Quest Diagnostics Adds Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Through its Patient Service Centers in Collaboration with IRIS

Rhea-AI Summary

Quest Diagnostics has announced a collaboration with IRIS to offer diabetic retinal imaging services at its patient service centers across the United States. This initiative aims to enhance access to screenings for diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness, particularly for patients identified as high-risk by participating health plans. The collaboration is designed to improve screening rates and health outcomes by enabling early detection and treatment. Training for Quest personnel will ensure images are sent to licensed ophthalmologists for evaluation.

Positive

• Collaboration with IRIS to enhance diabetic retinal screening access.
• New service aims to improve detection of diabetic retinopathy.
• Increased convenience for patients identified as high-risk by health plans.
• Use of advanced imaging technology for efficient diagnosis.

Negative

• None.

New Capability Enables Individuals Identified as High-Risk by Participating Health Plans to Access Screening through a Quest Diagnostics Site

Builds on Quest's Extended Care Services to Improve Care Quality and Outcomes in Diabetes and Other Chronic Diseases

SECAUCUS, N.J., April 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced a collaboration with IRIS (Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems) to deliver diabetic retinal imaging services through designated Quest Diagnostics patient service centers across the United States to aid in screening patients for retinal assessment by a healthcare provider. The collaboration aims to increase convenience and improve screening rates for diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in the United Statesⁱ, for members of population health management programs sponsored by health plans.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one-third of patients with diabetes over 40 years old have diabetic retinopathy.ⁱⁱ Screening to aid early detection and treatment may help prevent the disease from progressing to blindness.ⁱⁱⁱ While an annual diabetic retinal screening is medically recommended for patients with diabetes, barriers to care can limit access to this service.

In 2018, Quest Diagnostics, through its Quest HealthConnect (QHC) business, began to provide diabetic retinal imaging for use in screening using the IRIS platform. This platform involves the use of a portable, handheld camera that captures a patient's retinal images as part of its risk evaluation and care services for participating health plan members. The new collaboration with IRIS extends the use of the IRIS platform at Quest's patient service centers.

New service builds on Quest's vision to aid in closing gaps in care for patients with diabetes
The new service expands on the Quest Diagnostics Extended Care portfolio of services designed to facilitate access to care beyond traditional healthcare settings. These services feature home-based risk assessment and monitoring tools through Quest HealthConnect and coaching for chronic conditions through Pack Health, which Quest Diagnostics acquired in January 2022. It also includes services provided by Quest Healthcare Analytics, which utilizes the company's database of 60 billion laboratory test results to help identify and engage at-risk members for health plans to close screening gaps and improve care quality and outcomes.

With training developed by IRIS, designated personnel at Quest patient service centers will transmit a patient's retinal image to a credentialed, licensed ophthalmologist to interpret the images. The IRIS Program returns a diagnostic and patient report to Quest HealthConnect. The results are also transmitted to the health plan as well as the patient's primary care physician or eye specialist for follow-up diagnosis and care.

"Limited access to important screenings has allowed the undetected, sight-threatening progression of diabetic retinopathy to grow," said Christopher Grant, Vice President & General Manager, Quest HealthConnect. "Through this collaboration with IRIS, we can now provide a new opportunity to help prevent sight loss. Leveraging our network of patient service centers will increase access to screenings for many, ultimately leading to better health outcomes."

"IRIS is thrilled to be joined by Quest Diagnostics, the nation's leading provider of diagnostic information services, to help mitigate preventable blindness," said Steve Martin, IRIS CEO. "Through this expanded care network, it will make it much easier to reach the estimated 60% of people with diabetes that are currently skipping their annual diabetic retinopathy check.^iv"

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the retina and can lead to vision loss or blindness in diabetics. Early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy is crucial to slowing disease progression and preventing patients from losing their eyesight. 

About Quest HealthConnect 
Quest HealthConnect's mission is to increase satisfaction among health plan members by helping them take full advantage of their benefits and enhance the quality of their care. Quest HealthConnect continues to innovate with real-time solutions in Patient Service Centers and partners for health risk assessments and quality member services. For more information, visit QuestHealthConnect.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 healthcare management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 50,000 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 IRIS 
Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems' (IRIS) mission is to end preventable blindness. Their end–to–end comprehensive diagnostic solution enables the provision of retinal imaging services in a variety of settings to persons at risk for developing sight-threatening diseases. The IRIS Program is an FDA Class II cleared cloud-based platform which offers clients the unique ability to customize their program from hardware to workflow, ultimately improving quality, increasing access, and reducing costs, but most importantly helping to end vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy. For more information, visit www.retinalscreenings.com.

ⁱ Common Eye Disorders and Diseases | CDC
ⁱⁱ Diabetic Retinopathy (cdc.gov)
ⁱⁱⁱ People with Diabetes Can Prevent Vision Loss (nih.gov)
^iv Sixty Percent of Americans with Diabetes Skip Annual Sight-Saving Exams - American Academy of Ophthalmology (aao.org)

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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics

FAQ

What is the significance of Quest Diagnostics' collaboration with IRIS?

The collaboration aims to improve access to diabetic retinal imaging services, enhancing screening rates for diabetic retinopathy.

How will diabetic retinal screening help patients?

Early detection through screening can prevent the progression of diabetic retinopathy, reducing the risk of blindness.

When was the announcement made about the new screening service?

The announcement was made on April 4, 2022.

What is the stock symbol for Quest Diagnostics?

The stock symbol for Quest Diagnostics is DGX.

How does the IRIS platform work in this context?

The IRIS platform uses a portable camera to capture retinal images, which are then evaluated by licensed ophthalmologists.