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MRO services are offered to employers, clinics, hospitals, background check companies, and third-party administrators (TPA). If your selling drug testing, we can help you with our comprehensive Reseller Program. Check out our 2 minute video on MRO to the right.
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 test facility (lab), and the employer). MRO’s at National Drug Screening provide MRO services consistent with the requirements outlined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These services include:
Two important reasons:
With MRO services from National Drug Screening, you get a team of four full time Medical Review Officers and a team of twelve full time Medical Review Officer Assistants. You will have access to the same system in which the MRO reviews and verifies the results. MRO coverage is available 8am to 8pm – 12 hours a day. Does your MRO service have these features which save you time and money?
Licensed physicians performing medical review officer (MRO) services for National Drug Screening are trained and certified by the American Association of Medical Review Officers (AAMRO) and The Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC).
Dr. David Nahin is the chief Medical Review Officer for National Drug Screening. As the chief MRO, Dr. Nahin oversees the medical review officer team. Dr. Nahin has been practicing medicine for over three decades, and possesses over 18 years of Medical Review Officer experience.
In addition to being board certified in emergency medicine, Dr. Nahin is certified by the American Association of Medical Review Officers (AAMRO) and the Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC).
In November 2010, Dr. Nahin was appointed to the Medical Review Officer Certification Council Examination Development Committee, with responsibilities to write the MROCC certification exam questions. The Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors, is made up of recognized leaders in the workplace drug and alcohol testing industry and are selected from the fields of substance abuse, occupational medicine, toxicology and the legal profession.
The MRO review and 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. This eliminates false positive drug test results.
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 issue.
All employers have a responsibility to inform employees of the requirement to notify the employer to when the employee is taking medication that could have an impact on safety aspects of the work performed by the donor. 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.
All drug testing 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 web portal.
Test results are not made available to employer representatives until the MRO authorizes final verification. For negative results there is an automated review in our system unless there are exceptions present. For non-negative result the MRO review and verification process is completed via phone conversation with the applicant or employee. This is a secure and confidential conversation. The process is in compliance with 49 CFR Part 40 regulations.
Negative results are reported within 1 – 2 business days from time laboratory receives specimen. Non-negative results are reported just 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 only for each designated employer. All users in the web portal must have unique log on credentials.
With MRO services from National Drug Screening, you get a team of four full time Medical Review Officers and a team of twelve full time Medical Review Officer Assistants. You will have access to the same system in which the MRO reviews and verifies the results. MRO coverage is available 8am to 8pm – 12 hours a day. Our company continues to be an industry leader in drug and alcohol testing and services.