Topics in Drug Testing from Quest Diagnostics

Learning objectives for the podcast include:
Learn how ketamine is increasingly being used as an anesthetic, analgesic, antidepressant, …and a hallucinogen1
Gain an understanding of the risks of ketamine use and ways it is misused
Appreciate the role of drug testing when ketamine is prescribed or suspected
You may download a PDF version of this presentation here >>
To listen to other podcasts in our Topics in Drug Testing series or learn more about the comprehensive drug testing offering from Quest Diagnostics, please visit QuestDrugMonitoring.com. There you will find our Drug Monitoring Test Directory, as well as educational resources and insights from our team of toxicology experts. At Quest Diagnostics, we are committed to providing you results and insight to support your clinical decisions.
 
1. Bahr R, Lopez A, Rey JA. Intranasal Esketamine(SpravatoTM) for use in treatment-resistant depression In conjunction with an oral antidepressant.P&T. 2019;44(6):340-375.

Objectives for the podcast include:
Understand drug metabolism and how prescription and illicit drugs and their metabolites are eliminated from the body
Learn about drug half-life and windows of detection, and how they are related
Gain a deeper understanding of specific variables that can impact a drug's window of detection
You may download a PDF version of this presentation here >>
To listen to other podcasts in our Topics in Drug Testing series or learn more about the comprehensive drug testing offering from Quest Diagnostics, please visit QuestDrugMonitoring.com. There you will find our Drug Monitoring Test Directory, as well as educational resources and insights from our team of toxicology experts. At Quest Diagnostics, we are committed to providing you results and insights to support your clinical decisions.

Objectives for the podcast include:
Hear results from the recent Quest Diagnostics Health Trends report which combines data from a Harris Poll survey of over 500 primary care physicians, with results of clinical drug laboratory testing performed by Quest Diagnostics across the US
Gain a deeper understanding of the contributing factors to the significant surge in drug overdose deaths that we have seen in the US
Learn about barriers health professionals face in their ability to monitor and intervene with their patients at risk for drug misuse
You may download a PDF version of this presentation here >>
To listen to other podcasts in our Topics in Drug Testing series or learn more about the comprehensive drug testing offering from Quest Diagnostics, please visit QuestDrugMonitoring.com. There you will find our Drug Monitoring Test Directory, as well as educational resources and insights from our team of toxicology experts. At Quest Diagnostics, we are committed to providing you results and insight to support your clinical decisions.

Today’s podcast will cover a substance of great concern today, fentanyl. We will  discuss and share information regarding the following:
Latest trends in the drug misuse epidemic in the US
What you need to know about fentanyl
Why you need to consider drug testing for fentanyl (and other illicit substances) and how to  implement drug testing in your practice
The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor Dr Jeff Gudin and Medical Science Liaison Dr Jack Kain.
You may download a PDF version of this presentation here >>
To listen to other podcasts in our Topics in Drug Testing series, or learn more about Quest Diagnostics’ comprehensive drug testing offering, please visit QuestDrugMonitoring.com. There you will find our Drug Monitoring Test Directory, as well as educational resources and insights from our team of toxicology experts. At Quest Diagnostics we are committed to providing you results and insight to support your clinical decisions.

Today’s podcast will cover the value of prescription and illicit drug testing and provide insight on the different clinical drug testing methodologies. We will discuss and share information regarding the following:
Current state of the drug misuse epidemic in the US
The value and clinical utility of drug testing
Overview of the 2 main methodologies of drug testing, presumptive and definitive
The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin; Medical Science Liaison Jack Kain, PharmD; and Executive Science Director, Les Edinboro, PhD.

The convergence of the opioid epidemic and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created new healthcare challenges. Health systems, from a system- and individual clinician-level, are more important than ever in the pursuit of addressing the epidemic within the pandemic.
In this session, Dr Gudin discusses with Dr Pat Alagia on the Quest Dialogues podcast:
Recently-published data by Quest that demonstrates decreased drug testing overall, with increased positivity for high-risk drugs and dangerous drug combinations 
Tools and practices for clinicians to assess and stratify patients for potential prescription drug abuse
System-level strategies that employ an integrated care delivery approach, including leveraging community and diagnostics partnerships, to support impacted patient populations

Today’s podcast discussion will focus on clinical care for patients with mental health disorders. Will discuss and share information regarding:
Mental health disorder and substance abuse prevalence
The clinical utility of pharmacogenomics in mental health and addiction
Mental health disorders and medication nonadherence
The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin; Medical Liaison Jack Kain, PharmD; and Director, Medical Science Liaison—Neurology and Pharmacogenomics, Raymond Lorenz.

Today’s podcast discussion will focus on appropriate steps to take to implement an effective Drug Monitoring Protocol in your practice. Key information shared will include:
Some of the key challenges facing clinicians today
Important steps to take for implementing a responsible drug monitoring protocol
How Quest can help
The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin; Medical Liaison Jack Kain, PharmD; and Senior Product Manager Jason Suomala, for the Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology division.

Today’s podcast discussion will focus on the importance of drug monitoring and the benefits of “alternative” sample collection options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key information shared will include:
How clinical drug monitoring is a critical tool to help assess prescription compliance with controlled substances and help identify drug misuse
Situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-office collection isn't always possible
Quest Diagnostics’ offerings for alternative specimen collection options, including:- Self /At-Home collection- Patient Service Center collection
How alternative collection options can help ensure your patients get the testing they need
The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin, and Jason Suomala, Senior Product Manager for the Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology division.

Today’s podcast will share results of a recent Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ publication, The Opioid Epidemic Within the COVID-19 Pandemic: Drug Monitoring in 2020, which was published in the October 2020 edition of Population Health Management. The study objective was to better understand the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the drug epidemic in the US. To achieve this objective, investigators analyzed urine specimen results from an analytic cohort of 872,762 specimens from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings demonstrated significant changes in prescription drug monitoring and positivity rates for many drugs of concern. Important study results and conclusions discussed will include:
Clinical drug testing decreased significantly during the pandemic period
Nonprescribed positivity for fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs of concern increased significantly
Many dangerous drug combinations, including combinations with fentanyl,  increased significantly
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the treatment of patients at risk for substance use disorder
The role of clinical drug monitoring
This episode features Dr Jeff Gudin, senior medical advisor, Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology, and Justin Niles, lead medical informatics analyst for Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™.