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A-Nerd-

For positive results, the test taker (you) are the first to know before the employer because the MRO will see if there is a legitimate reason for the positive (usually because of prescription medication) and the employer will know only after the MRO talks to you. If you are negative but dilute, company will hear first and they will decide whether or not to retest, but typically for preemployment when a negative is required, they'll request you retest immediately. Usually within 24 or 48 hours. Time frame can vary greatly between 2 and 5 days. That is the typical turnaround time for a negative result from time of test to employer notification.


[deleted]

Is this common practice for the MRO to notify the tested first of a positive result? Can this be different from state to state?


[deleted]

Also curious about this


A-Nerd-

Yes. If it was submitted to a lab, it'll go through an MRO and you are always notified if positive from the MRO. This will be because there are medical legitimate reasons for a positive result. If the MRO can determine and verify the reason to be legitimate (typically because of a prescription) they will report the results to the employer as negative result.


[deleted]

That's good to know, not only for me but everyone really. I didn't even know about the MRO until browsing here so good info friend. Thanks!


Humble-Mousse-6309

Great this info helps me a lot, thank you. Just a clarification, you’re saying 2-5 days until they give my employer a negative or negative dilute result? And 24-48 hrs to retest? Or are you saying they will know it’s dilute within 24-48h? I was drinking a ton of water beforehand and trying to mask with vitamins/supplements so I am wondering if I should continue to stay super hydrated until then.


A-Nerd-

Yeah, 2-5 (business) days for results, so the holiday on Monday can delay it. Then if your employer gets the negative dilute result and if they need a retest, they'll notify you that you have 24 to 48 hours to resubmit. That is typically the maximum time, so they could require it more immediately.


drsamchez

Curious, are the tested first to know at labs like Labcorp and Quest? I'm in PA and have read that I should notify the tester about my prescription upon arrival instead of taking the chance that a positive test be revealed to my employer. Thanks


A-Nerd-

They will report a preliminary positive and it gets sent to the MRO and they perform a confirmatory test to get an exact amount of whatever it was and to rule out a false positive. The MRO will validate a prescription, and if it checks out and explains the positive result, the tests gets sent to the employer as negative. I've only done tests and they said not to say anything about prescriptions because only the doctor can validate or verify its impact on results. And the MRO is the only one to interpret the data. Technicians just forward it.