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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
129 W Hibiscus Blvd. Suite H
Melbourne, FL 32901
Phone: 866-843-4545
Fax: 888-441-7071