CHICAGO – October 1, 2009

As new models for conducting clinical trials are emerging in the U.S., community hospitals and private physician practices are increasingly choosing to participate in research, an initiative that benefits medical science and the lives of patients. Health care facilities are seeing tangible benefits such as enhancing an organization’s identity, as well as its bottom line.

For decades, academic medical centers were the primary source for clinical research. Today, less than half of all clinical trials are conducted in an academic medical center setting. As competition for patients and physicians increases, private medical facilities are looking to differentiate by creating learning centers within their walls and positioning themselves as industry leaders by embracing clinical research. Given the sweeping industry changes taking place, these facilities are the more attractive option for trial sponsors who also are benefiting and helping to facilitate this shift.

Additionally, growing economic and legal constraints are having a significant impact on health care. The uncertainty of what the future holds has physicians practicing medicine in the private sector—as part of community hospitals, private practices and clinics—seeking new channels within the context of their practice to attract new patients and augment revenue streams.

  • There are many benefits to bringing clinical research to a practice and to the physicians individually:
  • Clinical research helps the practice and hospital gain access to cutting edge technology by offering new treatments which may not already be available to the industry at large
  • Research provides the opportunity for physicians, residents and other staff to explore new avenues of medicine and help them understand the development process of a new drug or device
  • Research attracts new patients by the progressive nature of advanced treatments in a highly controlled, scientific environment
  • The educational opportunities with research are significant, providing new information to physicians as they evaluate patients
  • Research can create new revenue streams for hospitals and physicians

Physicians are able to provide a number of benefits to their patients that may not otherwise be available, especially in smaller and more rural markets. Patient-subjects may experience:

  • An individualized, enhanced relationship with the physician because of more in-depth time spent discussing his/her problems or needs
  • Access to new medications from experienced research staff who have detailed knowledge about his/her condition
  • Medical services and investigational medications required as part of a clinical trial provided at no cost to the patient
  • Access to a new potential treatment option before it becomes available to others
  • The satisfaction of knowing he/she is helping to advance medical care and uncover cures

Community hospitals and physician groups and their patients aren’t the only ones seeing positive results from housing a clinical research department. Pharmaceutical companies and other trial sponsors are facing rapid changes in the development of new drugs and have a growing need to attract these types of facilities. Contemporary clinical trials involve enormous costs—2006 estimates vary from $500 million to $2 billion to bring a new drug to market, far more than drug studies performed only a decade ago.

New federal regulations also require more comprehensive gender and ethnic representation, so trials must meet rigorous statistical criteria both to establish that the drug works and to assure its safety. These demands necessitate larger numbers of diverse subjects, and engaging community hospitals and private practice physicians as clinical investigators provides a way of recruiting these patients faster and more efficiently.

Additionally, private trial sites are attractive because fewer levels of organizational structure mean approval processes and project launches are more quickly realized, and there is greater flexibility and maneuverability once the trial is launched. Interest and enthusiasm about the study is higher and overhead is lower—a critical point for clinical research today.

While the benefits of housing a clinical research department are great, getting started can be a daunting undertaking. Outsourcing this function can lead to a faster start-up time, easier field entry, and greater chance for long-term success. GuideStar® Clinical Trials Management is the only national clinical research company that offers comprehensive trials services to medical facilities as a completely outsourced option. GuideStar® creates a facility’s research department seamlessly with internal teams through its existing industry relationships, experienced researchers and administrative teams, and in-depth knowledge of trial pipelines and regulatory compliance.

About GuideStar®

GuideStar® Clinical Trials Management is a comprehensive, outsourced clinical research company for health care organizations across the country. It provides “private label” clinical research departments for hospitals, physician practice groups and health care centers. Through GuideStar®, these facilities have a cost-effective means to be at the forefront of clinical trials for the benefit of patients, attractiveness to physicians, and enhancement of their own reputation.

GuideStar® holds in the highest regard the principles governing clinical research. It recognizes the precision of execution, efficiency and operational excellence needed to navigate client partners through the complex, multi-layered processes of FDA compliance and industry regulations. For more information, please visit www.GuideStarClinical.com.