Guest Writer: Daniel J. Fox, MPH, PhD, Clinical Research Payment Network
Technology can be a powerful tool, but like any tool, its true value depends on how effectively we use it.
Having the right technology for clinical research finance is only one part of an effective solution. Technology must be supported by the right processes, expertise, and operational discipline to realize its full potential. Without them, technology can create inefficiencies, amplify mistakes, and introduce problems that are worse than those it was intended to solve.
It’s a technology “solution”. What could go wrong?
Programming
Software solutions are only as good as the programming that drives them. Operations personnel, such as coordinators, are often responsible for programming source and clinical trial configurations. Many of these team members, however, do not have access to the budget and contract. While referring to an IRB-approved protocol to configure the study budget is critical for compliant clinical trial performance, the inconsistencies between regulatory and legal documents may lead to significant financial errors throughout a trial’s performance.
Data Entry
We’ve all seen it. That coordinator who, after a hectic day of screening patients, is so buried that they rush to enter the data into the EDC first, just to get the sponsor off their back, planning to update their internal systems later when they “get around to it.”
Then another busy day begins. “Later” becomes tomorrow, tomorrow becomes next week, and eventually, “get around to it” never happens.
Or when they have a unique situation so unusual that they do not have a way to properly enter it into the system, and instead inaccurately call it an “unscheduled visit” just to force their event into the system.
Missing or wrong data wreaks havoc on a site’s ability to properly predict revenue. Whether it’s discovering a visit happened from a sponsor’s remittance or finding that something was entered incorrectly during an aging process, a system cannot accurately report the truth if the information is missing or inaccurate.
Communication Blind Spots
“I put it into the system! It’s up to them to check it.”
That may be one of the most dangerous statements site personnel can make. Whether it stems from an assumption, an oversight, or simple complacency, relying on technology as a substitute for communication—without validating that the right information reached the right people—can have serious consequences.
Technology can support a communication plan. It cannot replace one.
What is missing from the site financial technology equation?
Align Stakeholder Processes
Site operations teams need to understand protocol, source, and compliance requirements. Financial teams, on the other hand, need to understand the contract, the services performed, and the resulting financial obligations.
Unfortunately, the IRB-approved protocol, the legal contracts and amendments, and even the EDCs and payment systems are often so misaligned that they cannot simply be taken at face value. When these sources conflict, someone has to determine which takes precedence—and ensure that the operational reality is accurately translated into the financial one.
What drives the source drives the solution across every site technology. Operations teams must first ensure that systems are configured and tested to capture the data required by the protocol and support compliant study conduct.
Finance teams must then understand why those systems were configured the way they were and build processes flexible enough to translate that operational reality into contractual and financial terms. The goal should not be to force operations to conform to finance, but to build the bridge between what happened operationally, what was contractually agreed upon, and what should ultimately be billed or paid.
Validate Communication
Technology should never replace team communication. If a problem arises, every communication channel and entry point should be checked and validated to ensure the correct information is entered and sent to the appropriate stakeholder. Double- and triple-check that e-mail address. Confirm that the correct permissions are enabled for users, and maintain an open dialogue with the relevant stakeholders as a routine practice.
Adapt
Change is inevitable. Protocol amendments happen, new information is discovered, and initial assumptions prove wrong. When they do, system configurations must be corrected as quickly as possible to prevent small discrepancies from becoming larger problems.
Ensure every budget amendment is tied to the appropriate effective period. Encourage team members to communicate when system configurations make accurate data entry difficult, and adjust those configurations and processes as needed. Most importantly, don’t just correct the immediate problem—understand why it happened and use what you’ve learned to improve the process so the same error is less likely to recur.
How do we balance technology with the processes behind it to build solutions that actually work?
Technology has the potential to deliver significant gains in a site’s financial performance, but its success depends on the processes we build around it.
When technology is paired with thoughtful processes, clear communication, and collaboration across operations and finance, it becomes far more than another system—it becomes a tool for meaningful change.
Technology alone will not transform site finance. The right combination of technology, people, and processes, however, can fundamentally change how sites operate, collaborate with their partners, and thrive in the clinical research industry.
How do you empower technology to drive your site’s financial success?
Reach out to our team to learn more about how Clinical.ly Research Suite’s new Finance Module can support your site’s operational goals. We’d love to help!