đ
What Is A Third Party Administrator (TPA) For Drug Testing Programs? - YouTube
Channel: National Drug Screening
[0]
Here at National Drug Screening,
we regularly get the questionâŠ
[4]
What is a TPA - a Third
Party Administrator?
[7]
And...
[8]
Why do I need a TPA for
my drug testing program?
[12]
And also...
[14]
Why canât I purchase drug testing
directly from the lab, myself?
[18]
In this video from the NDS Video
Blog Series, weâll be answering
[22]
these questions about TPAs for the
administration of drug testing programs.
[28]
The TPA or Third-Party Administrator
is also often called a C/TPA
[34]
â Consortium/Third Party Administrator.
[37]
This term comes from the United
States Department of Transportation
[40]
regulations, 49 CFR Part 40.
[44]
The word âconsortiumâ applies to
the management of a random testing
[48]
pool consisting of employees from
multiple companies; companies with
[53]
1, 2, 4 or 10 employees or more.
[58]
DOT regulations require companies with 1
driver to be in a consortium as described.
[64]
So, a consortium is a grouping of the
employees from many different companies.
[70]
Thereâs no maximum number of
employees that can be in a
[73]
consortium random testing pool.
[77]
What exactly is a TPA and what do they do?
[84]
The TPA is a company that helps employers
manage a drug and alcohol testing program.
[91]
There are a variety of services and tasks
that the TPA may provide for employers.
[97]
These services and tasks
can include the following:
[102]
â Sell drug testing to employers
[105]
â Manage random testing programs
[108]
â Review or set up drug
free workplace policies
[112]
â Provide employee education
& supervisor training when needed
[118]
â Set up Lab and MRO accounts
[121]
â Assistance with MIS reports when needed
[126]
â Obtain CCF Forms & Supplies
[130]
â Update customers and
employers on regulations
[134]
â Assign collectors or collection sites
[139]
â Maintain liaison between Collection
site, Lab, MRO & customer
[147]
â Receive and transmit results
[150]
â Combine billing
[152]
â Maintain records
[155]
â Provide access to an Employee
Assistance Program - EAP
[160]
â Provide various reporting as requested
[165]
â Ongoing customer service
[167]
â Troubleshoot missing or abnormal
results - fatal flaw, canceled test, etc
[176]
â Answer questions
[178]
Many times, the TPA is simply
coordinating the ordering of testing,
[183]
specimen collection, lab testing,
MRO review, and the receiving
[188]
and storing of drug test results.
[194]
Why do I need a TPA for
my drug testing program?
[199]
Ultimately, using a TPA is
much more efficient than
[203]
trying to do it all yourself.
[205]
And it doesnât cost any more money.
[208]
A professional TPA has a web portal
that seamlessly connects collection
[213]
sites, laboratories, and Medical Review
Officers all together electronically.
[220]
Through this type of online portal,
you can easily and electronically
[224]
order drug tests for your applicants
and employees and you can receive
[228]
the drug test results via e-mail
or by logging in to the web portal.
[234]
This is a seamless and efficient
process with fast turnaround times.
[239]
Furthermore, the TPA is a
potentially invaluable asset.
[245]
A good TPA is knowledgeable and
professional and can help you
[249]
with any issues or problems.
[252]
A big part of the TPAâs business is to
provide customer service to the employer.
[257]
Without the TPA youâll need numerous
contacts to accomplish the same goals and
[263]
youâll be going around in many different
directions to get help and service.
[268]
The TPA also coordinates and manages any
required random testing you may need.
[274]
This can include enrollment into a
consortium if you are a smaller company.
[279]
The TPA also provides you
with a professional service
[283]
and is very knowledgeable.
[285]
The TPA will advise you on critical
Federal regulations, State laws
[290]
and the best practices that need
to be followed for drug testing.
[294]
With the services of a TPA, you can
also avoid exposure to liability
[300]
within your drug testing program.
[302]
Protecting your business from unnecessary
liability can prove to be invaluable.
[309]
Before we get to the final question
for this video, take just a moment
[312]
to hit that Like button if youâve
found this video valuable in any way.
[317]
And if you havenât already, be
sure to Subscribe to the NDS
[321]
channel and hit that bell icon
to get notified of future videos.
[327]
Okay, so the final question
weâre answering today is one we
[330]
get often, because it just makes
a lot of sense, and that is...
[335]
Why canât I just purchase drug
testing directly from the lab, myself?
[340]
Short answer is, technically
you could purchase lab
[343]
testing directly from the lab.
[346]
However, this can be a quite
complex and timely process.
[351]
Typically, labs only sell directly
to very large employers like a
[355]
Home Depot, Walmart, or an Amazon.
[359]
And typically, even these large companies
utilize a TPA for efficiency, cost savings
[366]
and even to help with areas of liability.
[369]
If youâre able to purchase lab services
directly from the lab, youâll still
[373]
need arrangements for ordering the test,
getting the specimen collected at a local
[378]
facility, contracting an MRO, receiving
and viewing the final test results and
[384]
knowing who will provide customer service.
[387]
Laboratories do a good job at
receiving specimens, testing,
[392]
and reporting to the MRO.
[394]
Laboratories are NOT equipped to
provide all the other necessary
[399]
parts of the drug testing program.
[402]
If you revisit the service and tasks
that a TPA provides, think about it...
[407]
does a major laboratory have
the capability to provide
[411]
all of these varied services?
[413]
No, they donât.
[415]
Itâs not in their business
model and they donât have the
[417]
capacity to do these things.
[420]
Major laboratories do not have the
capability to set up accounts for
[424]
small and/or medium sized employers.
[427]
The Labs rely on the TPAâs to assist
small and medium sized employers
[432]
with their drug testing needs.
[436]
If you found it helpful, please
consider sharing this video on social
[440]
media, via email or even text message.
[444]
Be sure to visit the NDS Channel
at DrugTestVideos.com for many
[450]
more videos on various topics
from the world of drug testing.
[455]
As always, thanks for watching.
[457]
See you in the next video.
Most Recent Videos:
You can go back to the homepage right here: Homepage