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An Arizona company has a new colon cancer blood test on the market that sounds like an enticing alternative to the oft-dreaded colonoscopy. The $170 blood test, called BeScreened-CRC, was developed by Phoenix-based diagnostics laboratory Beacon Biomedical and is a screening tool for colon cancer, its developer says. Sonora Quest Laboratories in Arizona has offered the test since December, and no doctor's order is required. It's not covered by Medicare. Coverage by commercial insurance plans varies.

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, announced today that it will present results of eight studies at the 2019 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting, to be held April 2 – 6, 2019 in Seattle, Wash. (Quest Diagnostics booth 929). These studies by Quest Diagnostics researchers evaluate a broad range of laboratory technologies and best practices for aiding in the evaluation of risk for cancer and other diseases.

Last May, food services and facilities management company Sodexo fired a Massachusetts food supervisor after she tested positive for marijuana. It was standard policy—the employee, Bernadette Coughlin, had fallen at work, breaking her arm, and protocol required a mandatory drug test following an injury. Although Coughlin’s job was not “safety sensitive,” Sodexo’s policy was clear: One strike and you’re out. Quest Diagnostics, the medical testing company, has reported that five out of 16 industries—transportation and warehousing, retail trade, public administration, finance and insurance and wholesale trade—saw double-digit growth in positive drug tests between 2015 and 2017, with marijuana being the most commonly detected substance.

On Mar 22, we issued an updated research report on Quest Diagnostics, Inc. As a part of its two-point strategy, Quest Diagnostics has been focusing on areas with high potential. However, the reimbursement scenario remains a major cause of concern for thisZacks Rank #3 (Hold) company. Quest Diagnostics is currently focusing on diagnostic information services and disciplined capital deployment. Meanwhile, the company’s acquisitions and collaborations with hospitals and integrated delivery networks act as major growth drivers.

Companies facing a shortage of employees from health-care workers to forklift operators are confronting a new challenge: finding candidates who can pass drug tests in states that have legalized marijuana. Mentions Quest Drug Testing Index data.