Specialization: Does the Medical Vendor specialize in Student Drug Testing or only have experience in employee or DOT drug testing? The drugs being used by middle and high school students are drastically different then the drugs being used by truck drivers. Your vendor must be familiar with current adolescent drug use patterns and willing to provide additional testing when necessary to discover new abused drugs. SPORT SAFE is the only national company that specializes in student drug testing and therefore can provide up-to-date resources for student drug testing policy and program administration.
Cut-Off Levels for Drug Detection: The standard DOT cut-off for THC (Marijuana) screening is 50 ng/mL. However, SPORT SAFE uses a screening cut-off of 20 ng/mL for THC resulting in far more sensitive testing and earlier detection of occasional drug users. Early detection of the occasional user is important in helping identifying students at risk for drug abuse so early intervention can be done.
Quantitative Reporting for Levels Below Cut-Off: If a drug screen has detectable levels of illicit or banned drugs that are below the cut-off, the test is usually reported negative. However, SPORT SAFE will report to the designated school official below cut-off levels for abused drugs like marijuana, cocaine or nicotine. These tests cannot be ruled positive since they are below the cut-off, but the presence of such substances could mean that student has been using and enough time has elapsed for them to be below cut-off, or they are hanging with other users. This information is passed onto the Parent who can then use the information to have a confidential discussion with the student and hopefully encourage the student to avoid future problems by not doing drugs or hanging with those who do.
MRO Certification: Who will serve as the Medical Review Officer for your testing? Is there a single person you can call for questions? Is this individual a licensed physician and certified by either the Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC) or the American Association of Medical Review Officers? Dr. Joe Franz is certified by the Medical Review Officer Certification Council and serves as the Medical Review Officer for all SPORT SAFE drug testing. Dr. Franz is available anytime to discuss problems or answer questions concerning drug use, abuse and detection by testing.
Lab Credentials: What lab is used by your vendor? Do they have enough experience in toxicology procedures and chain of custody work (minimum 10 years recommended)? Are they certified by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) following the guidelines of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)? Will all specimens be initially tested using a highly accurate immunoassay technique, with all presumptive positive results then confirmed by a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) confirmatory test? SPORT SAFE Testing Service uses Quest Diagnostics, Inc., a SAMHSA certified laboratory contracted by SPORT SAFE Testing Service because of their experience in student drug testing and commitment in this evolving field.
Adulteration Testing: Is every specimen submitted to the laboratory tested for possible adulteration? What adulterants can the lab detect? Are there additional charges for these services? Every urine drug testing specimen collected by SPORT SAFE is run through an extensive adulteration detection process that will detect simple to complex adulterants. Since students can learn via the internet how to adulterate specimens in hopes of hiding drug use, it is imperative that all drug testing of students utilize the latest technology to detect possible adulterants. These services are offered automatically on all specimens collected by SPORT SAFE at no additional cost to the school.
Policy Interpretation: Does the vendor understand your school policy for drug testing? Your School District has worked hard to develop a comprehensive policy for student drug testing. This policy is far different from an employee drug testing policy which most vendors have nothing to do with anyway. At SPORT SAFE we help write the policy for the school then administer the program. Therefore, we can easily understand the individual needs of your school’s drug testing program.
Cost: What is the total cost of doing each drug test? Are there hidden set-up fees or account maintenance fees? Does the vendor charge additional for positive tests or adulteration testing? With SPORT SAFE, one charge is made for the standard 10-panel drug test (that includes alcohol) which covers all costs from collection, MRO interpretation, adulteration checking and confirmation of any positive by GC/MS. We charge no account maintenance fees.
I hope in evaluating possible vendors to do your student drug testing, you will see that SPORT SAFE Testing Service is the leader in the student drug testing industry. Dr. Franz is nationally recognized for his work with schools around the world, helping thousands set up drug testing policies and programs. You can count on SPORT SAFE to be on top of drug use patterns by students and ready to recommend improvements to schools each year. Because we are a third party administrator and do NOT own a laboratory or device, you can count on receiving expert, unbiased advice on the development of your program.
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