Remember that you want to include some flexibility or be a bit less specific if trying to include DOT panel as start. The standard 5 are actually a combination of categories (amphetamines, opioids) and specific substances (THC, cocaine)

HHS (NOT DOT) recently published modified Mandatory Guidelines which added fentanyl and proposed (but will not be doing at this time) removing MDMA and MDA.   Not very long ago, oxycodone/oxymorphone and hydrocodone/hydromorphone were added) 




Natalie P.  Hartenbaum, MD, MPH, FACOEM
President and Chief Medical Officer
OccuMedix
PO Box 197
Dresher, PA 19025
215-646-2205
occumedix@comcast.net


On Mar 26, 2025, at 2:55 PM, David S. Cockrum via MCOH-EH <mcoh-eh@mylist.net> wrote:

This is sort of a cross-over MRO question (but I’ve somehow disconnected from the MRO listserv) but is also related to my role as Medical Director of Employee Health and Wellness.
 
We have recently discovered that some of our remote employees live in states that require employers to specifically name the drugs that are being tested during pre-employment. Local pre-employment evals are tested with a standard 12-panel which we mimic as close as we can through the collection site/commercial lab nearest the candidate, but sometimes these are 10 panels, 9 panels, or whatever.
 
I am being asked to come up with a list of “must test” drugs that we can have in policy. Including the SAMHSA 5 (federal 5, DOT 5, or whatever you want to call them) is definitely a starting point. Was wondering if anyone has a reference for this, or experience. It seems the most common drug not included in panels is buprenorphine – I wouldn’t mind not including it in our list, but I need to understand risk of abuse to ensure we don’t overlook potential for patient harm, etc.
 
Appreciate any thoughts, and if anyone has the MRO list info, please share that with me (david.s.cockrum@hitchcock.org) so I can post there as well.
 
Thanks,
 
David
 
David S. Cockrum, MD, MPH
He/Him/His
Medical Director & Section Chief
Occupational & Environmental Medicine
Department of Medicine

Tel (603) 653-3881 | Fax (603) 650-0930
Dartmouth-Health.org

 
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center 

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