Media Coverage

Following updated hepatitis C virus screening recommendations issued in 2020, HCV screening in pregnancy accelerated across the country, according to a retrospective cohort study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. “We wanted to see whether or not the revised guidelines — which came out during the COVID-19 pandemic — had an impact in changing physician [HCV screening] ordering patterns,” Harvey W. Kaufman, MD, MBA, FCAP, a senior medical director at Quest Diagnostics in Secaucus, New Jersey, told Healio.

Quest Diagnostics has been recognized by the American Heart Association to receive their 2022 Award for Meritorious Achievement for our commitment to health care equity. Quest is removing barriers to health care for people in under-served communities and encouraging diversity in health care professionals through sponsorship of the AHA’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Scholars Program and the Hispanic Serving Institutions Scholars Program.

There has been substantial progress in the proportion of pregnant persons screened for hepatitis C virus, but the testing rates are still low, according to an article published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Harvey W. Kaufman, M.D., from Quest Diagnostics in Secaucus, New Jersey, and colleagues examined the effect of the 2020 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations on HCV screening among pregnant persons.

While there have been opportunities to apply digital pathology technologies for some time for secondary consultations, training and educational settings, and to review cases involving specialty stains, the ability to use digital pathology for a primary read is fairly new,” noted Kristie Dolan, vice president and general manager of oncology at Quest Diagnostics.

A joint study conducted by Quest Diagnostics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that while the rate of hepatitis C (HCV) antibody screening increased 145% in pregnant people during the decade-long study period ending in June 2021, less than half of all pregnant people were screened in early 2021.

In 2020, Covid-19 prompted a delay of non-urgent in-person medical care and concurrently exacerbated contributors to substance use disorders, including job loss, economic hardship and mental health issues. A Health Trends report from Quest Diagnostics found that 70% of physicians fear they missed signs of drug misuse during the pandemic, and the large majority fear overdose deaths will continue to rise even as the pandemic subsides.

Governor Kathy Hochul today recognized Choose Healthy Life for its work during the pandemic for offering COVID-19 testing and vaccinations through its Black churches across the five boroughs of New York. The state’s commitment is part of a public-private collaboration that includes funding support from founding CHL partner Quest Diagnostics Foundation to hire the church-based community health workforce that has been established in New York and engaging the underserved communities in preventive care and wellness.

Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) and several Quest employees participated in an Earth Day weekend community event with the Black Church Food Security Network; an association of congregations, farmers, food advocates, and community activists working together to create an alternative food system in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, at Quest Diagnostics, we were in the midst of challenging what a traditional lab looked like to enhance quality, capacity, and efficiency while improving the employee experience. We remained committed to moving our East Region lab operations from our legacy lab in Teterboro, NJ, to Clifton, NJ, despite the pandemic challenges. The Clifton lab was built for our employees, with our employees.

As drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease come to market, led by the US Food and Drug Administration approval of Biogen's Aduhelm nearly a year ago, diagnostic tests to detect the disease are following suit. Blood-based biomarker tests have gained particular prominence, as they're less invasive and cheaper than both PET imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker testing – two current standards of care for patients presenting with Alzheimer's symptoms. Michael Racke, medical director for neurology at Quest Diagnostics, said in an interview that plasma tests are beneficial because they can be used to screen patients who are "normal cognitively" and may be candidates for intervention before they decline.