Patients nationwide may soon have easy and secure access to their own medical diagnostic laboratory records as a result of a new collaboration between Quest Diagnostics Incorporated , the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, and Google, the world's leading Internet search company. The collaboration will facilitate and enhance communications between physicians and patients by providing patients with secure electronic access to their diagnostic laboratory testing information through the more than 100,000 physicians nationwide who are electronically connected to Quest Diagnostics.

Google Health, a new product in pilot, will allow users to manage their health information online. Quest Diagnostics and Google established this collaboration because the companies share the same vision of empowering patients with information about their personal health so they can make more informed decisions about their care.

"Quest Diagnostics' leadership in diagnostic testing services and information technology makes us uniquely positioned to partner with Google Health to offer technologies and services that will improve communications between doctors and patients," added Mary Hall Gregg, Ph.D., vice president and chief information officer, Quest Diagnostics.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Quest Diagnostics is developing solutions that will provide patients, through their physicians, with easy and secure electronic access to their diagnostic test results. Quest Diagnostics' proprietary Care360(TM) patient-centric physician portal will serve as the platform for securely transferring patient diagnostic laboratory data into a Google Health account, at the user's request.

"Laboratory data is the foundation of many patients' medical histories and an important driver of treatment decisions made by physicians and their patients," said Joyce G. Schwartz, M.D., vice president and chief laboratory officer, Quest Diagnostics. "Working with Google Health, Quest Diagnostics will help patients collaborate with their physicians to make informed health care choices based on relevant diagnostic information."

In addition to providing current diagnostic laboratory data, when available, the collaboration will allow physicians to securely send historical laboratory data to the patient's Google Health account. Physicians will also be able to comment on their patients' test results to better inform them about their health status.

These services complement Quest Diagnostics' commitment to patient-focused solutions, which include providing patients with the ability to schedule tests online and access to a comprehensive health library at http://www.questdiagnostics.com/

Diagnostic test results are the foundation of 70 percent of all healthcare decisions and are highly sought after by patients. Quest Diagnostics serves 50 percent of all U.S. physicians and performs testing on behalf of more than 500,000 patients every day. Currently, more than 100,000 physicians use Quest Diagnostics' Care360 family of connectivity products to access diagnostic test results online, share clinically relevant information in a HIPAA-compliant manner and perform other services such as electronically prescribe medications.

According to The Markle Foundation, two in three Americans (65 percent) would like to access all of their medical information electronically to ensure accuracy, improve doctor-patient communications and help prevent medical errors. Two-thirds (68 percent) also said having health and medical information accessible online gives them more control over their own health.