medical review officer (mro) services

National Drug Screening (NDS) offers drug testing programs to employers to include medical review of drug tests. This medical review by a Medical Review Officer (MRO) provides for a defensible drug test result and reduces employer exposure to liability.

DOT drug testing requires an MRO, for Non-DOT drug testing the MRO is required by many State laws and is always a best practice.

A full TPA Reseller Program is also available with Software, Lab Accounts, MRO, nationwide collection site networks & Random Consortium Management.

On this page we will cover:

NDS Offers Full Time MROs for Fast Efficient Reporting of Drug Test Results

The Medical Review Officer, often referred to as MRO, serves as the common point of contact between all participants in a drug test (i.e., the donor, the collector, the testing facility (lab), and the employer). MRO’s at National Drug Screening provide MRO services compliant with the requirements outlined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These services include:

Review all specimens reported as positive, adulterated, substituted, invalid, or rejected for testing, and report the verified result to the employer or Federal agency;
Ensure that specimens reported as negative or as negative and dilute are properly reviewed (i.e., at least 5% personally and the remainder by staff under the MRO’s direct, personal supervision) and reported to the employer or Federal agency;
Discuss potential invalid results with the laboratory to determine whether further testing at another HHS-certified laboratory is warranted;

Conduct or facilitate a medical evaluation of the donor when a collector reports that the donor was unable to provide a urine specimen;
Perform an initial investigation of problems identified in the drug testing process and notify the employer and appropriate regulatory authority of findings;
Monitor the frequency of errors and notify responsible parties to take corrective action to prevent recurrence; and
Maintain records and confidentiality of drug test information.

MRO Review And Verification Of Drug Test Results

The MRO review and medical explanation verification in the drug testing program prevents an employee from being labeled as a drug user with a positive drug test result in situations where the employee is taking legally prescribed medication. All employees with a positive drug test will be called by the MRO and asked about any medical explanation for a positive drug test result.

There is, however, a public safety issue associated with information that a donor may provide to an MRO during the review of a test result. That is, the donor may be taking a legal prescription medication as treatment for a medical condition and the medication may have possible side effects that may impair the mental and/or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks (e.g., driving a car or truck, operating machinery)

In this situation, the MRO will provide a notation to the employer on the drug test result indicating a safety concern. This will allow the employer to take the steps necessary to insure safety.

All employers have a responsibility to inform employees of the requirement to notify the employer anytime the employee is taking medication that could have an impact on safety aspects of the work performed by the employee. Additionally, some occupations have restrictions that prohibit an individual from taking specific medications which may otherwise be allowable for other occupations. If there is any doubt, the employer should require the employee to have written authorization from the prescribing physician as to whether or not the employee can safely perform their job duties.

Web Portal For MRO Drug Test Results

All drug testing for employers is performed by SAMHSA certified laboratories and lab test results are sent electronically to the NDS web portal for review and verification by the Medical Review Officer (MRO) team. Access to all pending and final results is available in our secure online portal.

Test results are not made available to employer representatives until the MRO completes their review and release the final result. For negative results, there is an automated review in our system as long as no exceptions are present. For non-negative results, the MRO review and verification process is completed via phone conversation with the applicant or employee. This secure and confidential conversation is held in compliance with 49 CFR Part 40 regulations.

Negative results are typically reported within 1 – 2 business days from time laboratory receives specimen. Non-negative results are reported as soon as the MRO completes the review and verification which begins same day the result is received from the lab.

MRO reviewed final drug test results are released in the web portal for employer review by authorized contacts of the employer. All users in the web portal must have unique log on credentials. Usually, it is the company Designated Employer Representative (DER) that receives the drug test results and corresponds with the MRO.

Why Choose National Drug Screening for Employer Drug Testing and MRO Service

25+ years’ experience
Electronic drug testing process and web portal for MRO reviewed drug test results
MRO process eliminates possibility of a false positive
MRO delas with applicant or employee legally prescribed medications
MRO process provides fore a legally defensible drug test result
Customer service is part of our mission and is awesome
NDS named Top Pre-Employment Screening Services company for 2022 by HR Tech Outlook
Full time MRO’s with certifications from American Association of Medical Review Officers, Inc. (AAMRO) and Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC)

Need an employer account for drug testing and MRO services, call 866-843-4545
or Click to Set Up an Employer Account.

If you need more then just MRO services, our Reseller Program is specifically for the third-party administrator (TPA or C/TPA), background check companies and other organizations selling drug testing to employers. This is a web-based platform, easy to use with electronic ordering, random testing management and electronic reporting of results. This program includes software, lab accounts and MRO service; this is for DOT and Non-DOT.