How a distribution center with a lapsed DOT medical and a backlog of screens cleared both problems in five business days
Two problems with one root cause: a clinic that did not do the work in one place. On-site screening and exams closed the gap between the warehouse and the file.
- Backlog cleared
- 63 screensBacklog cleared
- Business days
- 5Business days
- Renewal lapses
- 0Renewal lapses
The Challenge
A Columbus-area distribution center was carrying a backlog of 63 outstanding post-offer drug screens and a medical card that had lapsed during a staffing transition. Both issues had the same origin: the previous vendor split the work across three separate appointments at two different facilities, and results were slow to reach the HR file.
The consequences were compounding. New hires who had already accepted offers were sitting at home unpaid, because a cleared screen was a condition of the offer. The lapsed medical card meant the fleet side of the operation was out of compliance, and each week of delay widened the gap between what the file said and what was actually true on the warehouse floor.
At a glance
- Organization
- Regional distribution center
- Industry
- Warehousing & logistics
- Service
- Post-offer drug screening, DOT physicals
- Location
- Grove City, Ohio
- Volume
- 63 outstanding screens
Screening, physicals, and reporting in one visit
We consolidated the entire process onto the client's site. Collection, screening, physicals where required, and documented results all happened in the same room on the same day.
Collection performed on site
We brought the screening to the warehouse rather than sending 63 people to a clinic, which removed the scheduling bottleneck entirely.
Physicals handled the same day
Any hire needing a DOT physical alongside their screen was examined during the same visit, removing the most common second appointment.
Documented results delivered to HR
Each employee's file received their completed documentation as a single consolidated packet rather than a series of partial reports.
Recurring calendar to prevent drift
Ongoing screening and physical days are now scheduled in advance, so files stay current instead of accumulating a backlog.
Results
63 screens cleared in five business days
The entire backlog was worked through inside a single work week, with no repeat collections and no missing results.
Onboarding pipeline unblocked
New hires who had been waiting unpaid went to work. The gap between accepted offer and first shift closed from weeks to days.
Compliance restored and held
The lapsed medical card was renewed, and the recurring schedule keeps both the screening and the physicals ahead of expiration.
We were not short on candidates, we were short on completed paperwork. Sixty-three people had accepted offers and could not start because their screens were sitting somewhere in a vendor's system. iMed cleared the whole thing in a week and now we are on a schedule instead of reacting to a backlog.
Key Takeaways
- Compliance backlogs compound. Every week of delay is a week of unpaid new hires and a growing exposure.
- Splitting screening and physicals across vendors reliably creates the second-appointment problem that delays onboarding.
- A recurring on-site calendar is what converts a fixed compliance problem into a routine one.
Want the same outcome?
Walk in at your nearest clinic, or call us to see if we can solve the same problem for you or your business.
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- Total visit cost
- $189Total visit cost
- Time in clinic
- 38 minTime in clinic
- Days off work
- 2Days off work