By Bill Current, President & Founder
What Can We Learn About Rapid Drug Testing from CCG’s Annual Employer Survey?
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How important is it to employers to learn the result of a drug test immediately? According to Current Consulting Group’s 2025 Employer Drug Testing Survey, a rapid or instant result is becoming a top priority for a growing percentage of employers.
There are two types of drug test methods: those that are performed in a laboratory and those that are performed using a rapid-result device. Rapid-result or rapid drug testing is known by various names, including point-of-collection or point-of-care testing, or by the acronym POCT. It is also sometimes referred to as instant or instant-result testing. In the old days, it was most often referred to as on-site testing, a name that can still apply today depending on where the test takes place.
Regardless of the name, a rapid-result drug test can be defined as a single-use device that is capable of yielding a non-quantitative result, meaning positive or negative, within minutes from the time the sample collection occurs, without the sample being sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Increased interest in rapid-result testing was one of the major trends identified in this year’s Employer Drug Testing Survey. Why? Because traditional drug testing involving a sample collection performed at an off-site facility and a lab-based analysis takes time, and the 1-3 days (or longer) it takes to get a result back does not align well with many employers’ current needs.
Overcoming Challenges with Rapid-Result Testing
When asked, “What are the biggest challenges to performing drug testing?” 40% of employers said “getting results in a timely manner,” and 35% said “arranging collections”— the top two challenges mentioned.
Given the perception that arranging collections and getting results in a timely manner are significant challenges, it’s not surprising that many employers said they utilize rapid-result testing. When asked, “What drug testing method(s) do you currently use in your workplace?” 46% said rapid-result urine testing and 20% said rapid-result oral fluid testing.
Further, when asked, “Do you plan on adding testing methodologies to your program in the next 12 months?” 10% said rapid-result oral fluid and 5% said rapid-result urine testing.
In a survey of drug testing providers conducted earlier this year, when asked, “Which drug testing methods do you currently offer?” 81% said rapid-result urine and 48% said rapid-result oral fluid. Why? Because their clients are demanding it. When asked, “Do you have clients who use POCT or rapid-result devices?” 60% said yes to rapid-result urine and 30% said the same for rapid-result oral fluid.
Additionally, 64% of drug testing providers said they believe the use of rapid-result testing will increase over the next three years, compared to less than 5% who said it will decrease.
Questions to be Answered
Clearly, many employers like the idea of rapid-result testing, either with urine or oral fluid. As well, drug testing providers are keen about offering these alternatives to their customers. But there are questions that remain. For instance, are employers willing to conduct the rapid-result tests on-site at the workplace or, in the case of pre-employment testing, where job interviews are being conducted? Would they be interested in using rapid-result oral fluid devices as part of a proctored or virtual test? And how much of their total drug testing volume would they shift to rapid-result testing?
When employers were asked, “How likely would you be to move from lab-based drug testing to instant or rapid-result drug testing in the next 1-2 years?” 13% said “very likely” and 10% said “likely.” The total of 23% was up slightly from 22% in Current Consulting Group’s 2023 survey.
Most employers see rapid-result testing as an addition to a lab-based testing program rather than a complete replacement for it. When asked, “If you were to add instant or rapid-result testing, what percentage of your current lab volume would you move to instant or rapid-result tests in the next 1-2 years?”
- 9% said 100%
- 7% said 75%
- 9% said 50%
- 6% said 25%
- 16% said less than 25%
Where Rapid Tests Are Performed
Employers who are interested in utilizing rapid-result testing must decide where the test will take place, off-site or at the workplace. When asked, “How likely are you to move from clinic collect/rapid testing to direct on-site collect/rapid testing in the next 1-2 years?” 10% said “very likely” and 8% said “likely.” That’s nearly 20% who would entertain the possibility of having employees conduct rapid-result tests.
Of course, professionals can come to the workplace to perform the collections/tests, but it does negate some of the financial benefits of rapid testing, especially regarding rapid oral fluid testing. Because oral fluid samples are so much easier to collect than urine samples, employers may wish to explore having trained employees perform the collections/tests to eliminate the cost of professional collectors and maximize their return on investment.
The Value of an Instant Result
Either way, the main benefit of rapid-result testing is an instant result. According to the latest Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™,[i] only 5.1% of pre-employment drug tests in the general U.S. workforce are confirmed positives. This means that about 95% of the time, employers conducting rapid-result tests of job applicants will be able to make same-day job offers to desirable candidates.
Also, according to the same Quest report, only 10.2% of post-accident tests of the same population are confirmed positives, meaning about 90% of the time, most workers can return to their jobs without further delays when employers use rapid-result devices.
Proctored/Virtual Drug Testing
There is a third collection option that is starting to gain traction. It’s called proctored or virtual testing, and it involves having the donor do their own collection/test. Special apps loaded on a smartphone, tablet, or computer make it possible for an individual to remotely observe the donor perform an oral fluid sample collection or, via the app, to create a video recording of the process. Proctored/virtual tests make it possible to verify that a rapid-result oral fluid test was conducted correctly without requiring the donor and collector/observer to be in the same location.
Of course, proctored/virtual testing is relatively new technology, but in Current Consulting Group’s 2024 Industry Survey, when providers were asked if they have clients interested in virtual/proctored collections/tests, 7.3% said “yes, a growing number,” and 15% said “yes, but not many.” Another 10.5% said they didn’t have clients using the technology, but they have had clients inquire about it.
Conclusion
Thanks to Current Consulting Group’s annual drug testing surveys, we know that how employers conduct drug testing is changing. Perhaps this is in response to economic pressures placing ongoing strain on company budgets, or the competition to hire the best possible job candidates continuing to affect many industries, or it’s a response to the changing legal landscape of drug testing brought about by the legalization of marijuana. It could be because of all three trends; regardless of why, a growing percentage of employers are definitely looking to alternative technologies to help them continue to realize the benefits of drug testing while streamlining the process and cutting costs.
Whether you call it rapid-result testing, instant testing, point-of-collection testing, or POCT, the value of a rapid, instant result is becoming a much higher priority for employers—and it is changing how drug tests are performed.
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[i] Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index™. Full year 2024 tables.
https://www.questdiagnostics.com/content/dam/corporate/restricted/documents/drug-testing-index/DTI-2025-Tables.pdf
