Scenario for Clinical Payments

This topic gives one example of how clinical payments might be used. You might use payments differently, depending on your business model.

Using the input from the clinical contract or grant negotiations group, the financial administrator sets up the standard payment amounts for procedures and tasks that the site performs. A major pain-point for clinical organizations is managing investigator payments. Often organizations pay investigators for activities that they do not complete, or for activities that they complete, but not to the satisfaction of the sponsor. By specifying a withholding amount and a withholding percentage, you can withhold payments from an investigator to make sure that all activities are complete. Investigators are motivated to complete all activities so that they receive full payment.

The CRAs (clinical research associates) set up the payment exceptions for sites where different payments are negotiated for subject activities. (In some organizations, the study manager performs this task instead of the CRA.)

As the sites carry out the procedures, the financial administrator verifies successful completion of the procedures, and generates payments for these activities. He generates a payment (minus the withholding amount or percentage) when an activity is complete. If all activities for a site are complete, then he pays the investigator the full amount for all activities, including the withholding amount or percentage.

Occasionally, the sponsor or CRO (clinical research organization) must make an additional payment to a site, and the payment is not directly associated with subject activities. These payments are unplanned payments. A reimbursement for an unscheduled visit is an example of an unplanned payment.

Note: As the clinical trial progresses, the sites complete the subject activities for which they are paid. Typically, personnel at the sites enter complete dates for subject activities using Siebel Site Portal. For more information about Siebel Site Portal, see Siebel Life Sciences Portals Guide.