In the wake of a massive global pandemic health providers grappled to find solutions that would allow patients to receive needed treatment that would protect them from potential or further exposure to the infamous COVID-19 virus. Like a dark knight, proctored or telehealth rose to the rescue. In the years since the pandemic ended the benefits of proctored testing reached beyond virus testing to include drug testing and much more.
The History of Proctored Testing and eMed
In April of 2020, reeling from the impact of a nationwide shut down, eMed was formed with the mission of democratizing healthcare through at-home diagnostics with an overarching purpose to make healthcare more accessible. The challenge was how to make that possible? At the time, labs were at or beyond capacity. People had to wait in long lines at limited numbers of collection sites, with limited hours, to take a COVID-19 test or provide a sample for a drug test and employers were scratching their heads trying to figure out how they could get their employees tested so that they could return to work.
By the summer of 2020, the FDA recognized the eMed Telehealth Proctored solution with emergency use authorization or EUA, for the eMed Home Test using Abbott’s BinaxNOW rapid antigen test. The following May a global reentry pilot program concluded between eMed, United Airlines, the CDC and the Brazil Ministry of Health. Fast forward to 2024, eMed continues to partner with public health agencies, regulators, and manufacturers for at-home diagnostic testing.
Recognizing this valuable solution as the option many companies needed, there was a boom of proctored solutions on the market. However, many of those companies were relying on substandard technology. So as the pandemic came to an end several companies that popped up overnight, disappeared just as quickly. But eMed was able to pivot to markets that would benefit from this solution. The inception of “eMed Screen” was primed to meet the needs of the drug testing industry.
Product Marketing Fit
The drug testing market at the time had a series of problems that the pandemic amplified. Employers wanted an effective return to work program. Employees had to wait in long lines or would fake a negative COVID test to return to work, which could precipitate an outbreak, resulting in offices having to close. With eMed Screen, employees could now test at home before re-entering the workplace.
The pandemic also caused other challenges that directly affected the drug testing industry. These issues included employees faking positive rapid covid tests to get out of work, travellers not being able to find labs in a foreign country, public health agencies not being able to track all the rapid test usage, clinicians couldn’t write prescriptions based on unverified rapid test results, and labs with capacity issues due to the surge in COVID PCR testing, causing frequent and usually long delays. With proctored testing, many, if not all of these issues could be resolved.
Thanks to proctored testing, employers could effectively implement return to work programs. Airlines and travellers had an easy-to-use, trustworthy solution. Government agency reporting and granular outbreak tracking principles could be applied to state and federal agency reporting used by drug testing companies. Patients now had an end-to-end, fully virtual test-to-treat solution without ever having to leave their home. Labs could maintain verified COVID-19 testing while supporting other critical diagnostics.
Features of a Great Proctored Solution
Could the technology be applied to drug testing? Absolutely - having a trustworthy process and device that produces valid results makes it possible.
Proctored drug testing solutions come with their own list of “must-haves” to ensure the system works properly.
Importantly, for eMed Screen drug testing to be successful we needed an equally driven partner as we have in Abbott for the BinaxNow COVID-19 test, so we partnered with Premier Biotech and their OralTox drug test, the #1 recognized brand in rapid oral fluid testing.
For this device to have the most advanced features complementary with a proctored test format, the following components were necessary:
- a scannable QR code
- easy oral fluid collection with volume indicator
- instant results on the spot
- human-readable results in 10 minutes or less
- swab seals into device preventing leaks/spills
- Sealed device can be sent to lab for confirmation testing if necessary
- necessary FDA approval
Early proctored technology was reactive and used existing video conferencing software attempting to adapt it to evolving testing needs. A proctor would attempt to read results from a video that lacked the digital clarity to identify what was being shown on the other side of the camera. Many systems required downloads that could lead to compatibility issues. Additionally, the use of two-way video required increased bandwidth that not all systems could accommodate. Requiring the proctor and applicant to schedule the test added more time to the overall process. As a result of these limiting proctoring components, confirmation tests would often require a second collection.
With advanced proctoring technology like eMed Screen, there was now a customized solution that addressed all the limitations of earlier solutions. This included computer vision that reads faint red lines, web technology rather than app based so there was no need for additional storage, 24/7 proctor queuing, bandwidth reduction, camera & microphone controls, as well as being able to streamline lab integrations & APIs. Even the actual testing process was more advanced. Before the box was opened you are proactively engaging in the process such as the 10-minute waiting period before collecting the oral fluid sample. During that time, eMed technology would also run system diagnostics that vet the testing situation to determine if it could read the test after 30-minutes. Some of the ways this was done was by taking a photo, smart zoom, color correction or color inversion, and running it through a computer algorithm to see if that computer can produce a result. If not, the system could identify the issues that needed to be resolved before even starting the test. This could be done with simple solutions like resolving an issue with bandwidth interference, lighting issues, or trying to test using a different device allowing the test to take place anywhere.
Why All This Matters to You
Proctored drug testing with eMed Screen creates options for employers that offer solutions to the changing landscape of the workplace market, especially when it comes to hiring. Globally distributed workforces require the ability to test anywhere in the world. The current competitive labour market needs the ability to make decisions on the spot or risk losing potential hires. With proctored drug testing employers can hire the best talent, faster. Proctored technology in background screens allow tests to be completed without the costly time it takes to wait on drug test results. Once considered emerging technology, the rapid adoption of oral fluid testing allows for drug screen verification and reliability.
During the pandemic our pre-market research, which included employers, were asked what were some of the things that would prevent you from hiring talent faster? Drug testing was often cited as one of the reasons they could not hire on the spot. We also identified a need to solve for poor applicant experience. With remote proctored drug testing a white glove experience was available for all candidates and circumvents poor customer support with improved 24/7 customer support.
Conclusion
With any new technology there will always be concerns over how to implement it and if it is the right solution for your company’s situation. Two things to consider to better evaluate which products and technology to adopt in the future: have you heard of it, and does it have the necessary approval? When it comes to proctored testing with eMed Screen, we know the answer to both questions is yes. Drug testing can now take place on the job site, at the local pharmacy, or from your home. Which means that employees are held accountable. Workplaces are kept safe. And return on investment can grow with the right employees hired quickly and ready to go to work. Would you like a call to action at the end here like “eMed Screen is here to help answer your questions, run or demo for you or get you started.”
