus plays, here is a representative listof diagnostic companies that have either experienced recent volatility or may announce plans to develop tests for COVID-19. Some companies, of course, are more credible players than others.

Primary care physicians may be overconfident in their ability to recognize prescription drug misuse, a researcher suggested here.[CR-LF][CR-LF]An analysis that juxtaposed survey data from 500 primary care physicians with over a half million drug test results showed that nearly three-quarters of doctors trusted their patients to take medications as prescribed, but half of specimens showed signs of misuse, reported Jeffrey Gudin, MD, of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, at the American Academy of Pain Medicine annual meeting.

A worker who is using the drug medicinally may fail a drug test and lose their job. But a recreational user could be making their workplace less safe for everyone if they come to work inebriated.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Enter workplace drug testing.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The rate of positive drug tests hit a 14 year high in 2018, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article. Of the 10 million tests processed by Quest Diagnostics, 4.4% tested positive for some type of drug.

Two years ago, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) was presented with an opportunity to ratchet up adherence to one of its 30 recommendations — #21, which deals with evaluating adult patients with diabetes or hypertension for chronic kidney disease (CKD) through commonly used laboratory tests.[CR-LF][CR-LF]“What Choosing Wisely did was speed up the trajectory more than start the initiative,” said Lee Hilborne, MD, MPH, Past President and Chair of ASCP’s Appropriate Test Utilization Committee and Senior Medical Director for Quest Diagnostics, referring to the society’s partnership with the National Kidney Foundation to harmonize and simplify the testing protocol used to detect CKD.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced that it is scheduled to speak at the Barclays Global Healthcare Conference in Miami. Mark Guinan, Executive Vice President and CFO, will discuss the company's vision, goals and two-point strategy to accelerate growth and drive operational excellence. The presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

Democratic presidential candidates' calls for "Medicare for all" may seem like a threat to profits and innovation in the U.S. healthcare sector, but not all industry executives see it that way, even in the remote chance such a proposal is enacted. Some healthcare executives say giving the public the option of government coverage could actually be a net plus for the industry by adding more customers, particularly the estimated 44 million citizens who have no coverage. For companies like Quest Diagnostics, the largest provider of lab services, the answer is to roll up the industry to give it pricing power. "There are hundreds of laboratory companies, so our acquisition strategy is to consolidate the industry," CEO Stephen Rusckowski told Mergermarket. The company expects to spend an average of $250 million to $300 million a year on acquisitions.

While staffing shortages are one of main challenges facing the lab industry, some employees are seeing a benefit in the form of rising compensation. During Quest Diagnostics' Q4 earnings call last month, CFO Mark Guinan said that the company had seen "rising wage pressure" due to the tightening labor market. Quest President, Chairman, and CEO Steve Rusckowski noted that the firm was primarily seeing this pressure at what he called "the front end of our value chain," meaning positions like couriers and specimen processing where it competes for workers not only with other labs but also with employers outside the lab industry.

UNT Health Science Center and Quest Diagnostics are collaborating to improve outcomes for high risk patients in underserved populations. Quest, which is the leading diagnostic information services company, will use its massive trove of data from its diagnostic business to provide guidance on how to manage populations effectively.

With its recent acquisition of Finnish molecular diagnostics firm Blueprint Genetics, Quest Diagnostics is looking to expand and improve its genetic testing portfolio.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The lab company was particularly interested in Blueprint's informatics capabilities, which Carrie Eglinton Manner, Quest's senior vice president of Advanced Diagnostics, said would enhance its existing genetic test offerings by improving variant interpretation and reporting.[CR-LF][CR-LF][CR-LF]"We have full next-generation sequencing services in a number of our labs," she said. "The capability that we are really excited about is their bioinformatics capability. Their bioinformatics has a depth and flexibility, including software engineering expertise, that we can apply to our entire portfolio… to help accelerate [bringing] test offerings to market as well as expanding growth for the company."

