Media Coverage

As night approaches at Allegheny County Airport, after most of the air traffic has come and gone, the flight crews of Quest Diagnostics are just getting started.[CR-LF][CR-LF]More than 3,700 Quest ground couriers deliver a wide range of medical samples, including vials of blood and bone marrow, from doctors’ offices and Quest outpatient centers to the airport. Crews load the samples on cargo jets for overnight flights to Quest laboratories to be tested.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has recently issued draft guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. This was written together with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). [CR-LF][CR-LF]The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has recently issued draft guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. This was written together with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). They offer a public comment period until August 10, 2019.

A company offering to freeze donors’ T cells and save them until the day they are needed—perhaps even years before the onset of cancer or disease—is getting off the ground with $1 million in funding and partnerships with some of the largest operators in blood sample management and cold chain logistics.[CR-LF][CR-LF]As a kind of T-cell insurance, Cell Vault is pitching a simple concept: Today’s cutting-edge chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies require a starting point of donated T cells, which are genetically modified to better recognize, target and destroy tumor cells before being readministered to the patient. Elsewhere, mobile blood draw and sample collections will be completed by ExamOne, a Quest Diagnostics company. Cell Vault is also gathering medical advice from CAR-T specialists at the Medical College of Wisconsin

An employee has a beer or two with colleagues at a local bar after the work shift is over. Another heads home for a glass of wine with dinner. The next day, there is no alcohol impairment in the worker, and that’s why an employer would not have a problem with either of these scenarios. But even in states where cannabis has been legalized, drug testing continues to search for signs of marijuana use that in no way necessarily reflects worker impairment.The number of positives for drugs in the workforce has reached a 14-year high of 4.4%, according to an annual analysis conducted by Quest Diagnostics, one of the nation’s largest clinical laboratory testing companies. The rates of drug use are now more than 25% higher than the 30-year low of 3.5 percent recorded between 2010 and 2012.

Make sure the lab is in-network[CR-LF]If your insurance only covers lab work done at, say, Quest Diagnostics, but your doctor usually sends their samples to a different lab, you can end up footing the bill. Before getting your test done, double-check which labs will be covered by your insurance and be sure to notify your doctor; it’s just one question you should be asking your doctor but probably aren’t.

Quest Diagnostics reported today that its second quarter revenues grew a little less than 2 percent year over year.[CR-LF][CR-LF]For the three months ended June 30, total revenues reached $1.95 billion, up from $1.92 billion a year ago, and beating the consensus Wall Street estimate of $1.94 billion.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Quest Diagnostic Information Services revenues also grew about 2 percent to $1.87 billion from $1.84 billion. On a conference call, Quest CFO Mark Guinan said that the increase was driven by strong volume growth and acquisitions, but partially offset by higher reimbursement pressures and patient concessions.

Quest Diagnostics compiles data on more than 10 million drug tests a year. Only a small number of companies have struck marijuana from the list of drugs they screen for, and nationally, roughly 99 percent of all general work force drug tests include marijuana.[CR-LF][CR-LF]“For the most part it hasn’t had a large effect in those recreational-use states and no measurable effect in the medical marijuana states,” said Barry Sample, Quest’s senior director for science and technology.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, announced today the expansion of the Global Diagnostics Network (GDN), a strategic working group of major diagnostic laboratories collaborating to generate enhanced diagnostics insights to improve the delivery of global healthcare. Regional companies LSI Medience, and Strand Life Sciences join Quest and the charter members -- Al Borg Medical Laboratories, Dasa, GC Labs, Healius, KingMed Diagnostics, SYNLAB – as GDN members.

Quest Diagnostics said today it has entered an agreement to provide Catholic Health Services of Long Island with laboratory management services and reference testing.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Under the agreement, Quest will provide CHS with lab testing as well as management of lab equipment, supplies, and procurement processes. The agreement covers six CHS hospitals, a core lab, a cancer center, and an infusion center.

