RxTrials Communiqué - A Blog About Clinical Research

Great review 
 
Please add time to call and get prices for outsourced services. Many times several prices are needed for 1 test. Colonoscopy: Physician charge, suite or hospital fee, pathology fees. 
 
Mammogram: Imaging Fee, Radiologist reading fee 
 
Then we have to pay these all separately - another project not reimbursed. 
 

You never cease to amaze me, great info!

Thanks for a great post and tool to use. The sponsors keep saying this is the cost of doing business. Anything that we do that is not generating revenue becomes OH cost. Since they won't pay the OH cost either than we have to do as you suggest and add it to the visit costs.  
 
Next we have to tackle the quarterly payments where they keep our money for interest for a couple of months and expect us to pay the bills and wait for payment. 
 
I'm glad we are all in this together!

Great work. I am curious to know what this year's average start up fees would be - now that we have the SSS coming up in Oct for results

I agree with all your comments. One item that is not fully accounted for is patient recruitment. I attempt to get the sponsor to allow me to use advertising money to do continuing database searches for patients. It is a proven recruiting tool at my site which generally overenrolls. Some sponsors are happy to pay this and others not. It will take about 4 hours of database search for every enrollable study. 
 
 
 
Also not taken into consideration in the days of EMR is the cost of IT or staff time to do database searches. 
 
 
 
AND printing and copying. Sponsors used to bear this cost. Now 100 page protocols and 100 page IB's come by email. Sites have to print and copy at their expense. 
 
 
 
In response to Shannon's comment. I really think that the cost of doing business argument is just a negotiating strategy. I've heard it but when I push back, they have always abandoned that strategy. My standard line is that overhead if for heat, lights, space, computers, cleaning services, etc.

Great article! I always learn something from you all. I want to add it is important we take a stand together on the issues we are all facing. Personally I am tired of hearing the "you're the only site that has a problem with this or that." It is a negotiation tactic which is why I always reply I don't compare our site to any other!