| Drug Testing Interpretation and Procedures | |
Why Utilize a Medical Review Officer (MRO)?Medical review can be characterized as "risk management". The medical and legal issues surrounding drug testing are addressed when your company utilizes the medical review professional to be a part of your drug testing procedure. The Medical Review Officer serves as advocate to the donor and the company. Medical records and information require confidential handling and review; this is accomplished when such information is reviewed by need-to-know qualified personnel. We address these very real questions and many others on a regular basis.
Our MROs are fully insured for professional liability and general liability. Certificates of insurance are available upon request. A medical professional qualified to read and interpret a drug test result reviews all results. The MRO reviews all pertinent documentation and, when the result requires additional review, they make several attempts to speak with the donor in an effort to verify any provided medical information. Prescription medicines are verified through the donor's physician, treatment facility, dentist, or pharmacy via the most expeditious means possible. The doctors and their staff have the utmost respect and consideration for the people they deal with, and will always represent your organization with dignity and professionalism. The following is an example of the process the MRO provides:
Procedures For Drug Testing InterpretationMRO Officer Criteria Negative (pass) results are reported to you within 30 minutes of result from laboratory. Receipt, Handling, Transmission and Reconciliation of Results The laboratory electronically transmits completed results to the Medical Review Officer. Our selected Medical Review Officer has designed a proprietary computer program to electronically verify and translate these results. All correctly formatted results are then uploaded directly to the Medical Review Officer for review. Negative (pass) results are released by the MRO after documents are reviewed. In the case of positive (fail) results, and/or results which require further review, backup documentation is automatically requested and sent electronically from the laboratory. The Positive Result: The medical review staff has established a system whereby, on completion and confirmation of each GC/MS positive drug test result, the laboratory reports to the medical review staff via direct download. A hard copy of the CCF (custody and control form), signed by the certifying scientist, is simultaneously faxed to the MRO over a secured fax to expedite review and report of result. The CCF is reviewed by the medical staff for accuracy before any further action is taken. The review includes but is not limited to:
The MRO makes several attempts by phone to reach each donor with a confirmed positive result. The interview is provided to allow the donor the opportunity to discuss any medically qualified reason or medically acceptable explanation for the substance(s) to be in the specimen they provided. The MRO acts as the advocate for both the donor and the company. When contact with the donor is established, the MRO confirms the donor's identity by verifying social security number and date of birth. Other forms of identification may be used as warranted. The MRO will advise the donor of the test results and give the donor the opportunity to provide any medically verifiable reason for this result. If the result is positive, Department of Transportation protocol will be followed as directed under CFR40 subpart H/R. Acceptable Documentation Written documentation must be received and reviewed by the MRO to substantiate any verbal information that was provided. Documentation includes, but is not limited to legible copies of medicine bottle labels, pharmacy documentation, prescriptions, or other medical documentation from the donor's physician. The documentation received must be consistent with the drug(s) reported, in the donor's name, and dated prior to the date of testing. When these conditions are met, a result of negative will be reported to the company designated personnel. Our medical review service maintains 24 hour, seven days a week fax capability to receive this information. No Contact With Donor If the MRO is unable to contact the donor, after the company designated personnel or Department of Transportation time requirements pass, notification is sent to the company designated personnel that the donor has a positive test result. If the donor provides verifiable medical documentation in a reasonable time period following notification of a result to the company designated personnel, the documentation will be reviewed. If the documentation substantiates the result as legitimate medical use, the positive result will be replaced with a result of negative. This result will then be reported or rereported to the company designated personnel. Results will only be converted if acceptable written documentation is provided in a timely manner with an acceptable explanation of why the delay occurred. Positive results will be maintained with all associated documentation for five years with the Medical Review Officer. Additional Contact No conversation will be held between anyone except the company designated personnel and the donor with respect to any drug test results. All requests and results with respect to an individual's test results will be made in writing and sent directly to the company designated personnel. The Medical Review Officer will follow the retest procedures as required by the Department of Transportation or directed by company policy for non-regulated testing. Regulation Monitoring Ross Health Care Clinic has extensive expertise and experience in drug and alcohol testing rules. Our Medical Review Officer maintains all records associated with employer’s drug testing programs in accordance with applicable law and regulations. | |
