Quest Diagnostics recently launched Quest Mobile™, which the Secaucus-based health care company says will make it easier and more convenient for patients to have a specimen collected for lab testing nationwide.
Patients can request an appointment for at-home specimen collection with a trained Quest Mobile phlebotomist for a broad range of laboratory tests in the comfort of their home.
“People increasingly value choice and convenience in healthcare, including lab testing. Quest Mobile provides an outstanding option for individuals to access critical testing services on their own terms, from a provider they trust for quality and service,” Patrick Plewman, senior vice president, Diagnostic Services, Quest Diagnostics said. “Quest Mobile also reflects Quest’s strategy to develop innovative solutions, based on our expertise and scale, to serve the evolving needs of customers, including greater interest in at-home care.”
Based on the most accessible mobile collection healthcare network in the United States, the Quest Mobile service will be available in 44 states. Patients whose physicians or health providers order laboratory testing from Quest, including consumers requesting consumer-initiated testing services from questhealth.com, can now schedule a mobile phlebotomy appointment for a fee.
Quest Mobile does not bill to a patient’s health insurance, and patients will pay a $55 mobile collection fee at time of scheduling. The company is currently working with health care providers, health systems, and health plans to arrange commercial pricing to eliminate an out-of-pocket cost for patients.
Once scheduled, a trained Quest Mobile specialist will complete the patient’s blood draw or other specimen collection at the individual’s location and bring their specimen to a Quest Diagnostics patient service center – with no handoffs in specimen transport or processing to a third-party provider. Over 800 Quest tests are available for mobile collection with a physician’s order, from routine cholesterol and diabetes screenings to prenatal carrier screenings and evaluations for Lyme disease, including other commonly ordered tests.
Quest’s network of 5,000 trained mobile phlebotomists is believed to be the largest in the industry. The new service complements the company’s current service options, which include online appointment scheduling and walk-in visits at one of Quest’s 2,100 patient service centers as well as in-office phlebotomy at some health provider sites. Test ordering and reporting remains unchanged.
“Issues like access and convenience shouldn’t prevent patients from receiving needed lab services,” Subu Ramachandran, vice president and general manager of Quest Diagnostics’ ExamOne unit, which initially built the mobile phlebotomy network to support in-home health examinations for life insurance applicants said. “Quest Mobile provides patients and physicians a seamless connection to Quest Diagnostic’s laboratory testing, allowing us to work together for a healthier world – one life at a time.”
