[MCOH-EH] for cause/reasonable suspicion drug testing

[Rahul Deepankar]

Please stop. R. Deepankar

On Sat, Jun 27, 2026 at 07:11 Swift, Melanie D., M.D., M.P.H. via MCOH-EH <
mcoh-eh at mylist.net> wrote:

> Very sound advice. Additionally, when developing diversion investigation
> procedures, remember that diversion may not be for personal or immediate
> use. Diverted drugs could be passed to a friend or partner. They can be
> sold on the street, particularly if they are in pill form. They could be
> stockpiled for later use. Even if used by the diverter, some have a very
> short half-life and will have been cleared before the drug screen is
> collected. So, a negative drug screen does not rule out diversion by any
> means. In fact, if the evidence for diversion is otherwise strong, getting
> a drug test in the absence of any evidence of impairment may not be a wise
> or helpful step. The negative test later becomes a liability when the
> employee fights their termination in court. But of course, in less
> convincing cases it brings clarity when it is positive.
>
> Melanie
> ------------------------------
> *From:* MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces at mylist.net> on behalf of Miriam H.
> Alexander <Mhalexan at lifebridgehealth.org>
> *Sent:* Friday, 26 June 2026 09:41:27
> *To:* MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh at mylist.net>
> *Subject:* [EXTERNAL] Re: [MCOH-EH] for cause/reasonable suspicion drug
> testing
>
> *External Email Notice:* This message was sent by someone outside Mayo
> Clinic.
>
> We only test for the potentially diverted substances and have had “panels”
> that will go after the standard drugs of diversion. If there is no
> reasonable suspicion based on behaviors of employee(s) this is what we
> used.  If It is truly a reasonable suspicion based on behaviors, clinical
> stigmata etc we do our standard reasonable suspicion which does include
> marijuana.
>
>
>
> Miriam Alexander, MD MPH
>
> Medical Director for Employee Health and Wellness
>
> AVP Occupational Health
>
> LifeBridge Health
>
> 2401 W.Belvedere Ave
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/2401+W.Belvedere+Ave?entry=gmail&source=g>.,
> Hoffberger 54
>
> Baltimore, MD 21215
>
> Phone: 410-601-0563
>
> Mobile: 410-206-0579
>
> Fax: 410-601-4643
>
> Mhalexan at lifebridgehealth.org
>
>
>
> *From:* MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh-bounces+mhalexan=lifebridgehealth.org at mylist.net>
> *On Behalf Of *Deanna Prater via MCOH-EH
> *Sent:* Wednesday, June 24, 2026 7:29 PM
> *To:* MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh at mylist.net>
> *Cc:* Deanna Prater <dprater at luhonline.com>
> *Subject:* [MCOH-EH] for cause/reasonable suspicion drug testing
>
>
>
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>
>
> We are reviewing our employee health and occupational testing policies for
> medication discrepancy or diversion investigations (e.g., dropped
> controlled substances, unresolved medication count variances).  In these
> situations, does your organization utilize targeted drug testing panels
> that exclude THC/marijuana, focusing instead on relevant controlled
> substances associated with the discrepancy?  If so, are these panels
> standard or ordered case-by-case?  The reason I am asking, is because
> marijuana is legal in Oregon, and if the employee would test positive for
> marijuana when we're really concerned about the results for the missing
> substance, it could be problematic.
>
>
>
> Deanna Prater BSN, RN, CPHQ
>
> dprater at luhonline.com
>
> Phone: (541) 271-6323
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