Oral Fluid Testing: Implementation & Change Management
As we await the official start of DOT oral fluid drug testing, which will occur upon the final approval of the oral fluid collection device AND approvals of 2 laboratories, there are some change management steps your organization can begin to take to roll out oral fluid testing with greater ease.
Why Change Management?
Change Management is about formulating and implementing necessary changes in your organization to meet one or more desired outcomes. In the case of rolling out an oral fluid drug test program, your organization should proactively plan for coming changes. A thoughtful change management plan will help to create smoother transitions and better outcomes for you, your customers or employees.
Change Management Steps
- Reason for Change: The first step is to identify the reason for change. Take the time to effectively communicate with employees why DOT has approved oral fluid testing. Articulate the benefits of oral fluid testing in problem testing situations. By explaining the “why”, your employees will be more inclined and perhaps more enthusiastic about accepting the change and even do their part in successful implementation.
- Set Goals/Tasks: Create a change management plan, identifying specific goals and related tasks. For example, your plan may include getting your collectors trained and certified in oral fluid testing. Your plan would include when, where and how they will be trained and who will conduct the training.
- Designate Leaders: For each goal or task, you will appoint a designated leader, who is responsible for driving the task to completion. Identify leaders with experience in a particular task or individuals with great organizational or motivational skills.
- Milestones: Your plan would have key milestones with start and end dates. You will want to monitor the progress of these key milestones to ensure the project is kept on track and on time. You will also want to monitor progress for months after you implement an oral fluid testing program.
- Implement Change: This is the roll-out phase where everything is ready to go. Organizations proactively planning will be more prepared to go once the testing device and labs are certified and can start delivering the devices. This sounds easy. But I wouldn’t expect the oral fluid testing flood gates to open. Employers will drive the demand for oral fluid testing. Expect to have some employers who may still be waiting for legal or internal approval of their revised testing policies before sending their standing orders.
- Process Audits: In this phase, be prepared to collect process feedback from your customers and employees. This phase would also include regular reviews of completed CCFs for accuracy and completeness. It could include monitoring a collection performed by each of your collectors. A real-time feedback mechanism can make you aware of areas of success or areas that need improvement. Organizations who have real-time feedback mechanisms in place can respond with solutions much faster and possibly minimize chaos. At a minimum, be prepared to audit those CCFs for a while to ensure that they are being correctly filled out.
Collection Site Change Management Steps
As a collection site, you will need to plan for the following:
Identify and enlist your training resource: Make sure your training includes the device proficiency training and the required 5 mock tests. Even after your staff is trained and for some time afterwards, conduct some additional mock tests with each of them to regularly test their understanding of the oral fluid testing steps. They will obviously know more about urine specimen collections. And you may expect some lag time between the time they are trained and the time they perform their first oral fluid collection. While we expect oral fluid testing to grow over time, your must have a plan for regular training and ongoing audits of oral fluid tests performed to ensure your collectors are equipped and performing tests properly.
Contact your lab representative: Get a status for pre-orders of the testing device. Ask your lab how soon they will be ready to ship once their devices are approved? There may be manufacturing ramp up times that affect availability of product.
Proactively reach out to the employers: Let them know what you’re doing to prepare…find out what their needs are and where they are in implementing oral fluid testing. Discuss how those standing orders will come and how they will be kept on file and referenced. Share with the employers how you are preparing to audit the testing process to ensure accuracy. For collection sites, this is a unique opportunity to demonstrate the value of your services.
Get your site security ready: This includes identifying where you will conduct testing to ensure visual and aural privacy. Where will you store your supplies and collected specimens? Do you have proper access signage posted?
Create a marketing plan: Let your existing customers know of this added service and target potential employers as well. Don’t rule out that some employers may look for new collection sites if their existing one cannot meet new testing needs. Update your website and social media pages. Perhaps mail a postcard or direct mail piece.
Be prepared with a plan on how to collect feedback and audit your new process for the purpose of making adjustments.