Site networks

The KPIs site network leaders track

By TrialNotice · Updated
Site performance dashboard with enrollment and screen failure charts displayed on a monitor in a research office
Short answerSite network leaders track activation rate, enrollment against target by site, screen failure and dropout rates, startup cycle time, quality findings, staff turnover, financial metrics such as days to payment, and patient source mix. Compare each location to industry benchmarks: 62% North American activation, 36.3% screen failure, 19.1% dropout, and 31.4 weeks of startup.

Which KPIs matter, and what are the benchmarks?

KPIWhy it mattersIndustry benchmark
Activation rateSites that never activate waste startup work62% in North America (Tufts CSDD)
Enrollment against target, by siteShows which locations carry the network37% of sites under enroll; 11% enroll zero (Tufts CSDD)
Screen failure rateUnpaid work and patient quality36.3% average (Tufts CSDD)
Dropout rateLost revenue and data19.1% average (Tufts CSDD)
Startup cycle timeSpeed to first patient31.4 weeks (Tufts CSDD)
Staff turnoverStudy disruption35% to 61% at sites (SCRS)
Receivables over 90 daysCash flow risk23% of sites report 31% to 40% of invoices over 90 days (SCRS via Clinical Leader)
Patient source mixDependence on one channelTrack your own baseline
Quality findings and deviationsCompliance risk and sale valueUnresolved findings reduce value (Objective IBV)

Which are leading indicators?

Most of these measure what already happened. Leading indicators tell you what will happen next month: candidates identified per week, prescreens per week, and new referrals per week by location. A drop in any of them shows up in randomizations a month or two later.

How should leaders review them?

  1. Weekly: leading indicators and enrollment by study and location.
  2. Monthly: screen failure, dropout, receivables, staffing.
  3. Quarterly: activation, startup time, quality, source mix.

Why track patient source mix?

A network that depends on one channel, usually ads, is exposed when costs rise or a channel dries up. Referral volume per location is one of the steadiest leading indicators: once physician relationships are built, they keep producing study after study. See the enrollment statistics reference for all benchmarks.

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.

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Sources

  1. Clinical Trial Vanguard, "Tufts CSDD: New Insights on The Clinical Trial Industry" (SCOPE 2024)
  2. Applied Clinical Trials, "Can Recruitment and Retention Get Any Worse?" (Tufts CSDD screen failure study)
  3. Tufts CSDD, first comprehensive clinical site initiation benchmark (2018), via GlobeNewswire
  4. Tufts CSDD, patient recruitment and retention practices study (Jan 2013), via Fierce Biotech
  5. Society for Clinical Research Sites, Workforce Challenges at Clinical Research Sites
  6. Clinical Leader, "The Results Are In: Survey Reveals Barriers and Opportunities In Site Sustainability"
  7. Objective Investment Banking and Valuation, "Valuation of Clinical Research Sites: What Buyers Look For"

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