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Two years after legalizing recreational marijuana, Nevada is telling job seekers: Light 'em up![CR-LF][CR-LF]Starting next year, employers won't be allowed to reject potential job seekers because they failed a test for marijuana use. According to a new law signed this month, an employer can't "fail or refuse to hire a prospective employee because the prospective employee submitted to a screening test and the results of the screening test indicate the presence of marijuana."[CR-LF][CR-LF]The substance remains illegal on the federal level, and is the most commonly detected illicit drug in employment drug testing, according to Quest Diagnostics. Traces of the drug can persist in someone's body for as long as 30 days after the last time they used it, some studies have found.

A positive test for marijuana in pre-employment drug screenings won't be a problem for most people in Nevada, beginning next year.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Nevada became the first state to approve such a drug test law last week, two years after recreational marijuana sales began in the Silver State. The law will not apply to EMTs, firefighters and those who drive vehicles, however. Employers can also reject job applicants for marijuana drug test results if usage can put others' safety at risk.Nationally, about 2.8% of urine-based workplace drug screenings tested positively for marijuana in 2018, according to Quest Diagnostics, a drug-testing service. Marijuana is also the most commonly detected illicit drug, according to the service.

Quest Diagnostics, Secaucus, NJ, has launched three laboratory testing packages for some of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and is making them available for online purchase by individuals across the continental United States.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The new STD testing packages are the first that any major national laboratory has made available for individuals to order at their discretion. The packages have been designed to meet the needs of individuals who want access to accurate basic or comprehensive STD testing, but are reluctant to engage their healthcare providers directly.

Last fall, Quest Diagnostics, a major drug-and-alcohol-testing provider, dug further into testing results by industry sector. Looking at both random and non-random testing, it found that between 2015 and 2017, the transportation and warehousing sector saw the largest overall increase in positive tests of any sector, in large part due to significant increases in positive tests for cocaine and marijuana. The sector’s overall positivity rate was lower than the majority of other sectors Quest reported on, but the rate of increase is a concern. Year over year, the rate of positive tests for cocaine increased 23% and for marijuana by 33%, Quest reported.

Why do companies use pre-employment drug testing? There are three circumstances in which workers encounter drug tests during the hiring process.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The first is when workers have applied for jobs subject to federally mandated safety testing. Some of those positions are government jobs, such as Customs and Border Patrol agents, while others are in private sector industries such as transportation and nuclear power production. Companies test for drugs using three main specimen types: urine, hair and oral fluid. Each one has different detection windows, advantages and disadvantages.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Urine is the most common sample type, and it's currently the only type permitted by federal testing rules, says Barry Sample, senior director of science and technology at Quest Diagnostics, a clinical laboratory that performs drug testing for employers.

HealthLynked Corp, a leading digital healthcare company, announced today that it has integrated over 400 Quest Diagnostic Collection Center locations throughout the Southeast into the HealthLynked Network's responsive mapping program. Quest Collection Centers are marked by the distinctive Quest logo in the map window of the HealthLynked application, allowing patient members to locate the nearest collection center for lab testing. Hours of operation and that location's services appear in an expanding window above the map pin. The company also has paired participating insurance providers with its patient members.

An agreement has been reached between the HSE and a US laboratory to process the backlog of smear tests in the Cervical Check screening programme.[CR-LF][CR-LF]It follows weeks of uncertainty, with slides put into storage as there were no labs to process them.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The Irish Times reports the deal with Quest Diagnostics will ensure the survival of the screening programme.

The prospect of marijuana legalization might inspire visions of weed-smoking breaks at work, or grabbing a joint with co-workers after a hectic day at the office.[CR-LF][CR-LF]But the reality of legalization in Illinois will likely be much hazier. Some employers might start turning a blind eye to employee use - as long as workers can still do their jobs - a trend that's already happening in some other states where it's legal. Other employers, however, might still ban its use, taking action against employees who test positive for pot, bolstered by federal law under which marijuana is still illegal, experts say.For example, in Colorado, about 96% of employers who used the drug testing company Quest Diagnostics in 2017 still included marijuana in their employee drug testing, said Dr. Barry Sample, senior director of science and technology for Quest's employers solutions business. In Nevada, where recreational cannabis use is also legal, that number was 91% in 2017.

Steve Rusckowski was appointed CEO of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated. This analysis aims first to contrast CEO compensation with other large companies. After that, we will consider the growth in the business. Third, we'll reflect on the total return to shareholders over three years, as a second measure of business performance. The aim of all this is to consider the appropriateness of CEO pay levels.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated Strategy, SWOT and Corporate Finance Report, is a source of comprehensive company data and information. The report covers the company's structure, operation, SWOT analysis, product and service offerings and corporate actions, providing a 360 view of the company.

Quest Diagnostics announced this week that it is participating in the NCI-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice clinical trial as a designated laboratory. The firm said both its Med Fusion 50Seq cancer panel and IBM Watson Genomics from Quest Diagnostics service fulfill the trial's criteria for tumor profiling. Under the terms of the collaboration, when oncologists at participating NCI-MATCH sites order tumor profiling to guide clinical care for their patients, Quest will look for trial matches for the patients.

Blockchain holds much promise for improving data privacy, integrity, and quality, although a lot of companies are taking a wait-and-see approach to the model. Quest Diagnostics is not one of them. The provider of clinical lab services for more than a year has been involved in pilot project with other healthcare companies to apply blockchain technology to improve data quality and reduce administrative costs associated with changes to healthcare provider demographic data.

When you have an illness, you begin to learn a whole new language when it comes to taking responsibility for your health. Your physical triggers like (cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, leaky gut, IBS, TSH, fibromyalgia, Type II Diabetes, hypothyroidism, dementia, autism, Parkinson’s, bipolar, autism, schizophrenia, colon, rectal and breast cancers), take center stage in your search for wellness. If you’re not sure if you have MTHFR Gene Mutation, but you have symptoms, you can order the test through your doctor. Most insurance will cover some of the expense. Other options will require you to create a user login: MTHFR Support, dnalife Spectracell Labs, Quest Diagnostics and Lab Corp.

Quest Diagnostics (DGX), a leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced it is participating as a designated laboratory in the NCI-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH or EAY131) precision medicine trial, the largest precision medicine trial of its kind. The trial is co-led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN). Tumor gene testing by a designated lab is the only pathway for patients to enroll.

Sonora Quest Laboratories, Arizona’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, is pleased to welcome Sonya Engle as Chief Operations Officer. An executive with extensive experience leading laboratory testing, program expansion and strategic relationship management initiatives, Engle will head Sonora Quest's laboratory and technical operations.[CR-LF][CR-LF]As COO, Engle will combine operations and talent development, while focusing on motivating and leading a high-performance team to accommodate the rapid growth, services, and innovation at Sonora Quest.

Rejenevie™ Therapeutics announced the commencement of the company's Phase II clinical trial to study the safety and effectiveness of its proprietary AR-100 immune restoration therapy to boost the function of the aging immune system. The clinical-stage biotechnology company develops first-in-world stem cell restoration treatments targeting age-related diseases.[CR-LF]Upon arrival at the Okyanos Center, the restored stem cells are delivered back into the patient through intravenous infusion in a process lasting approximately one hour. After the patient is discharged and returns home, he or she receives periodic blood testing over a 12-month period using a kit developed with global diagnostics company Quest Diagnostics to ensure safety and to determine the therapy's effectiveness.

Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced it is participating as a designated laboratory in the NCI-Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH or EAY131) precision medicine trial, the largest precision medicine trial of its kind. The trial is co-led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN). Tumor gene testing by a designated lab is the only pathway for patients to enroll.

Nonfasting and fasting lipid levels from the same patients had similar results for associations with incident coronary and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to results published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Mora reports receiving grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Pfizer during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Amgen, Pfizer, and Quest Diagnostics, and grants from Atherotech Diagnostics Lab outside the submitted work. Please see study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.

UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, has once again been named the most valuable healthcare brand in the world by Brand Finance, a business valuation and strategy consultancy.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Each year, Brand Finance uses a seven-step process to assess and rank the value of thousands of companies' brands from around the world. Brand Finance uses a variety of metrics, including marketing investment and business performance, to evaluate brands to determine their strength. Access additional information about the brand valuation methodology here. Quest Diagnostics appeared at number 25.

The rate of workforce drug positivity hit a fourteen-year high in 2018, according to a new analysis released by Quest Diagnostics, a provider of diagnostic information services. Positivity rates in the combined U.S. workforce increased nearly 5% in urine drug tests (4.2% in 2017 versus 4.4% in 2018), climbing to the highest level since 2004 (4.5%) and are now more than 25 % higher than the thirty-year low of 3.5% recorded between 2010 and 2012.

Over the past several decades, public health experts and physicians have pinned a hefty portion of the blame for heart disease on saturated fat. That’s not without reason. The long-chain saturated fatty acids found in foods like steak, butter, and coconut oil raise artery-clogging low–density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. At the same time, diets high in red meat have been strongly associated with heart disease and mortality.For now, there’s no official guidance on whether to test TMAO levels or in whom. (As a coinventor of the TMAO blood test offered by Quest Diagnostics, Hazen and the Cleveland Clinic are eligible to receive royalties from its use.) There’s also no consensus on whether the metabolite should be reduced and to what level—or how. (One study suggests that low-dose aspirin partially reduces elevated TMAO.) As such, far fewer physicians offer TMAO screening compared with routine cholesterol testing.

The grass-roots trend is back and it’s bringing cannabis with it. Now that CBD is considered legal under federal law, it’s been turned into all types of wellness concoctions, from food and drink to body balms and makeup products. The wellness claims are rampant, but users still have plenty of questions regarding what goes on inside their bodies when they start using CBD (cannabidiol), and if it’s fully legal, safe and effective. The testing surrounding this topic is limited, but according to Barry Sample, director of Science and Technology at Quest Diagnostics Laboratories, only marijuana metabolites, i.e. THC, will show up in drug screenings. Until this is proven, however, it may be wise to avoid all CBD products before being screened for drugs.

In Quest Diagnostics’ decision to change addresses from Madison — its longtime corporate headquarters — to Secaucus, there was one benefit that prevailed above all others in considerations: It would be going where the talent was.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Cecilia McKenney, Quest’s senior vice president and chief human resources officer, said that’s why those in the health care company’s human resource department were the staunchest proponents of the 2016 move.

Lyme disease is in the spotlight this month in Franklin County. [CR-LF][CR-LF]The chronic and debilitating tick-borne illness is more prevalent in Pennsylvania than any other state, and has been since 2011. The number of cases varies depending on the reporting source, but the commonwealth's status as No. 1 in the nation is common among them. [CR-LF][CR-LF]Lab testing company Quest Diagnostics reported 10,001 Pennsylvanians were infected with Lyme disease in 2017. The number of cases increased significantly from 2016 and increased by 78 percent from 2015.

Ticks and the diseases they carry are on the move, rapidly expanding into new territories once considered inhospitable.[CR-LF][CR-LF]While many factors are to blame, the U.S. government affirmed with "high confidence" in a report that one reason is warmer weather connected to climate change.In the last decade, the number of cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. have tripled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk of this tick-borne disease was historically concentrated in the Northeast and upper Midwest, but a recent study by lab giant Quest Diagnostics found cases of Lyme have been detected in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.