Site growth

Partnering with a health system as an independent site

By TrialNotice · Updated
Two business people shaking hands in the bright lobby of a modern research building
Short answerA partnership between an independent site and a health system pairs the site's research speed and operations with the system's patients, specialists, and facilities. Done well, it brings community patients into trials who would otherwise never be offered one: cancer trial enrollment runs 21.6% at NCI designated comprehensive centers versus 4.1% in community programs. The key terms are patient access, data and privacy, revenue sharing, and who controls study selection.
General information. Partnerships involve legal, privacy, and billing obligations; work with counsel.

Why would a health system partner with an independent site?

  • Speed: physician practices reach first patient in fastest among site types in Tufts CSDD benchmarks (Applied Clinical Trials), while large systems can move slowly.
  • Access for patients: most cancer patients are treated in community settings (Unger et al.), yet trial enrollment is far higher at comprehensive centers, 21.6% versus 4.1% (Healio).
  • Research operations the system lacks in community clinics.

What does the site gain?

  • Specialists and patient populations beyond its own practice.
  • Facilities such as imaging, infusion, and labs.
  • Credibility with sponsors for complex studies.

What should be settled before signing?

  1. Patient identification: how candidates are found in the system's records. HIPAA allows review preparatory to research within a covered entity, but data cannot leave without authorization or a waiver (University of Wisconsin).
  2. Revenue sharing and who bills what.
  3. Study selection: who decides which studies to pursue.
  4. IRB of record and contracting authority.
  5. Exit terms, including what happens to patient relationships.

What makes partnerships work in practice?

Physician buy in. A partnership agreement does not make a health system's physicians refer; clear study information, a simple referral path, and follow up do. Physicians refer less than 0.2% of their patients into trials today (Tufts CSDD), even inside connected systems. Treat the system's specialists as a referral network to be informed and updated, not a pipeline that runs on its own.

Related: independent site vs site network.

Get your study in front of the right local physicians

TrialNotice builds a physician referral pipeline around one active study. We identify relevant local physicians within driving distance of your site, send study aligned direct mail, follow up by email and LinkedIn, track engagement with recipient level QR codes, and route warm responses into your site team's workflow.

Talk to TrialNotice

Sources

  1. Healio, "More than 20% of patients participate in cancer research" (summary of Unger et al.)
  2. Unger J.M. et al., "National Estimates of the Participation of Patients With Cancer in Clinical Research Studies," Journal of Clinical Oncology, PubMed
  3. Applied Clinical Trials, "New Benchmarks for Trial Initiation Activities" (Tufts CSDD)
  4. University of Wisconsin Madison, HIPAA for Researchers FAQ
  5. Objective Investment Banking and Valuation, "Valuation of Clinical Research Sites: What Buyers Look For"
  6. Applied Clinical Trials, "Tufts CSDD Study Explores Low Recruitment Rates"

Keep reading

Two clinical research site staff members reviewing a growth plan together in a bright office
Site growth

How to grow a clinical research site: a practical playbook

Research sites grow by building a record sponsors can verify: enrollment, startup speed, and screen failure. Here is what the data says about site growth, why sponsors reuse sites, and a six step playbook.

 Research site director presenting enrollment results to sponsor representatives across a conference table
Site growth

How research sites get more studies from sponsors and CROs

Sponsors award more studies to sites that enroll reliably, start fast, and forecast honestly. Here is how sponsors choose, why new sites face a slower path, and what a site can do to win repeat work.

 Sponsor clinical operations team reviewing site maps and performance charts on a large screen
Site growth

How sponsors and CROs select clinical trial sites

Sponsors shortlist sites with historical data and epidemiology, send feasibility questionnaires, then choose on patient access, past enrollment, and startup speed. Here is the process, how it evolved, and what it means for sites.