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Home > Lab Services > Testing Services FAQs
If you have a question not included in this list, please contact our Client Services Department. We would be happy to assist you.
For questions related to prescription drug testing and patient compliance monitoring, click here.
QUESTIONS
Q: Why is AIT's ISO compliance important to me? A: The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) establishes strict quality-assurance standards to guarantee consistently high-quality results. Organizations certified under ISO have been inspected to ensure that all company processes and practices meet and maintain the quality of output. At AIT, we believe that meeting these standards is the best way to demonstrate our commitment to quality in all of our services.
Q: Why is the CLIA certification important?A: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulates all laboratory testing (except research) performed on humans in the U.S. through the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). The purpose of CLIA is to set minimum standards for all laboratories to follow and to determine if laboratories are achieving those standards. Any person or facility that performs laboratory tests on human specimens for the purpose of diagnosis and/or treatment is required by federal law to have a CLIA certificate.
Note: Although all clinical laboratories must be properly certified to receive Medicare or Medicaid payments, CLIA has no direct Medicare or Medicaid program responsibilities.
Q. How accurate are my test results?Laboratory testing results are accurate and reliable. The identification of individual drugs at AIT Laboratories is achieved using a highly selective methodology called mass spectrometry (MS), which allows the laboratory to make unequivocal identifications. For this reason, all urine specimens should be submitted to our laboratory for testing, as instant devices such as urine cups or dipsticks do not offer this level of selectivity or accuracy.
Q: How are samples sent to your lab? A: We use UPS and FedEx for all of your shipping needs. No matter where you are in the country, we can receive your sample the next day. In addition, we will provide you with specimen-collection kits that come pre-addressed and ready to ship back to us.
Q: Who supplies the collection kits? A: AIT supplies everything that you need to do your testing, at no cost to you. If you have never placed an order with AIT, contact a member of our sales team or Client Services at 800-875-3894 to get started.
Q: What are common sample turnaround times?A: The following are common sample turnaround times for AIT:
* Request of additional tests not included in the standard DetectiMed Panel may extend turnaround time to 3-5 business days.
Please note that forensic cases take 10 business days.
Q. What is involved in confirmation testing?A. Confirmation analysis comprises chromatographic separation and mass spectrometry identification to detect and verify the presence of drugs in a specimen. Confirmatory testing is performed utilizing GC/MS, LC/MS, and LC/MS/MS methodologies and encompasses additional steps before and after the actual analysis. These steps include chemical extraction, which is performed prior to analysis in order to remove any interfering substances, data review, and data certification. AIT’s confirmation process ensures that the results we deliver are accurate and precise every time.
Q: How do I get my reports? A: For your convenience, reports can be viewed online, faxed, and mailed. If you don't have a username and password for viewing reports online, contact our Client Services Department at 800-875-3894 or clientservices@aitlabs.com to obtain a registration form.
Q: What if I have questions about my results? A: Our full-time toxicologists are always willing to assist you with the interpretation of results. Simply call Client Services at 800 875-3894. One of our representatives will connect you with an available expert. You may also e-mail questions to toxicologist@aitlabs.com.
Q: I don’t see the test I need. Can you still help me? A: AIT is a full-service reference lab. If you have specific needs or are interested in having a test created to meet your specific needs, please contact your sales representative. We will work to satisfy your request in a professional, timely manner.
Q: When reviewing a lab report, what does “Canceled: due to interference” mean?A: Interference is an unknown signal that prevents accurate identification of drugs during the confirmation analysis. Its origin cannot be determined, but it may be an endogenous compound (a naturally occurring compound within the body), a prescription medication, or something added to the specimen after collection. In instances where a definite positive or negative result cannot be determined for a drug, the test is conducted a second time. After the second attempt, if the drug in question still cannot be accurately determined, the test for that drug is canceled.
Q: Why do I keep receiving new report notifications when I have already read the report?A: After you have reviewed a report online, you must mark the “Reports Viewed” tab. If you do not mark this tab, the system assumes you have not viewed the report and will continue to send you the new report notification until the report is marked as viewed.
Q. What does a negative result mean? Did the donor have anything present in their sample at all?A: A negative result does not necessarily mean there is zero trace of a drug in a given sample. Rather, it indicates that the drug was not detected above the pre-determined cut-off concentration. For example, a cut-off of 300 ng/mL for benzodiazepines means that the combined total of cross-reacting benzodiazepines in the specimen must be above 300 ng/mL to register on the test and produce a positive result. Specimens that contain a combined total benzodiazepine concentration of fewer than 300 ng/mL will register on the test as negative. Therefore, in some cases, low concentrations may be present, but a negative result shows up on the report and is still considered to be an accurate test result.
Q. How do urine alcohol levels compare to blood alcohol levels?A: Ethanol (drinking alcohol) may be detected in blood and urine after consumption of alcoholic beverages. Blood and urine ethanol concentrations may be very different, depending on the time between ethanol consumption and specimen collection and frequency of urination. The ethanol concentration will often be higher in urine than in blood. In some cases, urine ethanol may be highly positive and the blood completely negative. Therefore, urine ethanol cannot be used to estimate a blood ethanol concentration.
Q. Is there anything that can be used to "cheat" a urine test?There are two common ways that users attempt to "cheat" a urine drug test: modify their urine sample with chemicals or drink large amounts of water prior to testing in order to dilute their sample. Many products are available on the Internet claiming to enable a person to produce a negative test result after drug use if that product is added to a urine sample. Most of these products contain strong chemicals known as oxidants, which are capable of modifying the chemical structure of a drug. AIT Laboratories tests every urine sample for the presence of oxidants to identify potential adulteration.
Dilute specimens are also easily identified at AIT by measuring the concentration of creatinine in each sample. Individuals who consume large quantities of water prior to a test in an attempt to dilute their sample will often have abnormally low levels of creatinine. Validation tests such as those described above are performed to identify individuals who are adulterating their urine specimen in this manner.