Comp Care Partners, an administrator of occupational medical testing services for the trucking industry, has introduced CCP Connect, an online recordkeeping platform designed to improve the accuracy of U.S. Department of Transportation-mandated drug and alcohol testing, as well as physical exams, for truck drivers.
“DOT medical exam recordkeeping is fraught with unintentional inaccuracies,” says Samuel J. Perez, president. “Over 40 percent of exams have illegible or incomplete entries, opening carriers to the liability of hiring unqualified drivers. CCP Connect remedies these and several other problems inherent with handwritten DOT exam long forms.”
Using CCP Connect, all medical information from the DOT exam is electronically entered by registered medical providers who have password-protected access. It utilizes a DOT-approved format, forms and instructions to guide the providers through the data collection process. Entries cannot be skipped or entered illegibly, which helps reduce the risk of passing unqualified drivers.
CCP Connect also helps reduce time-consuming and costly data storage requirements for truck fleets. DOT requirements include keeping medical exam records up to five years. Electronic records such as chain of custody forms and drug and alcohol testing results are easier to store, access and protect through encryption. Trucking firm customers have access to their employee data 24/7 through Comp Care Partners client portal.
“Accessibility of driver medical exams is another CCP Connect advantage,” says Perez. “Previous DOT examinations will be available for review by the medical providers administering current tests. This is important because unfortunately drivers do not always give consistent information from one exam to the next.” CCP Connect also will help to ensure motor carrier compliance with the registration requirements of the National Registry of Medical Examiners that will begin implementation in 2012.
CCP Connect was enhanced through a strategic partnership with Road Ready Inc., who specializes in software development for the trucking industry. “We worked with them to enhance the platform to make it effective and flexible,” says Perez. “For example, many of our customers have set their safety standards higher than those required by the DOT, and CCP Connect has the built-in protocol adaptability to meet the needs of these fleets.”
