Member Login
Search
OPAM logoOPAM Workshop:  Medical Review Officer Training Course:  Toxicology Testing and the MRO, A Physician's Role in the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse

 

This course is currently available at AOA Online Learning

Typical Agenda

About the Course

More than 60 percent of large private employers require drug and alcohol testing, and over 20 million forensic drug test specimens are processed by certified laboratories every year. The results of these laboratory tests are reviewed and interpreted by thousands of highly qualified physicians acting as certified Medical Review Officers (MROs).
Federal regulations require MROs to complete training and certification/recertification by a nationally recognized MRO board every 5 years.  AOCOPM’s new live virtual MRO Course not only fulfills this training requirement but also offers physicians the opportunity to learn from leaders in the MRO field.  This course is an excellent training option for physicians new to MRO practice as well as practicing MROs who are looking to maintain the highest standards of knowledge, practice, certification, and compliance.   More information

Learning Objectives

  • Implement drug testing policies and procedures in accordance with SAMHSA Guidelines and DOT Regulations.
  • Compare and contrast between the different toxicology specimens, their benefits and limitations.
  • Describe the role of an MRO in a forensic drug testing program.
  • Review the latest requirements for the MRO review of confirmed laboratory results, split specimen testing, invalid, adulterated and substituted results.
  • Apply the information presented from this presentation to support your clients and help ensure public safety in and beyond the workplace.

Faculty

Anthony Dekker, DO

Dr. Dekker is the medical director of the East CBOCs (Anthem, Cottonwood and Flagstaff) and the Rural Clinics (Page, Holbrook, Tuba City, Polacca, Chinle and Kayenta) for the Northern Arizona VA Healthcare system. He provides primary care and telemedicine services to veterans in mid and northern Arizona areas. He is also active in the evaluation and treatment of veterans with chronic pain and addiction disorders. From 2010 to 2015, Tony was the director of the Department of Addiction Medicine at the Ft Belvoir Community Hospital which was one of the replacement hospitals for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He served in the Indian Health Service from 1998 to 2010 in Arizona when he was the Acting Director of the Office of Health Programs at the Phoenix Area Office supervising 15 health departments in Nevada, Utah and Arizona. He was also the Associate Director of the Phoenix Indian Medical Center and the Director, Ambulatory Care and Community Health from 1998 to 2008.
Born and raised in Western Michigan he graduated from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He completed his Osteopathic education at Michigan State University in 1978. He completed his internship and family medicine residency at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and an Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine fellowship at Rush-Presbyterian-St Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. As a Public Health Service Scholar, he served Chicago’s South Side for fourteen years. He was Professor and Chair of Family Medicine at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. Dr. Dekker is board certified in Family Practice and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Addiction Medicine and Pain Medicine. He is a Fellow in numerous professional societies. His areas of expertise include addiction medicine, chronic pain syndromes, informatics, high risk youth, domestic violence and behavioral health.

James Ferguson, DO, FASAM
Medical Director and Addiction Specialist
Dr. Ferguson has been a certified MRO since 1992. He is the author of The MRO Team Manual
and co-author of the MRO chapters of the Principles of Addiction Medicine and the Handbook
of Workplace Drug Testing.

R.H. Barry Sample, PhD, D-FTCB
Dr. Barry Sample, senior director of science and technology, Quest Diagnostics, received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and his doctorate in pharmacology from Indiana University and is a board-certified forensic toxicologist. Dr. Sample joined Quest Diagnostics in 1991 and is responsible for the production and introduction of new products and services through new test and technology development. He also publishes the Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™ annually for government, policymakers, media and the general public. Barry is a regional commissioner and an inspector for the College of American Pathologists Forensic Drug Testing laboratory accreditation program, a member of the Tennis (ATP Tour/ITF/WTA Tour) AntiDoping Program Review Board, and a past president of the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association.

Donna R. Smith, PhD
Dr. Donna Smith is the Regulatory Compliance Officer at WorkforceQA, a full- service Third Party
Administrator for workplace safety and compliance programs. Dr. Smith has over 35 years’
experience and expertise in drug-free workplace program regulatory compliance. Dr. Smith served in policy and regulatory positions with the U.S. Departments of Army, Defense and Transportation. She is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of Federal drug testing regulations, drug and alcohol testing procedures, drug and alcohol abuse awareness training for employees and managers, medical review officer (MRO) procedures, drug-free workplace policy and procedures, and substance abuse prevention and rehabilitation. Since 1990 she has served on the faculties of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) for continuing medical education courses for physicians serving as Medical Review Officers (MRO). Dr. Smith has served on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Federal Drug Testing Advisory Board (DTAB), the Substance Abuse Program Administrators Association (SAPAA) Board of Directors, and currently serves on the Board of the Drug-Free America Foundation. In addition to her work in DFWP policy and program consultation, Dr. Smith serves as a technical expert in the Professional Health Monitoring arena. Dr. Smith earned a BA is sociology from Capital University, an MSW in clinical social work from Hunter College, CUNY, and a PhD in counseling psychology from Ball State University.

Certification/Examination

MROCC certification is DOT and SAMHSA recognized and approved. Registration for the certification examination is separate from the course. Information on registering for the examination is available on the MROCC website at https://www.mrocc.org/getcertified.cfm.
**EVENT CANCELLATION POLICY:  Please note that AOCOPM will refund your registration fee, less 10% (for credit card processing fees), as long as the refund is requested no later than two weeks prior to the event.