The Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC) is a 501(c) non-profit corporation offering Medical Review Officer certification to physicians (M.D., D.O. or equivalent) who have had appropriate and specific training in the duties and the responsibilities of the professional MRO. In addition, for well-qualified non-physician Team Members, MROCC offers certification to validate their many and varied administrative duties associated with the drug testing evaluation process.
MROCC promotes and preserves the highest quality of standards among Medical Review Officers (MROs) and their Team Members by setting standards, defining MRO competencies, promoting a Code of Ethics, offering certification examinations and providing publications and educational activities.
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 MROCC-certified Medical Review Officers (MROs).
The ramifications of workplace drug testing can be serious - to both the employer and the employee. An employee who uses illegal drugs is a definite obstacle to the stability and safety of the workplace. However, proper evaluation of a test result in light of the employee's medical history while protecting his or her privacy is essential to avoid falsely accusing an employee of illicit drug use. The Medical Review Officer Certification Council (MROCC) is a non-profit corporation that credentials highly qualified physicians as Medical Review Officers (MROs). The examination used to determine certification is based on the Department of Transportation's Federal Regulation 49 CFR Part 40 and the MRO Competencies document developed by the Council.
The certified MRO is a licensed physician who is qualified to evaluate laboratory drug test results within federally mandated/non-mandated workplace drug testing programs.
As a "gatekeeper", the MRO protects the donor from a false accusation of illicit drug use when there is an alternate medical explanation for the laboratory result.
At the same time, the certified MRO protects the company - helping with policies and regulatory issues, as well as providing related services, such as drug test collections, breath alcohol testing services, coordination of laboratory services, laboratory performance testing, and preparation of summary reports for employers.
All MROCC-certified MROs are expected to follow a code of ethics.
Learn more about the role of the MRO from the Department of Transportation website.