The power of prevention: Closing the gap on chronic disease

One of the most urgent, underestimated challenges facing American employers is chronic disease. While healthcare costs continue to rise every year, many organizations are still overlooking the single most cost-effective strategy available: prevention.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic conditions account for 90% of all US healthcare costs.¹ That includes diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and cancer. These are conditions that often remain undiagnosed until they reach an advanced, costly stage. Meanwhile, nearly 60% of adults admit to avoiding preventive screenings altogether.²

That avoidance is costing businesses more than they may realize—in both dollars and lives.

The cost of chronic disease

• $413B Estimated yearly cost of diabetes in medical expenses and lost productivity1
• $240B Expected annual cost of cancer treatment and care by 20301
• $168B Annual cost in lost on-the-job productivity due to heart disease and stroke1
• $95.7B Amount of Medicare funds spent on patients with chronic kidney disease annually1

Why employers must step in

In a perfect world, employees would receive preventive screenings through their primary care physicians . But in today’s reality, nearly 1 in 3 Americans lacks a primary care provider,³ and those who have one often face delays of several weeks or months for appointments.

Employers now play a critical role in bridging this care gap. Workforce health programs that bring screenings to the work site or directly to an employee’s home may detect risk factors early, often years before symptoms emerge. And when employees understand their risks, they may take action sooner—avoiding hospitalizations, long-term disability claims, and lost productivity.

Quest Workforce Health Solutions is helping employers nationwide close this gap by making preventive care more accessible, more convenient, and more actionable.

Early risk identification is a game-changer for employers

Whether it’s cancer, chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart disease, or diabetes, early identification may dramatically reduce downstream healthcare costs for employers. Company-provided screenings can deliver early insights, serving as the first step for employees to address potential conditions and engage with their health.

Quest offers many workforce screening options, including

• Colorectal cancer screening: Through the Quest InSure® ONE™ test kit, employees can screen for colorectal issues from the comfort of home, with clinically validated results that help catch cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders early
• A1c screening: A simple, noninvasive test that helps identify employees at risk for prediabetes and diabetes—conditions that often progress silently without noticeable symptoms
• CKD screening: Early detection of chronic kidney disease through lab testing empowers employees to take preventive action before the condition advances to costly, long-term complications
• Coming soon: Quest is preparing to launch an multicancer risk identification panel, further expanding access to groundbreaking diagnostics that support your employees’ health journey

With widespread participation in robust screening programs, employers may expect to experience increases in early detection rates and meaningful reductions in total healthcare spend.

Prevention strategies custom-fit for your workforce

Quest’s Workforce Health Solutions go beyond testing. We deliver flexible, data-driven strategies tailored to the needs of dynamic, decentralized workforces. Whether you’re in manufacturing, healthcare, education, or finance, we have solutions that meet your employees where they are.

• On-site events for high-volume, in-person workforces
• In-home self-collection kits for remote or hybrid teams
• Over 2,400 Patient Service Centers for accessible, convenient walk-in or scheduled testing
• Virtual care follow-up to help employees understand their results and take next steps

No matter the setting, Quest delivers a consistent, high-quality experience backed by over 50 years of diagnostic excellence and 60 billion+ anonymized data points.

From transactional to transformational

Chronic disease doesn’t wait. That’s why early detection and easy access to care matter. When employees understand their risks, they can take action—before a concern becomes a crisis.

What sets Quest apart is not just clinical capabilities, but the way employers can act on the data to change the trajectory of chronic disease in their workforce. Our analytics tools benchmark employee health metrics across industries, identify high-risk segments, and track program ROI—all while protecting individual privacy.

This allows organizations and their HR leaders to go beyond checking the box on wellness. It empowers them to make strategic decisions that reduce absenteeism, boost retention, and drive down long-term healthcare costs.