Press Release Details

QuestDirect(TM) Launches Retail Sites in Shopping Centers For Self-Directed Consumer Health Tests

06/18/2001

SALT LAKE CITY, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Tucked between a neighborhood dry cleaner and vitamin shop is QuestDirect(TM), a revolutionary new concept in consumer-driven health care conveniently located in a shopping center near you.

QuestDirect(TM) now offers people an important new way to take charge of their health through health tests that they choose for themselves, without first having to see their own physician. QuestDirect(TM) is being launched in Salt Lake City and seven other markets by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services.

People can walk into one of the private, hassle-free QuestDirect(TM) retail locations and select from more than 25 health tests -- called QuesTests(TM) -- that include cholesterol tests, osteoporosis risk tests, allergy tests, full health profiles and many more. Soft music plays in this comfortable environment in which customers come and go in less than 20 minutes for as little as $20.

Consumers are encouraged to visit the QuestDirect(TM) Web site at www.questest.com to access in-depth information on all aspects of health testing; register for QuesTest(TM) and even securely obtain their confidential test results online; link to popular health-oriented Web sites; and find the full list of QuestDirect(TM) locations, as well as the complete test menu with prices. For more information about QuestDirect(TM), consumers also are invited to call the company toll-free at 1-877-QUESTEST.

Prices for QuesTests(TM) vary by test. In general, QuesTests(TM) range in price from as low as $20 for some single tests up to $150 for the most comprehensive health profile, which consists of eight different tests.

In the Greater Salt Lake City area, one conveniently located QuestDirect(TM) retail site is now open: 6531 North Landmark Drive, Park City, Utah. A second QuestDirect(TM) retail location will open this summer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Additionally, four existing Quest Diagnostics Patient Services Centers (PSCs) now also offer QuesTest(TM). These are located as follows: 1060 East 100 South, Suite 103, Salt Lake City; 1875 North 1120 West, Provo, Utah; 736 South 900 East, Suite B102, St. George, Utah; and 1830 West Parkway, West Valley City, Utah.

Seven other markets where QuestDirect(TM) is launching simultaneously with Salt Lake City are Billings, Mont.; Colorado Springs; Denver; Fort Collins, Colo.; Greeley, Colo.; Kansas City; and Pueblo, Colo.

"QuestDirect(TM) taps directly into the megatrend that's hitting the health care world -- more empowered consumers choosing to take control over their own health, just like they've taken charge of their own personal finances," said Hughes R. Bakewell, Jr., vice president consumer health, Quest Diagnostics Incorporated.

"Our research indicates that there are a whole variety of reasons that people will go to QuestDirect(TM). Some will be attracted to how quickly they can get in and out of our stores and get their results, compared with how long it might take through a doctor's visit. Many individuals will want testing done more frequently than their insurance company will cover," added Bakewell.

QuestDirect(TM) customers can choose from several ways to obtain their own test results -- all of which are private and confidential. For example, they can select a special password to look up their results online at www.questest.com as early as the next day after the test. Or if they prefer, QuestDirect(TM) can mail their test results back to them in an easy-to-understand, user-friendly report.

QuesTests(TM) help answer a broad need for consumers to obtain the baseline personal health information they want, but these tests also answer the need of some consumers to learn more serious information about their health.

For example, according to the American Diabetes Association, of the 16 million people in the United States who have diabetes, 5 million are unaware they have it until they experience complications such as blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease, impotence, heart disease or stroke.

Similarly, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 71 percent of women with osteoporosis don't know that they have it, leaving them at an increased risk for fractures.

"Self-directed health testing offers a real benefit to consumers," said Dr. Nancy Snyderman, medical correspondent for ABC-TV's Good Morning America and author of the best-selling book, "Dr. Nancy Snyderman's Guide to Good Health for Women Over 40."

"This exciting new concept enables people to select and order the health tests they want, which will give them information about their own bodies that they can use to better manage their overall health. And, when people share their test results with their personal doctors, I believe they'll actually get more value from their regular physician visits," said Snyderman.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the company behind QuestDirect(TM) is the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services with $3.4 billion in annual revenues. The company's diagnostic testing yields information that enables health care professionals and consumers to make better decisions to improve health. Quest Diagnostics offers patients and physicians the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its national network of approximately 30 full-service laboratories, 150 rapid response laboratories and 1,300 patient service centers. Each year, more than 250,000 physicians and thousands of hospitals use Quest Diagnostics services. Additional company information can be found on the Internet at www.questdiagnostics.com.

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SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated

CONTACT: media, Kerry Shelanski of KS Communications, 303-864-1368; or Molly Bowler of Bowler Consulting, 303-780-9665, both for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated/