Media Coverage

The idea of patient-centric, personalized, and at-home medicine is no longer a theory, let alone a wild idea whipped up by the imagination of Hanna-Barbera cartoonists from 60 years ago. It’s precisely the type of healthcare that Jay G. Wohlgemuth, MD. senior vice president, R&D, medical and chief medical officer at Quest Diagnostics, thinks is just at our fingertips. In his eyes, a healthcare system with a seamless, highly engaging, and online medical experience around preventative and chronic care is not out of reach.

Vitamin D is a vital nutrient that helps our body absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are essential in building strong bones. In addition, Harvard Health states, "Laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation. Getting enough vitamin D can be a challenge for some because few foods naturally contain the nutrient and working from home or an office can limit one's time to go outside and grab some sunshine, which is another way to get vitamin D. Supplements are another option and Eat This, Not That! Health spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Dlott, Senior Medical Director of QuestDirect who explained what to know about vitamin D before taking it.

Although hepatitis C screening rates for pregnant people have increased since the advent of new guidelines recommending universal screening during each pregnancy, less than half received the recommended tests in early 2021, according to study results published in Obstetrics and Gynecology. People insured through Medicaid were even less likely to be screened. “Our Health Trends study underscores the power of medical guidelines to favorably influence screening rates for diseases such as hepatitis C,” Harvey Kaufman, MD, senior medical director for Quest Diagnostics in Secaucus, New Jersey, said in a press release. “Yet it also reveals that gaps in guideline-based care are prevalent and highlights the urgent need to close them in underserved populations."

Quest Diagnostics is launching a multi-faceted initiative to provide better healthcare among America’s large and growing Hispanic community. The new initiative, “Es Tu Poder,” is being launched in San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Rio Grande Valley, and other communities with large Hispanic populations in the Southwest, is designed to empower better health for Hispanics. The initiative includes the launch of a new microsite, Es Tu Poder, reminding patients that good health is within their power.

In a Healio video exclusive, Harvey Kaufman, MD, senior medical director at Quest Diagnostics, highlighted the need for concurrent hepatitis B and latent tuberculosis testing to mitigate the risk for drug-induced liver injury.

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has taken center stage during the past two years, sexually transmitted diseases have also run rampant. To stem the rise in cases, they said a greater emphasis need to be placed on testing. Damian Alagia, senior medical director for advanced diagnostics and women's health at Quest Diagnostics, noted that there are many hurdles to getting a home test to commercialization, namely regulatory approval and payment models with insurers.

Lyme disease is an infectious disease spread by the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) that carry the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, explains Harvey Kaufman, M.D., senior medical director of Medical Informatics at Quest Diagnostics. “It’s the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease in the United States,” he says.

Overall positivity rates in urine drug tests in the transportation/warehousing industry increased 4.4% in 2020 versus 5.5% in 2021 – a relative 25% increase year over year – according to data compiled by medical lab Quest Diagnostics. Almost 130,000 truck drivers have found themselves in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse as of June 1. Nearly 97,000 are still in prohibited status, and 72,000 of those haven’t even started the return to duty process.

Rite Aid is collaborating with Quest Diagnostics to provide access to COVID molecular testing to help its customers detect and prevent the spread of the virus. Quest is a provider of diagnostic information services and COVID testing. The company has performed more than 69 million COVID-19 molecular tests since March 2020.

Dr. Michael Racke is the Medical Director at Quest Advanced Neurology, which is extending the options for neurologic diagnoses by looking for biomarkers in blood tests. Michael explains, "And now, we're very much involved in developing plasma-based biomarkers to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease was a disorder that was initially diagnosed pathologically. You had to find the plaque and tangles in the brain at autopsy.