Quest Diagnostics launched an obstetrics test panel for screening pregnant people for hepatitis C.
The panel is designed to facilitate easy and reliable screening for hepatitis C with other lab tests typically ordered early in pregnancy, Quest said in an Aug. 17 news release shared with Becker's. The test is intended to close the gap in screening rates between Medicaid patients and the general population.
A Quest study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that less than 41 percent of pregnant people were screened for hepatitis C in 2021, and those under Medicaid were screened at rates 25-35 percent lower than those with commercial insurance.