Explore where Quest Diagnostics uses AI in cervical screening and customer service, and what the evidence shows about accuracy and productivity.
Supporting Pap Test Slide Review with AI-assisted Digital Cytology Quest Diagnostics utilizes AI in cervical cancer screening through the Hologic Genius Digital Diagnostics System. This system digitizes Pap test slides, and an AI algorithm selects images of abnormal cells for cytologists and pathologists to review, aiding in the identification of precancerous and cancerous cells. This approach aims to address specialist staffing shortages, where filling cytology positions can take over a year. CEO Jim Davis noted that a significant portion (60-70%) of Quest's AI and automation efforts are focused on its labs. The process involves three connected steps: imaging, AI-assisted selection of significant cells, and professional review for diagnosis. The digital infrastructure also allows for secure remote sharing of cases, improving work distribution across locations.
Quest also applies AI to microbiology, separating specimens with no evidence of microbial growth to allow medical scientists to concentrate on specimens more likely to indicate disease. This has reportedly reduced microbiology workflow steps from eight to two, improved turnaround time for negative cultures by 40%, and cut full-time staffing by about 40%, reflecting the combined effects of automation and AI. A four-site study of 1,960 evaluable slides indicated that the Genius system improved sensitivity for high-grade lesions or worse to 81.5%, compared with 74.0% for manual review. However, specificity fell from 97.2% with manual review to 94.8% with Genius, a statistically significant difference, meaning more slides without high-grade abnormalities might be flagged for further review.
A retrospective study at ProPath, a Dallas pathology laboratory, compared Pap test workflows before and after the lab introduced Hologic’s Genius Digital Diagnostics System. It found similar average daily review volumes, while cases reviewed per cytologist per day rose from 74.5 to 94.7, and the average number of cytologists working per day fell from 10.4 to 8.1. The time from specimen accession to final sign-out also decreased across diagnostic categories. This study, funded by Hologic and with one co-author employed by them, covered one lab and about eight months of post-implementation data; it did not use biopsy data to confirm increased disease detection, and the before-and-after comparison could not isolate AI’s sole contribution to the workflow changes.
Quest has been progressively implementing the Genius system, starting with two laboratories and planning to expand it to several more, with several sites already having installations over the previous year. At its 2025 Investor Day, Quest projected that implementing Genius would improve resource productivity by more than 40%. Recent updates, however, have focused on rollout progress rather than measured productivity results. Supporting Customer Service Calls and Emails with AI Quest Diagnostics' customer service operations connect physician offices, hospitals, and patients with its labs and courier network, managing a high volume of routine interactions. In 2024, contact centers handled 13.2 million interactions, with 71% being phone calls. Quest’s 2025 Investor Day presentation indicated an 11% reduction in calls per 100 requisitions, from 6.2 in 2022 to 5.5 in 2023 and 2024. CEO Jim Davis estimated 3% to 4% wage inflation in 2026, putting at least $120 million in annual cost pressure, which the Invigorate program, including AI initiatives, aims to offset.
Quest has implemented three main AI applications in customer service:
1. **Answer retrieval for representatives:** AI tools assist customer service representatives in accessing answers more quickly.
2. **A virtual AI agent for logistics calls:** This agent handles routine logistics calls, such as scheduling specimen pickups, aiming to reduce client wait times and free human staff for higher-priority requests. Quest has not explicitly confirmed if this is the same as the voice recognition software mentioned in its 2025 Investor Day for scheduling routine pickups, but both target similar routine logistics tasks.
3. **AI triage for customer service email:** Customer service agents use AI to triage and route incoming emails to speed up responses.
Regarding impact, Quest has provided two self-reported figures: Davis stated that the virtual AI agent has reduced routine logistics calls by 'up to' 50%, representing a best-case scenario. He also reported a 40% productivity gain in Q1 2026 among customer service agents who used AI for email triage, though a published methodology or comparison group was not provided. Quest has not named specific vendors or models, nor disclosed detailed adoption levels, call volumes, costs, or AI's exact share of Invigorate savings. The consistent mention of customer service AI in reports from 2023 to 2026 indicates ongoing attention rather than a fully scaled or universally proven solution.
Quest’s approach suggests a strategic framework for leaders deploying AI in contact centers:
- **Routine, repeatable spoken requests:** Prioritize routing to a virtual agent.
- **Unstructured written requests:** Use AI for triage and routing, with human agents for resolution.
- **Live requests to representatives:** Implement AI tools to enhance human agents' ability to find answers quickly.
- **Measurement:** Track key performance indicators like calls per 100 requisitions and measure agent productivity against a defined baseline, ideally comparing with a control group not using AI tools. It is also advised to report results separately from program-wide savings to accurately assess each tool's impact.
