FAQs

CMS provides:

• Clear understanding of your business and what is required to assist you in managing your service needs
• Proper, clear and accurate ways to schedule and document services
• WebPortal with processed documents available via secure access
• WebPortal status of services and/or an emailed status summary of services daily
• Negative drug screens reported in less than 7 minutes from the release at the lab
• Live customer service representative available by phone during business hours
• 24/7 In-house assistance for Post-Accident drug or drug & alcohol screening
• Skilled medical staff to review DOT Physicals for accuracy and completeness
• Sleep Apnea Program that costs less than $1,000 and is completed in less than a week
• Invoice reconciliation and consolidation resulting in one invoice each month

It couldn’t be easier. With a handshake, CMS will set the following in motion to get service started in as little as one day.

Your part:

• Provide a list of your staff with authorization to schedule services and/or receive results
• Provide a list of clinics or areas you prefer

CMS’s part:

• Provide a fee schedule or service agreement
• Establish Collection Sites
• Establish Lab Account
• Notify company as each clinic is ready to provide services for employees or prospects
• Add clinics to the CMS WebPortal for future scheduling

This year we expect to report over 100,000 drug screens with the majority of negatives being reported to our clients in less than seven minutes after being released from the lab.

Drug Screening is complex by design. Similar to our form of government, there are three different and distinct components which produce the final report. At each stage, there are very specific requirement in place to ensure the highest integrity in the testing process:

The Collector
Requires Certification Training (49 CFR Part 40.31)

The Lab
The lab must be approved and in good standing by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The Medical Review Officer (MRO)
The MRO is the final step in the process. The MRO reviews the services of both the Collector and the Lab to ensure accuracy, and then reviews the details of the Lab’s report.

To view up-to date information on testing rates, visit transportation.gov/odapc/random-testing-rates

The Medical Review Officer (MRO) is best defined by reading 49 CFR Part 40.121. The basic requirements are:

• Must be a licensed physician (Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy)
• Must be knowledgeable about, and have clinical experience in, controlled substance abuse disorders. This includes detailed knowledge of alternative medical explanations for laboratory-confirmed drug test results.
• Must understand all components of the drug screening process including the collection and laboratory processes.

• Historically, even ‘recreational users’ have greater absentee rates and more ‘on the job’ injuries than non-users.
• Productivity rates. If an employee is not present you must reschedule others to ‘work around’ those who are absent, causing lower production.
• Quality employees are attracted to a safe working environment.
• There are often significant insurance savings with a Drug-Free Work Place Program.
• Advertising that your business is “Drug-Free” is a great marketing and sales tool.

Companies that have a decent drug-free workplace program receive discounts up to 15% on worker’s compensation premiums. They know that employees who use drugs are more prone to accidents and that their costs (medical, lost wages and settlement) would be greater without a program in place.