Excelling as a Medical Review Officer (MRO) Assistant

Cost of Course: $199 members / $299 nonmembers

REGISTER FOR THIS ONLINE COURSE HERE.

Overview of the Training Course

DATIA's Medical Review Officer (MRO) Assistant course delivers comprehensive training on industry best practices, provides helpful hints for successful implementation, and helps MRO Assistants to achieve success. This online, self-paced course is designed for those who actively assist MROs and those who have regular contact with donors, employers, and program administrators. This program will help to ensure that MRO Assistant duties are performed in a professional and consistent manner, maintaining confidentiality for the donor, and ensuring security and integrity in the process. This course is a prerequisite for the Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC) MRO Assistant certification and exam.

The objective of this course is to provide instruction and resource material that enables the MRO assistant to: fully understand the role of the MRO and the MRO assistant in the drug testing process; define issues that arise during the medical review process and the best courses of action to tackle these issues; provide services meeting standards of professionalism, accountability, and ethical behavior; and implement practical application of industry standards and procedures.

After successful completion of DATIA’s MRO Assistant Training Course, attendees are eligible to apply for MRO Assistant Certification through the MROCC (separate registration and fee applies). This three-year certification – awarded upon successful completion and passing of the MROCC MRO-A online examination -- acknowledges competency in those practical skills the MRO Assistant applies in fulfilling his or her professional responsibilities within the workplace drug testing arena. Information can be found at https://www.mrocc.org/get_certified.cfm. 

Attendees need not have previous knowledge of the collection and drug testing processes before enrolling in the course.

* For those new to drug and alcohol testing or looking for a primer, DATIA recommends taking the Ins & Outs of Drug & Alcohol Testing online course prior to taking this course. Doing so will provide a primer allowing you to enhance your educational experience during this course.

Course Outline

  • The historical and current role of the MRO
  • The value and importance of the MRO assistant
  • About drug testing labs and their role
  • Regulatory requirements of the MRO
  • The importance of individual company policies, state laws, modal requirements, and HIPAA regulations
  • Standards of professionalism, accuracy, consistency, confidentiality, accountability, and ethical behavior
  • Demands on the MRO assistant for integrity, customer service, professional demeanor, communication and technology skills, detail orientation, and independent work
  • Methodology throughout the entire review process, including contact with labs and collection sites, matching chains, and MRO-donor interviews
  • About contact with the donor, the donor’s family and workplace, designated employer representatives (DER), and consortia/third party administrator (C/TPA) personnel
  • The importance of accuracy in reporting results, recordkeeping, and documentation
  • Issues surrounding split specimen testing, including payment, donor and employer communications, reporting, and documentation
  • What an assistant CAN and CANNOT do
  • Best ways to communicate with a donor including angry, non-English speaking, and rude or harassing donors
  • How to deal with someone who wants you to “bend the rules”
  • How to deal with uncooperative collection sites
  • Tips for dealing with attorneys, workers compensation companies, and subpoenas for records

Continuing Education Units

Upon successful completion of the course, attendees receive .75 CEUs (7.5 contact hours) of continuing education credit. Attendees will be provided with a CEU certificate stating the course name, date, sponsoring organization (DATIA) and number of CEUS awarded. Attendees can use these CEUs for fulfilling continuing education requirements.

Cancellation Policy

Once the course has been registered for and login information provided, there are no refunds. In addition, login information cannot be transferred to another person.