Summary: In increasing the cost effectiveness of federal employee drug testing, the government might want to study those agencies that have opted to collect drug-testing specimens using agency personnel rather than contractors. Other cost-saving opportunities would require modifications to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) guidelines on the (1) current level of blind proficiency samples as part of agencies' quality control programs and (2) submission of negative test results to medical review officers. Although both requirements may have been appropriate when the guidelines were first published in 1988, circumstances have changed, and it is reasonable to consider testing changes at this point. The frequency of drug testing--the percentage of individuals subject to drug testing who are actually tested each year--can also be studied. GAO found that agencies' testing frequencies vary widely, ranging from 4 to 100 percent of the employee population subject to testing. GAO believes that it is reasonable for agencies to review their selected test frequencies with a view toward reducing them where appropriate. In their oversight roles over federal agency drug-testing programs, HHS and the Office of National Drug Control Policy should take the lead in reviewing these and other possible cost-savings measures.
