US Drug Test Centers Blog

What Are the Benefits of Using a SAMHSA-Certified Lab?

Posted: Apr 07 2015

By: Ashlee Arnold

When it comes to drug and alcohol screening, accuracy is of the utmost importance. You can't always assume a drug testing center is operating at the highest of standards. To help combat this, US Drug Test Centers prioritized working with SAMHSA-certified laboratories.

What Makes SAMHSA-Certified Laboratories Better Than Others?

First, let's go over what SAMHSA is.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads efforts to advance behavioral health.SAMHSA-certified laboratories have met the rigorous forensic toxicology standards required to guarantee the legal defensibility of actions taken based on a drug test result. This is why federal agencies and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulated companies are required to use SAMHSA-certified laboratories.

HHS-certified laboratories:

  • Perform all work by their own personnel and equipment. They may not subcontract the work to other labs.
  • Have met requirements for rigorous quality control and chain-of-custody procedures. Each specimen is tested using the same procedures in a consistent method.
  • Are required to meet quarterly performance proficiency testing and semi-annual inspections.
  • Are subject to compliance audits performed by nationally recognized toxicology experts every six months.

For these reasons, when a drug screening center works with SAMHSA-certified laboratories, you can rest assured the results you receive are reliable and have been thoroughly reviewed.

beakers with yellow liquid

How US Drug Test Centers Ensures Accuracy

Using a SAMHSA-certified lab is the first step we take toward providing better results than our competitors, but we don't stop there. US Drug Test Centers also works with medical review officers (MROs), who review and verify all test results to check for complete accuracy. This protects you as an employer from errors or mistakes. It also means that every test you perform on an employee or applicant will stand up in a court proceeding.

By utilizing SAMHSA-certified labs and also working with an MRO, US Drug Test Centers is a reliable and trustworthy solution to all of your drug and alcohol screening needs.

How Else Can We Help Protect You?

Part of maintaining a substance-free workplace is complying with local and federal laws. This is especially the case if your business operates under the DOT. When you work with US Drug Test Centers, we'll make sure you're always compliant.

Furthermore, we'll manage all aspects of your random drug and alcohol screening — including the random selection of your employees — so that the process is truly random and you're not liable for any potential bias. You can access everything related to your drug-free workplace using our state-of-the-art, cloud-based software, which we give you access to for no additional charge.

Ready to learn more? You can view our wide selection of drug and alcohol testing panels and even order a test online. With over 20,000 locations around the nation, we're never more than a few miles away. US Drug Test Centers is on a mission to make drug and alcohol testing faster, easier, and more convenient than ever before.

If you have other questions, contact us online or call 866-566-0261 to get started today.


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