Long Island companies may have to rethink their drug testing policies as state lawmakers renew a push to legalize recreational marijuana.[CR-LF][CR-LF]A bid for legalization narrowly failed last year. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who included the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act in his new budget, made it clear last month in his State of the State address that it's one of his top priorities. The New York State Bar Association threw its support behind legalization last month.

The human brain has a unique ability to take in information, block out unnecessary data, analyze it and issue a motor response—all within fractions of a second. It is one of the many reasons why humans are at the top of the food chain.[CR-LF][CR-LF]But the ability to process information, make a quick decision and act accordingly can be affected when under the influence of marijuana. All the steps involved in decision making slow down, which can—in some cases—cause catastrophic, unintended effects.

Mayor Erin Stewart held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday afternoon for Quest Diagnostics’ newest Patient Service Center at One Grove Place.

Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of diagnostic information services, and Memorial Hermann Health System, a leading not-for-profit health system that includes 17 hospitals and more than 300 care delivery sites in the Greater Houston region, announced a multi-pronged, long-term collaboration intended to broaden access to innovative, high-value laboratory services for providers and patients in Greater Houston.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Quest and Memorial Hermann have executed a definitive agreement for Quest to acquire select assets which constitute substantially all the operations of Memorial Hermann Diagnostic Laboratories (MHDL), the outreach laboratory division of Memorial Hermann. The acquisition includes nearly 30 MHDL patient service centers and nearly 60 in-office laboratory service sites. These services will transition to the Quest Diagnostics full-service laboratory in Houston. Upon closing, Quest will also provide professional laboratory management services through a multi-year agreement for all of Memorial Hermann's 21 hospital laboratories, which provide onsite rapid response testing. Memorial Hermann will continue to wholly own these labs.

Quest Diagnostics today reported a 5 percent year-over-year rise in revenues for the fourth quarter, beating the consensus expectation from Wall Street analysts.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2019 was $1.93 billion, up from $1.84 billion in the same quarter last year. The consensus Wall Street estimate was $1.92 billion.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Test volumes grew 4 percent during the quarter with revenue per test growing a little more than 1 percent.[CR-LF][CR-LF]During a conference call following release of the results, Quest Chairman, President, and CEO Steve Rusckowski, said that expanded access to healthcare plan networks combined with good operational execution allowed the company to counter what he called "significant reimbursement pressure."

Companies, we all know, need to make a profit to prosper and survive. Making a buck, after all, is important to investors, employees and vendors. But over the years, executives have come to realize that they need to do much more. That is, by giving back to the communities they operate in and standing up as good neighbors and citizens.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Newsweek partnered with global data research firm Statista Inc. to publish our first ranking of America's Most Responsible Companies. As you will see from our description of the methodology, Statista worked from a universe of 2000 public companies to determine which firms were tops when it came to doing good. Quest Diagnostics is number 164.

A new study provides a look at the levels of such similarity between married partners when it comes to their heart health, in hopes of finding ways to lead more people to be like the Kellys.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Researchers examined five years of biometric measurements and blood test data from 5,364 couples. The researchers then charted how each partner measured up against seven modifiable risk factors for heart disease (smoking, exercise, diet, body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol and fasting glucose) and for overall cardiovascular health.

Quest Diagnostics and Memorial Hermann Health System, a leading not-for-profit health system that includes 17 hospitals and more than 300 care delivery sites in the Greater Houston region, today announced a multi-pronged, long-term collaboration intended to broaden access to innovative, high-value laboratory services for providers and patients in Greater Houston.

Doctors worry that a second drug epidemic is on the horizon, according to a recent survey. We’re still amid the opioid crisis, but 62 percent of the primary care physicians queried say it’s likely to morph into a whole new emergency, this time fueled by prescription drug misuse.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Physicians in that survey, conducted by the Center on Addiction and Quest Diagnostics, were focused on people in chronic pain who, deprived of opioids, may find relief by turning to other prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines like Valium. That’s a critical concern, but there’s another important issue that requires our urgent attention: Too many teens and young adults don’t understand that the drugs we count on to treat our medical problems can be dangerous if misused.

