Quest Diagnostics announced the launch of a new obstetrics laboratory test panel designed to enable physicians to screen all eligible pregnant people easily and reliably for hepatitis C (HCV) with other laboratory tests typically ordered during early pregnancy. The company developed the new test panel to include HCV antibody testing with reflex to quantitative real-time PCR in response to findings from a Quest Diagnostics Health Trends® study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology in June 2022. This peer reviewed study found that less than 41% of pregnant people were screened for HCV in 2021, based on Quest Diagnostic's laboratory testing of more than 5 million pregnant patients.

The study also found that individuals with Medicaid health insurance were screened at rates 25%-35% lower than those with commercial insurance. Obstetric panels are typically performed early in pregnancy and include guideline-recommended tests, such as complete blood count (CBC), blood typing, hepatitis B, syphilis, and rubella, to help guide clinical decisions affecting the pregnancy and mother's health. In recent years, hepatitis C infections have risen in pregnant people and other populations in the United States, largely due to increased intravenous drug use.

Between 2020-2021, the United States Preventative Services Task Force, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine issued practice guidance recommending one-time hepatitis C screening during pregnancyii,iii while the CDC issued guidance recommending HCV screening for all pregnant people except in settings where the prevalence of HCV infection is less than 0.1%.