Quest Diagnostics 2000 Annual Report Download - page 9

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Credibility is the key to our success;
therefore, all of our processes, decisions
and actions ultimately are driven by
integrity. We are honest and forthright in
all our dealings with our customers
and with each other. We are responsible
corporate citizens in the communities
we serve. We strictly comply with the
laws and regulations governing our
business, not only as a legal obligation
and a competitive necessity, but
because it is the right thing to do.
Integrity means always doing the right thing for
patients, no matter the degree of difficulty. We
notify physicians whenever issues arise that can
potentially affect test results —whether it’s an
equipment problem, a lab error or a product
recall of a batch of reagents from a supplier. As
the industry leader, we have a responsibility to
communicate about problems —regardless of
who is at fault — and then work closely with our
customers and suppliers to resolve them. If there
is any question about a previously issued test
result, we retest patients —at our expense —to
ensure the integrity of the results we give.
It is reassuring for our customers to know that if
there is a problem, they will surely hear about it.
Physicians like Dr. Lazarus have come to look to
us for all kinds of communication—from a phone
call on a critical lab value to medical advisories
to inform them of key developments in testing.
Nobody likes being awakened in the middle of the
night. But when a test result indicates a life-threat-
ening situation, we simply will not cut corners or
compromise. Communicating person-to-person
is the right thing to do for the health of a patient.
Integrity touches everything we do. When you
impact more than 100 million people every year,
the responsibility is enormous. That’s why we
have gone to great lengths to protect the safety
of our employees and patients. Last year more
than 30 million people had their blood drawn by
skilled Quest Diagnostics phlebotomists. While
our trained employees follow strict safety guide-
lines to protect our patients and themselves
from needlestick injuries, we felt we could do
more to help. During 2000, we introduced a new
safety program that includes replacing all con-
ventional needles used by our employees with
new safety-engineered needles. These new
devices are more expensive, but we believe our
comprehensive program, which includes train-
ing, tracking and new safety-engineered
devices, will help reduce the incidence of
needlestick injuries among our phlebotomists
and the patients they serve.
Value: Integrity
Integrity means
always doing
the right thing
for patients.