Quest Diagnostics today announced that it has acquired Blueprint Genetics in an all-cash equity transaction. Blueprint Genetics is a leading specialty genetic testing company with deep expertise in gene variant interpretation based on next generation sequencing (NGS) and proprietary bioinformatics. Together, Quest and Blueprint Genetics will broaden access to actionable insights in genetic and rare diseases, improving patient care and pharmaceutical drug research and development. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

You decided to screen workers for drug use because you want to maintain a safe and productive workplace. But what should you do when workers flunk the test? Should employees be fired, given another chance or referred to an employee assistance program? Employment attorneys say consistency is the key.[CR-LF][CR-LF]"Employers should have strong policies in place addressing whether or under what circumstances they will engage in dialogue with an employee or applicant who fails a drug test," said Jill Vorobiev, an attorney with Reed Smith in Chicago. Policies also should take into account any state laws that may apply to failed drug tests and whether the employer might need to make reasonable accommodations for workers with disabilities, she said.

Twenty-three New Jersey companies have been recognized as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.[CR-LF][CR-LF]According to the 2020 Corporate Equality Index, more than 680 companies were assessed and designated with the honor for their efforts in satisfying four criteria ⁠— non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, corporate social responsibility and responsible citizenship ⁠—earning them a score of 100%. Quest is included in this list.

Quest Diagnostics today announced that it has been selected as one of FORTUNE's World's Most Admired Companies in 2020 for the sixth consecutive year.

From makeup and oils to capsules for stress relief, cannabis-based goods are flowing into the marketplace. But while they may not get you high, they can still cause you problems at work. Cannabidiol or CBD has been showing up in a widening array of goods. That's because federal legislation in 2018 deemed that hemp - one of its sources - was not an illegal controlled substance.

Employers must provide a safe work environment, and they want to ensure their employees are productive, but is maintaining a drug-testing program in furtherance of these goals worth the hassle? The answer may depend on the workplace.[CR-LF][CR-LF]"You have to consider the needs of the business, in addition to any applicable state laws," said Anne-Marie Welch, an attorney with Clark Hill in Birmingham, Mich. Some employers are federal contractors or hire drivers and have to follow specific drug-free workplace laws. Other employers are struggling to find qualified employees or want to maintain a certain culture and think that drug testing—particularly for marijuana—will hinder their ability to attract and retain talent.

LabCorp and Quest went into 2019 predicting some upsides to the Protecting Access to Medicare Act​ (PAMA), which is driving down how much Medicare pays for tests. The clinical laboratory leaders objected to the price cuts but felt they were better equipped to cope with them than smaller rivals, creating opportunities to consolidate the market.[CR-LF][CR-LF]However, the anticipated surge in acquisitions of local and hospital laboratories never materialized. Adam Schechter, who took over as CEO of LabCorp in November, discussed some reasons for lack of M&A activity during a presentation at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Tuesday.

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.

The laws about marijuana in Wisconsin aren't changing. But recent legalization of recreational marijuana in neighboring states and shifting societal norms are causing employers to rethink how to treat cannabis use. [CR-LF][CR-LF]Calls to MRA's human resources hotline about workplace drug testing increased in recent months. Employers are asking just how exactly the changing tides will affect them. [CR-LF][CR-LF]The laboratories that carry out employer-based drug testing, such as Quest Diagnostics, do not see evidence that people are abandoning the practice, said Quest Diagnostics Director of Science and Technology Barry Sample.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated announced today the pricing of a public offering of $800 million aggregate principal amount of its 2.950% senior notes due 2030 under the Quest Diagnostics' shelf registration statement.

North Carolina’s governor has announced that a clinical trial lab services provider will add 749 jobs at a new facility over the next few years.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement Wednesday that Q Squared Solutions LLC will invest $73 million in the Durham-based facility that’s expected to grow over seven years.The company is described as a joint venture between IQVIA and Quest Diagnostics that offers laboratory services and biospecimen management among other services.

For blockchain to be successful in healthcare, it needs to scale. This is why collaborations have been created between major healthcare organizations to grow the technology.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In April 2018, five healthcare giants — Humana, MultiPlan, Quest Diagnostics, UnitedHealthcare Group and Optum, launched the Synaptic Health Alliance, a pilot program using blockchain to ensure health plan provider directors include up-to-date physician information.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Since then, St. Louis-based Ascension and Aetna have joined the project.

As the United States tries to wean off prescription opioids, physicians worry about the impact on chronic pain patients: Doctors are concerned that many chronic pain patients will turn to illicit drugs if they do not have access to prescription opioids, according to a new report from Quest Diagnostics. For the report, researchers polled 500 primary care physicians (PCPs) and analyzed 4.4 million lab test results.

Stewardship is defined as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.” In health care, laboratory administrators are frontline stewards, providing quality, appropriate laboratory services to guide patient care. [CR-LF][CR-LF]But laboratory administrators are increasingly in charge of a different kind of stewardship—managing the cost of laboratory spend and achievement of financial incentives for meeting lab-based quality metrics. That’s because laboratory testing drives most health care decisions, with significant downstream consequences on patient outcomes and costs.

Robotic process automation (RPA), or bots that can be programmed to perform tedious and mundane tasks, is undergoing a period of explosive growth. Deloitte reports that 53% of companies have begun deploying it and that 78% of adopters will invest more in RPA in the next three years. In fact, assuming the current trend continues, it’s anticipated that RPA will achieve “near universal adoption” within five years.[CR-LF][CR-LF]One of the incumbents in the space is Automation Anywhere, which in the roughly 16 years since its founding has attracted over 3,500 customers in more than 90 countries, among them LinkedIn, MasterCard, Comcast, Hitachi, Stanley Black & Decker, IBM, Cisco, Symantic, Juniper Networks, Tesco, Unilever, Volkswagen, Whirlpool, Quest Diagnostics, Deloitte, Boston Scientific, Dell EMC, Accenture, Cognizent, Siemens, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the World Bank.

Among more than 100,000 patients enrolled in both commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage programs, researchers found that the annual percentage undergoing tapering doubled between 2008 and 2017.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In another recent survey, which was conducted by Quest Diagnostics and the Center on Addiction, more than four out of five doctors said they were reluctant to take on patients using prescribed opioids. They also said the opioid crisis made it more difficult to treat patients in pain.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated provides diagnostic testing, information, and services in the United States and internationally. The company develops and delivers diagnostic testing information and services, such as routine testing, non-routine and advanced clinical testing, anatomic pathology testing, and other diagnostic information services.

Neither vitamin D nor marine omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation significantly reduces the rate of first heart failure hospitalization, according to a research letter published online Nov. 11 in Circulation to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 16 to 18 in Philadelphia.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Luc Djoussé, M.D., Sc.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined the effects of vitamin D and n-3 supplements on the incidence of heart failure hospitalization in a large, multi-ethnic cohort with 25,871 adults; 36 participants with prevalent heart failure were excluded.[CR-LF]Two authors disclosed financial ties to Quest Diagnostics, which measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and serum omega-3 index at no cost; several pharmaceutical companies provided the study agents, matching placebos, and packaging.

A laboratory test that evaluates high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol function provides unique and novel information for assessing cardiovascular disease risk, according to data presented today (Abstract #1020) by Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) at the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. The study is one of four the company will present at the conference, which runs November 16-18, in Philadelphia (Booth #1502).

Technology’s role in health care is creating new opportunities for established health care providers and insurers, as well as entrepreneurs.[CR-LF][CR-LF]That was the conclusion of a panel of health care experts at the Newark Regional Business Partnership series entitled: How Technology is Changing Health Care on Thursday in Newark.[CR-LF]Dr. Damian Alagia, chief clinical officer, Health Systems at Quest Diagnostics said that for an entrepreneur it is a great time to be in medicine.[CR-LF][CR-LF]“Anyplace in health care where you can put the patient in the center of everything you can do … if you look at health systems and doctors offices that are successful, they are the ones that kept the patients at the center, everything emanates from that patient care model. If you get that right everything else falls into place,” said Alagia.

Oxford Immunotec is seeing positive signs emerging from its strategic partnership with Quest Diagnostics in the US for sales of its interferon-gamma release assay for latent tuberculosis while new initiatives and an overhaul of its China business model are driving international growth.[CR-LF][CR-LF]This week, Oxford Immunotec reported third quarter financial results that beat the analysts' average expectations on both the top and bottom lines. On Tuesday, the maker of the T-Spot.TB test, with headquarters in Abingdon, UK, reported 32 percent growth year over year in total revenue and EPS $.03

Quest Diagnostics today announced that it has achieved Gold status in the American Heart Association's 2019 Workplace Health Achievement Index, ranking the company's workplace health initiative among the best in the nation. 2019 marks the second year in a row that Quest has earned this distinction.[CR-LF][CR-LF]More than 1,000 companies completed the Index assessment this year and those which received Gold recognition have demonstrated the highest level of achievement. The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of workplace health programs.

With simpler acquisitions largely done, the larger labs may be in the next phase of their acquisition strategies — deals that require more labor and sweat.[CR-LF][CR-LF]During Quest Diagnostics' recent Q3 2019 earnings call, Chairman, President, and CEO Steve Rusckowski noted that while the company's lab "acquisition pipeline remains strong … most deals in our pipeline are taking more time to develop than they have in the past."[CR-LF][CR-LF]He cited the greater "complexity" of the acquisitions Quest was currently pursuing, saying that "conversations with hospital systems are getting broader," and added that hospital CEOs are interested in how the company "can help them with professional lab services and taking on more of their reference work."

Construction workers and others handling heavy duty machinery in hazardous conditions are more likely to misuse prescription opioid medication and use cocaine than other workers, according to a study released Thursday.[CR-LF][CR-LF][CR-LF]Earlier this year, Quest Diagnostics DGX, -0.46%, a company performing drug-test laboratory work, said there were double-digit increases in drug detection for six of 17 sectors. The tests look for the presence of drugs, including marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and opiates.

During its Q3 earnings call last week, Quest Diagnostics provided an update on its plans to move its immunoassays to a single vendor as Chairman, President, and CEO Steve Rusckowski said that the company planned to announce that vendor in the near future.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The move to a single vendor will enable "greater throughput, a more efficient footprint, and is expected to save tens of millions of dollars per year," Rusckowski said, noting that this will help offset declines in test reimbursement due to the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA).

Did you know that our body produces Cannaboid (CBD)? Yes, that’s right! Our body has something called an Endocannabinoid system (ECS) which is also known as “the survival system”. Our ECS regulates everything from rest and relaxation to digestion to inflammation to organ and muscle performance, basically everything in our body that is connected to our brain and central nervous system. The ECS produces CBD which stimulates responses to naturally reduce aches, pains, improve mobility, flexibility, even moods, headaches, and sleep. If this is true, then you might be asking yourself, “Is my ECS even working?” Or maybe you are wondering, “If my body produces CBD why do some tell me this is a controlled substance and I could lose my job if I am using a CBD supplement?”[CR-LF][CR-LF]According to Quest Diagnostics Director of Science and Technology, Barry Sample, "If the product contains only CBD and has had the THC removed, then an individual being tested would not be expected to test positive for marijuana or marijuana metabolite." In other words, drug tests screen for THC, not CBD.

A federal court has given preliminary approval to a class action lawsuit against Quest Diagnostics field on behalf of individuals whose HIV testing data was exposed in a 2016 data breach.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The US District Court for the District of New Jersey approved on October 25, 2019, a $195,000 settlement between the plaintiffs and Quest under which lawsuit class members who are able to show they incurred monetary damages due to the breach can collect $250 each and members whose HIV test results were exposed can collect $75 each.

A federal court granted approval Oct. 25 to Quest Diagnostics to settle a class-action lawsuit that stemmed from a 2016 data breach for $195,000, according to GovInfoSecurity.com.[CR-LF][CR-LF]In November 2016, around 34,000 individuals may have had their protected health information exposed after an unauthorized third party gained access to the lab testing company's web application.