5 Best Practices Your Testing Program Management Company Should Be Doing

Expect More From Your TPA!

Choosing the right company to help manage your drug and alcohol testing program is not always a priority for companies. Whether you are a large construction or food preparation/serving company to a smaller owner-operator truck driver regulated by the Department of Transportation, the choice is usually overlooked by more revenue-centric decisions. Without realizing, these companies will soon face stress, inefficiencies, extra costs, and time-consuming tasks within the testing process that could have been prevented in the first place.

Below is a list of 5 Best Practices your Program Management Company, or TPA, should be doing.

1. The TPA should set up collection sites for you

For companies that have “safety-sensitive” employees that travel a lot, like truck drivers, finding a collection site nearest them after being selected for a random drug test can be time consuming and difficult. Instead of wasting your time on the phone, make sure your Program Management Company can handle this process for you.

“Coming across North Dakota, my wife called that I received a drug test notification in the mail. I called CleanFleet for the closest collection site. They had one in Fargo, ND. When I walked in, they not only were expecting me but CleanFleet had already sent them all the paperwork and everything was taken care of quickly. Within two hours of my wife’s call, I was done and back on the road. Thank you CleanFleet!” – O’Brian Trucking.

2. The TPA should manage the whole collection process

Not only should your program management company find a near-by collection site, they should manage the whole collection process. This includes calling the collection site to notify your employee is coming, calling the MRO (Medical Review Officer) to check the status of the results, make sure data integrity of the paperwork is accurate (such as misspelled names, correcting the authority type, and testing reason), and tracking down Chain of Custody Forms. This will help speed up the testing process.

3. The TPA should “Secret-shop” their collection site network

Most TPAs are not vetting the collection sites in their network. “Secret-shopping” includes experiencing what the location is like, how efficient (or not) they are, and most importantly making sure they know what to do. For example, there are many state rules around point-of-collection testing with quick testing kits. In Oregon, point-of-collection testing is used for employment purposes only and all non-negative results must be verified by a lab. Making sure that collection sites are trained on kits, understand the various state laws, and are registered with states should be a priority. When choosing a TPA to manage your Testing Program, check to see if they vet the quality of the collection sites in their network.

4. The TPA should provide DER Training to help companies better manage their testing program

Your TPA should be experts in the drug and alcohol testing industry. Don’t just take their word for it. Look to see if they offer DER or Reasonable Suspicion Training. This is very important when certifying supervisors on what to look for and how to handle the testing process within your company, especially for DOT regulated companies that need to understand Part 382 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. At CleanFleet, we train supervisors on testing procedures, notice requirements, start dates, employee admission, required testing, how to handle test results, record retention, understanding policies and confidentiality, and more.

5. The TPA should not charge for consultations

If the company managing your testing program charges for consultations, you are paying way too much. We believe that quality customer service should be the most important part of the relationship and should not cost clients even more. We want to be more than a Drug and Alcohol Testing and Program Management Company, but your resource for all industry questions and concerns. If you ever have any questions, call us at 503-479-6082.

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