Digital health firm Sharecare said today that it is collaborating with Quest Diagnostics on tools for digital health management.[CR-LF][CR-LF]As part of the collaboration, Quest has made a strategic investment of an undisclosed amount in Sharecare, which named Quest its preferred laboratory partner. The development of disease management programs and other services will also be explored, they said.

HHS recently announced the creation of the Quality Summit, which will bring together federal and private healthcare stakeholders to evaluate and streamline federal value-based care programs.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The summit is in response to the Trump Administration’s recent executive order calling for greater healthcare price and quality transparency. Physicians in a 2018 report from Quest Diagnostics also called for less complex quality measurement.

Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, today launched a new Lyme Disease test offering that individuals can purchase through Quest’s consumer-initiated testing service, QuestDirect.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The blood test screens for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies produced by the body to fight infection to the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Through this service, individuals who suspect they have been bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease can purchase laboratory tests to aid in the identification of Lyme Disease. Individuals 18 years of age or older may access the test service at any of Quest’s 2,250 patient service centers across the United States without first needing to consult a physician. The service is available in 45 states starting today.

In a fascinating LinkedIn post titled, “Who’s Responsible For Healthcare's Biggest Problems? 'Not Me.',” ​former Permanente Medical Group Chief Executive Officer and Exxecutive Director Robert Pearl, MD, observes that there is a lot of finger pointing at the “culprits” to blame for America’s failures to improve clinical outcomes and contain spending. [CR-LF]A recent Quest Diagnostics study presented at the recent ADA 79th Scientific Sessions found that individuals at risk of developing type 2 diabetes who take part in an employer-sponsored wellness program with digital interventions can reduce their risk of developing the chronic disease for up to 8 years. Sixty-two percent of participants lost weight after the DPP, with 31% losing 5% or more of body weight, and levels for all biometric markers in the risk model—including for glycated hemoglobin, high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or "good" cholesterol), fasting glucose, and triglycerides—improved across all study cohorts.

United Health Group announced its plans to invest around $8 million over the next five years to launch a data science initiative with the Atlanta University Center Consortium, a group of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), per Forbes. But VBC implementation has been a big headache for providers — and it's slowing adoption.Nearly 80% of US providers say the shift to value-based care reimbursement models hasn't been successful, according to a 2018 Medical Group Management Association survey of 426 individuals from group health practices. Because VBC relies on accurate data collection and reporting to calculate payment, the clerical burden on doctors has significantly increased. And close to 60% of payers think physicians lack the proper tools to find success under a VBC model, according to a 2018 Quest Diagnostics survey. This friction with providers is putting a major drag on VBC adoption: We reported last week that only 25% of healthcare organizations' revenue comes from VBC, per estimates from a 2018 Optum-sponsored survey.

Since the dawn of time, there have been women who get pregnant without a second thought—and in some cases without even trying—and there have been women who have had to endure years of struggling to conceive. Somewhere in between are the women who talk about kids “someday” with no indication of whether or not someday will ever actually come. Beyond that there are women who just don’t know what the future holds for them and for a lot of us, this is a source of existential anxiety.Modern Fertility is a hormone test you can order to your home or take to your local Quest Diagnostics so that you have a clearer picture of your reproductive future.

When employers invest in a digital diabetes prevention program (DPP), they want to see measurable clinical results and high levels of engagement. Quest Diagnostics recently demonstrated both in a partnership with Omada Health, with 62% of the participants losing weight and the average employee completing more than 25 lessons over 9 months.1 The findings were presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 79th Scientific Sessions.

At a time when clinicians are already increasingly switching to interferon-gamma release-based assays (IGRAs) for tuberculosis testing, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently warned of an anticipated shortage of a key antibody for tuberculin skin tests (TSTs) conducted in clinics. [CR-LF]Hema Kapoor, medical director of infectious diseases and immunology at Quest Diagnostics, said in an interview that while the response to the current announcement will depend on how clinicians react to it, over the years she has seen continuing growth for IGRA testing, supported by guidelines that have recommended blood-based TB testing over skin testing for certain populations.

