FORM 4 Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * Simmons Wayne R.   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INC [DGX] 5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) Vice President, Operations (Last) (First) (Middle) C/O QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED, 3 GIRALDA FARMS 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year) 02/11/2009 (Street) MADISON, NJ 07940 4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 3) 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4) 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4) Code V Amount (A) or (D) Price Common Stock (1) 02/11/2009   A   9,678 A $ 0 21,986 (2) D   Common Stock               593 (3) I 401(k)

Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)

2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)

4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities (Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)

10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Code

V

(A)

(D)

Date Exercisable

Expiration Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Stock Options (Right to Buy)

$ 51.2

02/11/2009

A

30,000

(4)

02/11/2019(5)

Common Stock

30,000

$ 0

30,000

D

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
Simmons Wayne R. C/O QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED 3 GIRALDA FARMS MADISON, NJ 07940			Vice President, Operations

Signatures

/s/ William J. O'Shaughnessy, Jr., Attorney in Fact for Wayne R. Simmons		02/13/2009
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	Represents an award of restricted share units granted on February 11, 2009.
(2)	The amount includes exempt purchases made under the Company's stock purchase plan since the date of the last filing on Form 4.
(3)	These underlying shares were acquired on a periodic basis by the trustee of the Company's tax qualified Profit Sharing (401(k)) and/or Supplemental Deferred Compensation Plan. The information was obtained from the plan administrator as of a current date. The number of shares is based on the account balance of the Company stock fund under each Plan (which includes some money market instruments) divided by the market price of the Company stock as of that date.
(4)	The options vest in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the date of grant.
(5)	The plan pursuant to which the stock options were granted has been amended, subject to approval of the Issuer's stockholders, to provide for a maximum option term of ten years from the grant date. If stockholders fail to approve the plan amendments at the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders, the term of the options reported on herein will revert to seven years (so that the expiration date will be 2/11/2016) in accordance with the terms of the plan prior to amendment.

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