Anonymous
Posted
Quest for Incompetence
Quest Diagnostics managed to turn what should have been a routine specimen drop-off into a masterclass in incompetence. I was instructed by my doctor to drive an hour to a specific Quest Lab to drop off a time-sensitive specimen. When I tried to do the responsible thing and schedule an appointment, I discovered there is no way to make one. Phones go unanswered, the online system is useless, and when I finally reached a human being, I was told the location “doesn’t exist.” Apparently, it does exist—but only as a lab location, not a collection location—a distinction no one that works at Quest comprehends and makes it impossible to know when or whether you can actually drop off. The person told me you couldn’t go there and I was told I could “go anywhere.” So I did. Only to be informed later in the day that my specimen was invalid because it was more than an hour old by the time it reached the testing facility—an outcome that was entirely predictable given Quest’s own contradictory instructions and extreme incompetence. This is not a minor inconvenience; this is a complete operational failure in a healthcare setting where accuracy, clarity, and timing actually matter. Quest Diagnostics should be embarrassed that this passes for patient care. In a value based care system these idiots should pay patients instead of getting paid. There is a special place in hell for the people who run this (lack of) operation; for people who don’t care about wasting people’s time, money, and medical effort this thoroughly—and Quest has earned it. Avoid if you have any alternative. Short their stock as the empire will crumble. And don’t trust anything coming from these ding bats.