On the 25th June, Q2 released details of its completed Proof of Concept for tracking biological samples using distributed ledger technology (DLT). The project, with enterprise blockchain firm R3 and medical tech company HSBlox, involved a simulation of the entire process; collecting, transporting, testing, and storing the sample.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Q2, a joint venture of IQVIA and Quest Diagnostics to provide services to clinical trial labs, conducted the effort. Atlanta based HSBlox developed the patent-pending Digital Sample Manager for the project, which runs on R3’s Corda blockchain and Microsoft’s Azure.

On Jan. 1, Illinois became the 11th state to allow recreational marijuana sales. But despite its increasing availability in the U.S., laws to protect cannabis-using job seekers are still uncommon.[CR-LF][CR-LF]That’s changing in Nevada, which legalized recreational use of pot in 2017, and now bans employers from denying jobs to applicants who test positive for marijuana on a pre-employment drug test — excluding jobs with safety issues, like fire fighters or other emergency responders.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Such protections aren’t available in California, where recreational use has been legal since 2016 and medical use has been legal for more than two decades. That’s made finding work difficult for 20-year old Layla Larson, who said she uses cannabis daily to manage her epilepsy and anxiety.

A Quest Diagnostics webinar discussed how lab services fit in with value-based care strategies and could reduce total healthcare costs, improve care coordination, and enhance member experiences.[CR-LF]Laboratories can boost care coordination, reduce healthcare spending, and improve member experiences by applying innovative value-based care strategies, according to a webinar presented by Quest Diagnostics, In Value-Based Care Innovation: Collaborating With Labs. For the webinar, Quest reviewed data from survey reports regarding trends in healthcare and highlighted the company's effort to move away from traditional fee-for-service payment models.

Center on Addiction, a national nonprofit committed to transforming how the nation addresses addiction, released a report today that provides insights into teens' attitudes about drugs, alcohol and nicotine. The national survey of adolescents aged 12-17 found that drugs, alcohol and nicotine are highly prevalent and accessible in teens' lives, particularly as they enter high school. Teens also indicated that parents have the largest influence over their decisions and actions. Despite this, parents often pull back right when the risk of substance use spikes.Access to drugs, alcohol and nicotine is especially high among those with friends who use substances. According to the survey, 53% of teens with at least one friend who uses drugs said they would be able to get marijuana within a day or less, compared to 11% of teens who do not have any friends who use drugs. Those with friends who use drugs also find it much easier to access cigarettes (56% vs. 22%) and e-cigarettes (53% vs. 16%).[CR-LF][CR-LF]This survey was made possible by a grant provided by Quest Diagnostics.

A new law in New York City will prohibit most employers who operate there from conducting pre-employment drug testing for marijuana.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The law was passed last month and will go into effect May 10, 2020.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Certain positions, such as police officers, construction workers, commercial drivers, and workers caring for children or medical patients, among others, were excluded from the law.[CR-LF][CR-LF]About 2.8 percent of workers and job applicants tested positive for marijuana in 2018, according to Quest Diagnostics statistics.

Individuals with prediabetes who participate in an employer-sponsored digital diabetes-prevention counseling program may reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) for up to eight years, according to a new study from Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The new study, "Digital Behavioral Counseling in a Workforce Setting Reduces 8-Year Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes" (77-LB), is believed to be the first to suggest lower risk of diabetes may be sustained following participation in a time-limited digital Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). DPPs, which typically consist of education modules on diet and exercise, are recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an effective means of reducing risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Medicare beneficiaries who had both diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or a more advanced version of inflammation and fat buildup, known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), had 2 times the mortality rate of the general population, according to data presented last week at the 79th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).[CR-LF][CR-LF]The Global Liver Institute is raising awareness about NAFLD and NASH, and Wednesday marked the second International NASH Day. Both NAFLD and NASH are increasing worldwide with the increased prevalence of obesity, which now affects more than 650 billion people.[CR-LF]Diagnosis of NASH is difficult, as a definitive diagnosis requires a liver biopsy. However, Quest Diagnostics has developed the NAFLD Fibrosis Score Panel, a noninvasive tool to identify patients whose disease has progressed to liver fibrosis.