Confirmation Cut-Off Level

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Definition - What does Confirmation Cut-Off Level mean?

A confirmation cut-off level is a baseline used to quantify the mass or volume of drug traces from a specimen that a participant will provide as a means to rule out suspected drug cases. The initial drug screen is a blanket approach to confirm recent drug use. A confirmation cut-off level is more specific to isolate the metabolites or compounds on request from a selected drug panel.

SureHire explains Confirmation Cut-Off Level

Drug screens rely on confirmation cut-off levels to support their findings of a participant specimen that falls into question, primed by low threshold value ranges to remove doubts from a job prospect. Additional tests can help compare the findings from the initial drug screen with confirmation cut-off levels that serve to avoid margins of error that can result in false positives. Technicians calibrate their machines to the confirmation cut-off level of drug analytes and compounds based on the drug class/subclass type found in the donor specimen. Since drug screenings provide loose touchpoints, confirmation cut-off levels can help deter cases that stall the drug clearance process.

A Medical Review Officer (MRO) will look at the reports between the drug screens and the lab findings using the confirmation cut-off levels as a guideline to note skewed test results (i.e., non-negative).

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