Let’s discuss the TPA business in terms
Business owners and managers must constantly review general business practices for their business. Change must take place, as necessary.
of the players involved. We have the col- lection site, collector, BAT, ST, lab, MRO, and SAP. All of these are service agents in the arena of drug and alcohol testing. Which player are you? Are you the TPA providing all of these services or perhaps just some of these services? What do you do as a TPA? Here is a list of potential services that a TPA might perform: • Sell Drug Testing • Set up Collection, Lab & MRO Accounts
• Order CCF Forms and Supplies • Provide MRO—Report Results • Combined Billing • Coordinate Random Testing • Provide Training and Education • Provide DFW Policy • Provide Reports, Records, MIS • Coordinate Blind specimens • Provide Customer Service A best practice is to look at all of your
general business practices and insure that you are up to speed in all of these areas. Are you licensed and insured? Do you have the proper insurance for general liability, professional liability, workers’ compensation and auto liability? Are you knowledgeable about your
services and drug testing rules and regu- lations? Do you push back when your clients don’t follow appropriate rules and regulations? The #1 best practice is to become the expert in your area; this requires ongoing, continuous education. A TPA must keep up with training and certifications, must be accountable, hon- est and have integrity. Business owners and managers must
constantly review general business prac- tices for their business. Change must take place as necessary. Review your service offerings often and discuss who in your organization is responsible for what. Do you provide the necessary tools for your employees to do their jobs, including the appropriate software applications? A
22 datia focus
key best practice is to embrace technol- ogy. Drug testing software programs are evolving; are you using an outdated system or have you looked at what is cur- rently available? Electronic drug testing for non-DOT has come a long way. A drug test today can be ordered this morn- ing and completed later this morning across the United States at an electroni- cally enabled collection facility. Are you electronically enabled? Sales, marketing and accounting are
key functions of your business opera- tion. What technologies are you using to operate efficient sales, marketing and accounting processes? A Customer Re- lationship Management (CRM) system is key in today’s business environment. Years ago our CRM was a day timer and a bunch of index cards where prospect data was stored. Today’s CRMs are power- ful database systems for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers. CRMs involve using technology to organize and automate sales, marketing and customer service activities. No discussion of best practices for
business today would be complete without mentioning the Internet. A powerful information tool, the Internet is a source that has infinite uses to assist businesses in their quest for information and solutions. Use the Internet in your business, but remember that just because something is on the Internet, does not necessarily make it true—always trust, but verify, just like in drug testing. Standard operating procedures are
a best practice. Have your employees compose written procedures for all the business activities they perform. Then have supervisors or managers review and approve these procedures, and finally, owners should review and approve these procedures. These procedures should be reviewed and updated annually. In ad- dition to procedures, have standardized
winter 2015
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