Quest Diagnostics Offers Industry-First 30-Day Ambulatory EHR Implementation Guarantee for Hospitals and IDNs

Care360® EHR Streamlines the Development of Hospital Physician Referral Networks

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, launched today at HIMSS the industry's first 30-day electronic health record (EHR) implementation guarantee for hospitals looking to quickly enable bi-directional data exchange with their ambulatory physicians through its award winning Care360® EHR web-based solution.

This offer provides hospitals with an opportunity to accelerate the development of virtual provider networks connecting ambulatory physicians with the hospital and other care providers in the care continuum.  With health care reform and emerging Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), it is critical for hospitals to assemble networks with a sufficient number of physician providers, and with Care360 EHR, they have an opportunity to get their physicians fully adopted and utilizing a certified EHR in 30 days.

"Hospitals have historically been plagued with slow implementation of EHRs among their ambulatory physician practices resulting in costly downtime, loss of revenue and a lack of care coordination across the healthcare continuum," says Richard A. Mahoney, vice president of Healthcare Information Solutions for Quest Diagnostics, and president of its healthcare IT subsidiary MedPlus. "Our robust Care360 EHR with bi-directional Data Exchange allows hospitals of any size to accelerate their competitive advantage by joining the existing Care360 network of more than 200,000 physicians in 80,000 offices and have their physicians up, connected, and fully trained in 30 days. That is our guarantee."

30 Days to Physician Connectivity

With the Care360 30-day guarantee, hospitals can quickly and cost-effectively expand their referral networks and connect to physicians, while allowing physicians to complete a wide range of patient-care-centered clinical tasks at the point of care. The Care360 EHR is easy to use and offers hospitals and physicians a robust solution that streamlines efficiencies while improving the quality of patient care.

"We're extremely confident in our 30-day offer because we have a robust cloud-based IT solution and a national team of IT experts that can provide quick and seamless implementation. In addition, one third of ambulatory physicians in the country already have experience using our base product – so adoption is seamless," added Mahoney.

This announcement follows the recent launch of Quest Diagnostics' National EHR Grant Program offered to eligible physician practices throughout 2012. The Quest Diagnostics Grant Program offers physicians subsidies of 85 percent off the retail price of Care360 EHR. Physicians who participate can receive a full, certified EHR solution, including EHR and Practice Management System licenses, training, hosting, maintenance and 24/7 support for less than $100 per month. The Grant program enables hospitals to connect to eligible physicians with virtually no ambulatory EHR subscription through 2013.  Combining that offer with the newly announced Guarantee program enables hospitals a unique opportunity to quickly and effectively begin connecting to their ambulatory physicians.   

Care360 EHR is an ONC-ATCB certified*, web-based EHR solution that allows physicians to seamlessly transition workflow from paper to electronic management in a step-wise approach. The EHR solution provides anytime, anywhere access through mobile devices including the iPhone®, iPad® and most other smartphones.

For more information, visit Quest Diagnostics' booth #2813 at HIMSS.

*This Complete EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable certification criteria for eligible providers adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. Quality measures certified are all 44 Eligible Provider measures.

Date Certified: March 31, 2011. Product version: 2011.2. Certification number: CC-1112-936980-1.

About Care360 EHR

Care360 EHR is a web-based solution that allows physicians to transition key activities from paper to electronic management in a step-wise approach. With a wide range of capabilities including electronic lab order management, clinical messaging, ePrescribing, clinical documentation tools, document management and multi-system interoperability, Care360 EHR has the features that physicians want to utilize anytime, anywhere via the iPhone®, iPad® and other mobile devices. For more information, visit Care360.com or follow us at Facebook.com/Care360EHR or Twitter.com/Care360.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and
patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient
care. Additional company information is available at QuestDiagnostics.com

Quest Diagnostics Contacts:
Media: Davette Shorter 513-204-2780
Investors: Kathleen Valentine 973-520-2900

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated