Media Coverage

The National Business Group on Health presented 50 employers with 2019 Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Well-Being awards at its Workforce Strategy 2019 Conference in San Diego this week.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Now in its 15th year, the Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Well-Being awards recognize employers with exceptional commitment to improving their employees’ overall well-being, productivity and quality of life. The awards program incorporates a wide range of well-being contributors including financial security, mental and physical health, social connectedness and community involvement. Quest Diagnostics is listed as a Gold member.

The rate of newly diagnosed acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infections in women of childbearing age has significantly increased in some Appalachian states, despite overall national rates that have declined or remained stable.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Researchers suggested that injection drug use and waning HBV vaccine effectiveness may be contributing to this trend. “Women of childbearing age represent a priority group for HBV viral elimination efforts due to the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HBV,” Harvey W. Kaufman, MD, MBA, FCAP, senior medical director of medical informatics at Quest Diagnostics, told Infectious Disease News. “Higher rates of acute and chronic HBV among women of childbearing age may increase the rates of HBV infection among infants.”

Quest Diagnostics confirmed it has been cleared in US District Court for the Central District of California Western Division of misappropriating trade secrets from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in developing a serological test for irritable bowel syndrome.[CR-LF][CR-LF]A jury last week determined that Quest did not steal trade secrets from Cedars-Sinai or breach its contract with the hospital when it developed an IBS test similar to one developed by Cedars-Sinai researchers.

Quest Diagnostics announced today that Manuel O. Méndez has been named Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer effective October 7, 2019.

Positive DOT drug tests will be tracked in the new Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse database.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Photo courtesy Quest Diagnostics.The federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is finally rolling out in January 2020. This electronic database that will track commercial driver’s license holders who have tested positive for prohibited drug or alcohol use, as well as refusals to take required drug tests, and other drug and alcohol violations. In addition, when a driver who has been found to be in violation completes the required return-to-duty process, this information will also be recorded in the clearinghouse.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The clearinghouse has long been sought as a way to keep commercial drivers who have violated federal drug and alcohol rules from lying about those results and simply getting a job with another motor carrier.

Hospitals frequently license the research and development from their physicians to generate what can be substantial revenue.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Indeed, intellectual property is the bread and butter investment for many academic and nonprofit health systems, helping to bring in some return while allowing physicians, who often develop those innovations themselves, to retain some benefit. Earlier this year, Mayo Clinic said it has generated $600 million in revenue from licensing its IP since 1986.[CR-LF][CR-LF]The dispute between Cedars-Sinai and Quest Diagnostics involves a noninvasive blood test to detect IBS developed by Cedars-Sinai doctor Mark Pimentel.

Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, and hc1, the bioinformatics leader in precision testing, unveiled Quest Lab Stewardship powered by hc1, an innovative new service that employs machine learning to harmonise laboratory testing across health systems in order to help optimise laboratory test utilisation.[CR-LF][CR-LF]Quest Lab Stewardship is the result of a strategic collaboration between Quest and hc1 focused on improving costs and clinical impact of lab testing, in- and out- of hospital settings.

Delaware Health Information Network and Quest Diagnostics have been working together for some time, and the network now has extended Quest’s participation as a data provider in Delaware, submitting lab results and clinical data to DHIN. With the new agreement, Quest results will be available to healthcare practitioners statewide through DHIN delivery channels and the Community Health Record’s searchable patient catalog, with the goal to give doctors more actionable information to improve outcomes. Formed in 2007, the Delaware network now offers nearly 20 services.

Quest Diagnostics and hc1 developed a new service that employs machine learning to harmonize laboratory testing across health systems in order to help optimize laboratory test utilization. [CR-LF][CR-LF] Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Quest Diagnostic's website. [CR-LF][CR-LF]Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, and hc1, the bioinformatics leader in precision testing, today unveiled Quest® Lab Stewardship™ powered by hc1®, an innovative new service that employs machine learning to harmonize laboratory testing across health systems in order to help optimize laboratory test utilization.*

Quest Diagnostics and Hc1 are collaborating on a service called Quest Lab Stewardship, which will use Hc1's machine learning technology to help optimize laboratory test use. The technology will collect and analyze laboratory data to improve management of test usage and identify inappropriate or inefficient testing.