Media Coverage

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.