It sounds a bit cryptic, but it’s actually very simple.
When a drug test is positive, meaning a drug of abuse was detected, the result goes to our Medical Review Officer. The MRO is a doctor with special training. Part of the MRO’s job is to validate any positive drug tests.
The MRO contacts the donor to ask for an explanation. When the donor provides a valid prescription, the MRO verifies it. Another valid reason for a positive drug test result may also lead the MRO to report it as negative.
Failure to reach the donor within a specific time frame results in a Non-Contact Positive.
Several reasons can prevent the MRO from reaching the donor. Poor legibility on the Custody and Control Form is one common issue. If a paper CCF was used and the MRO cannot read the donor’s phone number accurately, contact becomes impossible. In some cases, the donor does not answer the phone. If the voice mail cannot record a message or the donor does not check messages, the MRO cannot complete verification.
Or, as you can imagine, the donor knows she failed the test and avoids the call.
In any case, a result must be reported, and if no donor contact is made, then it’s reported as a Non-Contact Positive.
For more info on the critical role of the MRO, read this post.