Supporting Pap Test Slide Review with AI-assisted Digital Cytology
Quest Diagnostics utilizes AI in cervical cancer screening through the Hologic Genius Digital Diagnostics System. This system digitizes Pap test slides, and an AI algorithm selects images of abnormal cells for cytologists and pathologists to review, aiding in the identification of precancerous and cancerous cells. This approach aims to address specialist staffing shortages, where filling cytology positions can take over a year. CEO Jim Davis noted that a significant portion (60-70%) of Quest's AI and automation efforts are focused on its labs. The process involves three connected steps: imaging, AI-assisted selection of significant cells, and professional review for diagnosis. The digital infrastructure also allows for secure remote sharing of cases, improving work distribution across locations.
Quest also applies AI to microbiology, separating specimens with no evidence of microbial growth to allow medical scientists to concentrate on specimens more likely to indicate disease. This has reportedly reduced microbiology workflow steps from eight to two, improved turnaround time for negative cultures by 40%, and cut full-time staffing by about 40%, reflecting the combined effects of automation and AI. A four-site study of 1,960 evaluable slides indicated that the Genius system improved sensitivity for high-grade lesions or worse to 81.5%, compared with 74.0% for manual review. However, specificity fell from 97.2% with manual review to 94.8% with Genius, a statistically significant difference, meaning more slides without high-grade abnormalities might be flagged for further review.
A retrospective study at ProPath, a Dallas pathology laboratory, compared Pap test workflows before and after the lab introduced Hologic’s Genius Digital Diagnostics System. It found similar average daily review volumes, while cases reviewed per cytologist per day rose from 74.5 to 94.7, and the average number of cytologists working per day fell from 10.4 to 8.1. The time from specimen accession to final sign-out also decreased across diagnostic categories. This study, funded by Hologic and with one co-author employed by them, covered one lab and about eight months of post-implementation data; it did not use biopsy data to confirm increased disease detection, and the before-and-after comparison could not isolate AI’s sole contribution to the workflow changes.
Quest has been progressively implementing the Genius system, starting with two laboratories and planning to expand it to several more, with several sites already having installations over the previous year. At its 2025 Investor Day, Quest projected that implementing Genius would improve resource productivity by more than 40%. Recent updates, however, have focused on rollout progress rather than measured productivity results.
Supporting Customer Service Calls and Emails with AI
Quest Diagnostics' customer service operations connect physician offices, hospitals, and patients with its labs and courier network, managing a high volume of routine interactions. In 2024, contact centers handled 13.2 million interactions, with 71% being phone calls. Quest’s 2025 Investor Day presentation indicated an 11% reduction in calls per 100 requisitions, from 6.2 in 2022 to 5.5 in 2023 and 2024. CEO Jim Davis estimated 3% to 4% wage inflation in 2026, putting at least $120 million in annual cost pressure, which the Invigorate program, including AI initiatives, aims to offset.
Quest has implemented three main AI applications in customer service:
1. **Answer retrieval for representatives:** AI tools assist customer service representatives in accessing answers more quickly.
2. **A virtual AI agent for logistics calls:** This agent handles routine logistics calls, such as scheduling specimen pickups, aiming to reduce client wait times and free human staff for higher-priority requests. Quest has not explicitly confirmed if this is the same as the voice recognition software mentioned in its 2025 Investor Day for scheduling routine pickups, but both target similar routine logistics tasks.
3. **AI triage for customer service email:** Customer service agents use AI to triage and route incoming emails to speed up responses.
Regarding impact, Quest has provided two self-reported figures: Davis stated that the virtual AI agent has reduced routine logistics calls by 'up to' 50%, representing a best-case scenario. He also reported a 40% productivity gain in Q1 2026 among customer service agents who used AI for email triage, though a published methodology or comparison group was not provided. Quest has not named specific vendors or models, nor disclosed detailed adoption levels, call volumes, costs, or AI's exact share of Invigorate savings. The consistent mention of customer service AI in reports from 2023 to 2026 indicates ongoing attention rather than a fully scaled or universally proven solution.
Quest’s approach suggests a strategic framework for leaders deploying AI in contact centers:
- **Routine, repeatable spoken requests:** Prioritize routing to a virtual agent.
- **Unstructured written requests:** Use AI for triage and routing, with human agents for resolution.
- **Live requests to representatives:** Implement AI tools to enhance human agents' ability to find answers quickly.
- **Measurement:** Track key performance indicators like calls per 100 requisitions and measure agent productivity against a defined baseline, ideally comparing with a control group not using AI tools. It is also advised to report results separately from program-wide savings to accurately assess each tool's impact.
