Quest Diagnostics Earns Gold Status in American Heart Association's Workplace Health Achievement Index

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Aug 16, 2018, 08:30 ET

SECAUCUS, N.J., Aug. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it achieved gold status in the American Heart Association's 2018 Workplace Health Achievement Index, ranking the company's workplace health program among the best in the nation.

The American Heart Association created the Index with its CEO Roundtable members, a leadership collaborative of more than 40 CEOs from some of America's largest companies who are committed to applying evidence-based approaches to improve their employees' overall health. The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of their workplace health programs. A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data.

More than 1000 companies completed the Index assessment this year and those which received Gold recognition have demonstrated the highest level of achievement.

"As a leading healthcare company, the health and well-being of our 45,000 employees is a top priority," said Steve Rusckowski, Quest Diagnostics Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the AHA's CEO Roundtable. "Achieving Gold Status on the American Heart Association's Workplace Health Achievement Index testifies to the effectiveness of our employee wellness strategy, which combines diagnostic insights with population management to deliver better and more cost effective health and wellness for our people."

"Steve has been a thought leader on the CEO Roundtable where our members and their companies are pioneering new ways to integrate employee health and well-being into the overall fabric of their workplaces," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. "The American Heart Association is committed to helping all organizations build a culture of health and we congratulate Quest Diagnostics on achieving the gold recognition level."

For the past 15 years, Quest has offered wellness screening services based on its diagnostics expertise to its own employees and those of other companies. These services, based on the company's Blueprint for Wellness^® screening program, help individuals identify and take pre-emptive measures to reduce disease risk based on objective insights from the company's lab tests and biometric readings, such as body weight. In recent years, the company has bolstered this program to include direct intervention programs and partnerships with leading healthcare providers to help guide employees through the healthcare system and tackle stubborn behavioral challenges that threaten their wellness goals.

One such intervention program implemented by Quest successfully reduced diabetes risk by more than 32 percent in participants while also lowering their long-term cardiovascular disease risk. Findings were presented at the 2018 American Diabetes Scientific Sessions in June in Chicago.

"Quest Diagnostics delivers actionable insights from our laboratory data to help physicians, patients and payers achieve better health," said Jay G. Wohlgemuth, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Quest Diagnostics, as well as head of the company's Health and Wellness strategy. "We have now focused that capability on the problem of providing high quality and cost-effective healthcare for employees and for employers, which pay for much of healthcare in our country. We've shown that our novel approach works, and are now using these strategies to help other employers implement wellness programs that create healthier workforces as well as cost savings."

Quest has also received CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation™ from The CEO Roundtable on Cancer. This prestigious designation recognizes Quest Diagnostics for taking important actions to reduce the cancer risk of its employees and their families.

About Quest Diagnostics Health and Wellness
Quest Diagnostics is a leader in Health and Wellness services that improve outcomes and costs for employers and their employees. The company combines data-driven population management based on its proprietary Blueprint for Wellness® laboratory and biometric screening with integrated access to intervention providers, supporting employees' on the continuum of care to better health. For more information, visit www.QuestForHealth.com.

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 45,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics