Opportunity for Improvement: Performance of Clinical Trials Programs at Academic Medical Centers

The Center for Connected Medicine at UPMC worked with KLAS Research to examine clinical trial programs at academic medical centers (AMCs) and learn more about their organizational structures, technologies, performance, and finances. 

The goal of the research was to benchmark AMCs as many are working to improve their sponsored research programs to ensure they have the opportunity to deliver innovative treatments to their patients.  

Several key takeaways and unified themes emerged from the research, which was based on interviews with clinical trials leaders at 17 AMCs:  

• While most organizations have adopted a centralized approach to the management and oversight of clinical trials, their areas of responsibility vary widely with few clear functions that all AMCs perform.
• Times to study approval and full enrollment are slow, and technology adoption, which could aid in making operations more efficient, is uneven.
• Few AMCs are seeing growth in the number of trials they are able to secure and approve.
• A dearth of growth likely impacts profitability, which was low among the handful of organizations that shared financial information.

All of which adds up to significant opportunities for AMCs to improve and offer stronger service to study sponsors, which could lead to more trials that ultimately benefit patients. 

Nicole Ansani, PharmD, Senior Vice President of New Development Initiatives at UPMC Enterprises, is leading an effort to optimize sponsored clinical trials across UPMC by leveraging technology, real-world data, and centralized administration functions.  

“UPMC is driven to provide our patients access to the most innovative care. To achieve this, we must collaborate with sponsors to ensure a smooth and timely process to execute clinical trials at UPMC. We are working hard to continuously improve these efforts,” Dr. Ansani said. “This research from the Center for Connected Medicine helps to validate our efforts and provide insight into what other leading clinical centers are doing to improve their research programs.” 

Next Steps

• Download the full clinical trials report using the link above.
• Watch a webinar featuring Dr. Ansani: Unlocking Potential: How AI is Transforming Clinical Trials.
• Read a previous report: AI offers potential solution to challenge of identifying clinical trial participants.