GETTING TO KNOW BY ADINA YOUNG, DATIA
Getting to Know Lynn Carr, New DATIA Board Member
Welcome to the DATIA Board of Directors!
Why were you interested in
joining the Board? DATIA is among the most highly respected associations in the drug and alcohol testing industry. Tey provide the forum to not only educate their members on best practices but also to collaborate on the challenging issues facing our industry today. Te effective monitoring of medical/recreational marijuana use, the prescription drug epidemic, explora- tion and scientific research for expanded panels and alternative specimen testing are just a few of the challenging issues that our industry is faced with today. Tis year marks my 20th
anniversary working in the
drug and alcohol testing industry and with FirstLab. As a DATIA board member, I can play an active and supportive role in addressing these issues.
Tell us about FirstLab and your current role? FirstLab is a full service Tird Party Administrator (TPA) providing drug and alcohol and occupational health testing ser- vices for workplace and professional health monitoring programs. FirstLab conducts in-depth needs assessments of each client to ensure that a unique program is designed that respects the individual operational needs of each organization. In my current role, I lead the opera-
tions department as the Vice President of Operations. I oversee the daily opera-
tions supporting the delivery of drug and alcohol testing services to our workplace and professional health monitoring client accounts. Our drug and alcohol program management services include the set up and coordination of specimen collection, laboratory analysis, medical review, statisti- cal reporting, and compliance monitoring. Our operational procedures and protocols are designed to deliver accurate and timely results and statistical reports and to meet all regulatory requirements and contrac- tual obligations with the highest quality of customer service to our clients.
What have been some of your major accomplishments? I consider my major accomplishments to be the projects that have led to significant enhancements to the operations of First- Lab; specifically, the implementation of a paperless process and interface designed to receive, index, link, review and post Cus- tody and Control Forms (CCFs) for U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) re- quired tests. Te workflow was designed to maximize efficiency and ensure compliance with DOT regulatory requirements. Tis set the foundation for subsequent automat- ed programs such as a system to support the tracking and retrieval of outstanding CCFs, which significantly improved our efficiency and results turnaround time.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time on the Board? I hope to bring a valuable perspective on the challenges faced by our industry, such
as the unique challenges faced by our professional health monitoring clients, and to promote education and best practices regarding alternative specimen testing for both professional health monitoring and workplace testing programs.
What advancements do you see in the drug and alcohol testing industry in the next 5 years? With the Office of Management and Bud- get (OMB) recent approval, the implemen- tation of electronic CCFs for federal testing programs is an advancement that I am very anxiously awaiting as it will improve the quality and efficiency of producing com- plete, accurate and legible chain of custody documentation that in turn can significant- ly improve the overall turn-around-time in reporting results. I also see the final rules and implemen-
tation of the Drug and Alcohol Testing National Clearinghouse, oral fluid and expanded opiate testing for federal trans- portation testing programs as significant advancements that our industry will realize within the next 5 years. ❚
Each edition of DATIA focus will include a
Q&A from a DATIA Board Member, Spotlighted Member or Course Instructor. It is our hope that this enables our readers to be better acquainted with DATIA and all of the people that help make it such a successful operation. Stay tuned each edition to meet a new industry peer!
36
datia focus
summer 2014
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