Workplace Drug Testing for Prescription Drugs
This monograph will provide the latest information regarding the testing of prescription drugs within the workplace drug testing program. The CMEs from this monograph will fulfill a portion of both DOT and MROCC certification requirements This activity has been developed for physicians who serve as Certified Medical Review Officers (MROs) within Regulated (DOT Regulation 49 CFR Part 40) and Non-Regulated drug testing programs. Up to 4 Category 1 CME credit hours may be obtained through this activity.
At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:
- Explain to a client about the pros and cons of testing for prescription medications so that the client recognizes that it is different and more complex than testing for illegal drugs.
- Summarize pharmacokinetic and laboratory issues for prescription drugs and how they affect test sensitivity.
- Appraise the legitimacy of prescription medication use in a manner consistent with federal laws and guidance and professional standards, when reviewing a positive result for a donor who claims to have used a prescription medication in an unconventional manner.
- Distinguish between likely and negligible risks based on medical information that may impact safety or qualification and notify employers only of those conditions that are likely to impact safety or qualification.
- Identify and properly interpret results where one or more identified analytes may represent either parent drug or metabolite.
The $125 fee for this activity includes:
- 50-Page Monograph #3
- 22-Item self-assessment tool
- Up to 4 CME credit hours
- Discounts on Future Monographs
The need for this monograph
Workplace testing for illegal drugs emerged as part of the nation’s "War on Drugs." The federal government led this effort by establishing reliable drug testing procedures and requiring testing of millions of employees. These tests targeted a panel of five drugs that were widely abused: cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and phencyclidine. This group of tests is called the federal 5-panel, NIDA 5, or DOT-5.
However, in more recent years, the surge in use of medications as prescribed has spilled over to use other than as prescribed. Prescription drug use and abuse and its possible impact on workplace safety has heightened employer interest in testing for these drugs, particularly for hydrocodone and oxycodone. Testing for prescription drugs can raise complex issues of interpretation by medical review officers (MROs) and appropriate responses by employers. Little has been published to date to guide MROs through the complexities of prescription drug positives as highlighted in the preceding bullets. MRO review of illegal drug positives is a comparably simple task.
This monograph incorporates relevant federal rules and guidance for 5-panel drug tests and for distribution and use of prescription drugs. The CME credits from this monograph will fulfill a portion of both Federal and MROCC certification requirement.
Purchasing Information
Purchase and download the 50-page monograph Workplace Testing For Prescription Drugs and corresponding CME activity (4 credit hours) from MROCC’s secure payment center
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University Services is accredited by the Pennsylvania Medical Society/ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. University Services designates this educational activity for a maximum of 4 credit hours, AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the educational activity.
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of University Services and MROCC.