Biological monitoring
is the measurement of tissue levels of
contaminants or metabolites often included in
medical surveillance programs. For example,
blood lead measurements are available to
determine the exact amount of environmental lead
a worker has absorbed.
Medical surveillance programs have several
specific objectives:
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Evaluate the
health status of potential employees and
determine whether they can perform the
job in a safe and efficient manner.
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Detect
exposure-related adverse health effects
at an early, and hopefully reversible,
stage so that occupational diseases can
be prevented and proper medical care can
be rendered, if necessary.
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Periodically
assess employee’s suitability for
ongoing or new assignments that involve
potential contact with hazardous
materials.
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Correlate past
occupational or environmental exposures
with future workplace activities and
exposures to arrive at an opinion on the
risk that the job might represent to the
health status of the individual.
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Identify
unrecognized effects of exposure by
continually monitoring group employee
health data to detect possible adverse
health trends. |
WorkCare contracts
with a national laboratory that specializes in
biological monitoring. It is a CLIA certified
laboratory and is an accredited laboratory of
the College of American Pathologists. It is also
OSHA certified laboratory for blood lead and
zinc protoporphyrin samples and SAMHSA certified
for urine drug testing.
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WorkCare has a
nationwide credentialed provider network in all
50 states, the District of Columbia and many
international locations. Our provider network is
continuously growing to serve our customers'
geographic needs for services.
Our credential provider network ensures access
to occupational health experts across the
Nation. Our quality assurance program maintains
control of quality services and accurate
reporting.
Quality Assurance is an integral part of
WorkCare’s products and services. Quality
Assurance (QA) is provided with every physician
review of each examination, laboratory reports
and auxiliary test that is performed. QA is a
function of our provider credentialing and
contracting process which seeks to locate and
contract with the best qualified providers in
each geographic local. WorkCare also obtains
direct employee feedback related to their
experience and perception of each patient
encounter. WorkCare has an internal QA committee
that performs oversight and management of the
overall QA program and outcomes. Feedback is
provided directly to the clinic to ensure that
each patient is seen with an appropriate
understanding of both regulatory standards and
client specific protocol.
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WorkCare offers
employers a resource for compliance with the
OSHA respirator protection standard (29 CFR
1910.134). The WorkCare program can be designed
as a part of other regulatory programs, such as
hazardous waste operations and emergency
response (29 CFR 1910.120), or as a stand-alone
program. WorkCare occupational medicine
physicians offer guidance in program design and
development to meet employer-specific needs.
WorkCare has designed programs that are largely
administered by fax and e-mail with involvement
for most employees limited to completion of the
OSHA medical history questionnaire for
respirator users. This type of program typically
includes a baseline medical examination in
addition to the review of the respirator
questionnaire. WorkCare physicians review the
questionnaire, issue reports and maintain
employer records.
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WorkCare offers
complete drug and alcohol testing programs and
compliance services for employers nationwide.
WorkCare serves as a Third Party Administrator
for U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
mandated programs and provides MRO services, as
well as consultation services, regarding the
establishment and development of substance abuse
policies and testing programs.
We leverage our experience in this area to
provide employers with the management expertise
needed to design, manage and implement drug and
alcohol testing programs and workplace substance
abuse services that meet federal and state
regulations and fit within the company's unique
culture and philosophy. These services emcompass:
Laboratory Services
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SAMHSA-Certified
Drug Testing Laboratories (Formally NIDA).
There are less than 65 laboratories in
the entire nation which have been
certified by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, through
SAMHSA, to meet federal workplace drug
testing program guidelines. WorkCare
uses only SAMHSA labs, which must pass a
rigorous inspection process, including
proficiency testing, federal on-site
inspections and quarterly performance
assessments
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Collection
sites located throughout the United
States
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Capability for
onsite or after hours collection in most
areas
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Quick turn
around--Negative results within 48
hours, positive results normally within
72 hours
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Drug and Alcohol Testing
DOT Testing
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Certified by
SAMHSA to meet DOT Regulations - 5 Drug
Panel for Marijuana, Amphetamines,
Phencyclidine, Opiates, Cocaine
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Breath alcohol
testing compliant with DOT regulations
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Non-DOT Testing
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Non-DOT:
testing for amphetamines, barbiturates,
benzodiazepines, cocaine, methadone,
methaqualone (Quaaludes), opiates,
phencyclidine (PCP), propoxyphene (Darvon),
THC (50 ng/ml), ethyl alcohol
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Drug testing
for other substances with the option to
use hair samples or urine
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Medical Review Officer
WorkCare provides
medical review officer (MRO) services for
drug-free workplace programs. The MRO's single
most important function is a review of
laboratory positive test results and the
determination of alternative medical
explanations for the positive results. The
medical review officer must be a licensed
physician who has knowledge of substance abuse
disorders and has appropriate medical training
to interpret and evaluate positive drug test
results. The MRO has overall resposibility to
ensure that all regulatory requirements of the
drug and alcohol testing programs are met.
WorkCare's MRO Services encompass:
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Full-time and
fully-accredited medical staff that
review and interprets all drug tests for
validity
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Utilization of
sound protocols to check for false
positives, medical reasons for a
positive test result, and procedural
errors, such as chain of custody
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Communication
with donor to ask or answer questions
relating to test result
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DOT Testing Criteria
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Pre-employment:
required prior to being hired for safety
sensitive positions
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Post-accident:
following an occurrence involving a
commercial motor vehicle operating on a
public road in commerce or in other
situations as described by DOT agencies
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Reasonable
suspicion: used when an employer has
reasonable suspicion to believe that an
employee has violated DOT drug/alcohol
regulations
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Random: the
testing of employees who are chosen
based on "neutral-selection"
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Return-to-Duty:
drug and/or alcohol tests used for an
employee who has violated DOT
drug/alcohol regulations - must be
administered before employee returns to
safety-sensitive position
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Follow-Up:
post-rehabilitation testing that may be
required by substance abuse
professionals for an employee who has
violated DOT drug/alcohol regulations
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Consultation Services for Drug and Alcohol
Testing Programs and Substance Abuse Policies
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WorkCare can
assist your company in developing and
implementing a drug and alcohol policy
or testing program that meets DOT rules
and regulations, complies with the
Americans with Disabilities Act and
other federal/state laws and fits the
unique needs of your company. |
Total Compliance Services by Third Party
Administrator (WorkCare)
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Quarterly and
annual compliance reports
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Single employer
random pools or consortia pools for
smaller employers
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Compliant with
all DOT agencies for random and other
testing services:
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
- Federal Transit Administration
- U.S. Coast Guard
- Research and Special Programs
Administration (Pipeline) |
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Our state of the art
medical informatics systems also supply timely,
concise and useful management reporting as well
as required compliance documents. Some of these
are:
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Reporting on
numbers and types of examinations
performed
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Statistical
analysis of medical examination results
with comparisons to previous years and
details for each population sub group
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Tracking of
program performance statistics
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Reporting of
missed appointments
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Our records management
program is in compliance with 29 CFR 1910.1020.
Our facilities include complete confidentiality
of medical records data and storage in locked,
fireproof cabinets. Additionally, our office
building has up-to-date fire prevention and
security systems which further enhance our
records management program. Access and/or copies
of all or any part of the medical record will be
provided to regulatory officials only when
subpoenaed. We have in place a disaster recovery
program to allow for ongoing operations in the
event of a local or regional disaster.
WorkCare is now implementing its compliance
program for employee health information to meet
new federal privacy and security standards
required by the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA). Full implementation
of the HIPAA standard was completed April 16,
2003, the date set for full implementation by
the federal government.
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