Quest Diagnostics pays $5M after mixing patient medical data with hazardous waste

Quest Diagnostics agreed to pay nearly $5 million to settle allegations from multiple California counties that it improperly disposed of hazardous waste and unredacted protected health information, violating state hazardous waste and medical waste laws as well as privacy statutes. The settlement includes payments to counties, funding for environmental projects, attorneys’ fees, and commitments to hire an independent environmental auditor and improve waste-handling practices across its California facilities; the company admits no wrongdoing.