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A medical review officer (MRO) is defined as “a person who is a licensed physician (Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy) and who is responsible for receiving and reviewing laboratory results generated by an employer’s drug testing program and evaluating medical explanations for certain drug test results.”
The MRO acts as an independent and impartial “gatekeeper.” They are an advocate for the accuracy and integrity of the drug testing process. The MRO’s duties include:
- Providing a quality assurance review of the drug testing process;
- Determining whether there is a legitimate medical explanation for confirmed positive, adulterated, substituted, and invalid drug test results from the laboratory;
- Investigating and correcting problems where possible;
- Ensuring the timely flow of test results and other information to employers; and
- Protecting the confidentiality of drug testing information.
An MRO’s medical review of an employee’s drug test results does not constitute an established doctor-patient relationship.
Since January 6, 2020, MROs are called upon to report to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse positive, adulterated, and substituted drug test results, refusals to test involving an insufficient specimen without a medical explanation, and some admissions by the driver as actual knowledge.