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Case Study — Clinical Trial Billing
A teaching hospital operating a large research department was a co-investigator participating in several clinical trials. While the researchers were diligently focused on their clinical responsibilities, they were often challenged to manage associated accounting and financial duties. Because the hospital’s billing system was not designed to manage clinical trials, the clinic had devised a system managed by paper-based log books, electronic spreadsheets and e-mail messages between clinical and admistrative staff.
Business Driver
As the number of trials increased, the research department realized that they were falling behind in their billing. Because of inefficiencies, manual labor cost was high. Invoices were often issued late and documentation was incomplete. The lab was never sure if the billing department issued invoices or received payment from study sponsors.Solution Description
A review of the process quickly showed that the hospital’s internal billing workflow for clinical trials was inconsistent and varied from one trial to the next – the result of various administrators implementing their own systems. The research department, clinic, and the hospital’s billing department required a consistent workflow system that would provide greater visibility into the status of completed milestones, invoices and payments.To address these requirements, Coping System implemented a milestone tracking and billing workflow system based on the Delta Core Server and Delta Accounting modules. The system tracks patients as they enroll and complete each step in a multiple milestone clinical trial. Payments are determined automatically by assigning a predetermined fee to each milestone and notifying the hospital billing department to issue invoices to the sponsor as patients complete each step.
A user-friendly website allows researchers and accounting staff to simultaneously view payment statuses for each trial and sponsor, facilitating cooperation between the groups.
Benefit
The research department is now more organized and capable of tracking clinical trial invoices. They have reduced the labor needed to manage the process and are now working with sponsors in a more professional mannerr.Project Deloyment
The Accounting system project entailed the development of a Web 2.0 user interface that could work with clinicians, technical support and administrative staff. Because the system supported both technical and clerical users, special care was taken to ensure that it was easy to learn and use.New clinical trials can be configured in a few minutes, including numerous milestone, fee structures, schedules and participants. Payment status and milestone progress can be determined for hundreds of participants at a glance.
System Configuration
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System Analysis and Design |
Infrastructure |
Microsoft SQL Database |
Summary |
The research and billing department have established a common user-friendly workflow system. The process of billing trial sponsors has become more reliable and now requires less labor. |