Quest Diagnostics 2011 Annual Report Download - page 73

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders
of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the index appearing under Item 15(a)(1)
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and its subsidiaries
at December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three
years in the period ended December 31, 2011 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America. In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the index
appearing under Item 15(a)(2) presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein when read
in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained,
in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, based on
criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these
financial statements and the financial statement schedule, for maintaining effective internal control over financial
reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the
accompanying Report of Management on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to
express opinions on these financial statements, on the financial statement schedule, and on the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance
with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all
material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal
control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting,
assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other
procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable
basis for our opinions.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting
includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable
assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made
only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable
assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the
company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect
misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that
controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the
policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Florham Park, New Jersey
February 16, 2012
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