Healthcare IT provider Bio-Optronics is integrating a debit card solution into its Clinical Conductor clinical trial management system (CTMS). The Rx Paying debit card solution, from trial management organization Interspond, is expected to aid subject participation and retention by providing immediate access to stipend funds from retail locations and ATMs.
Payments to subjects for participating in clinical trials are usually less than $100. But the value of free medical care that sometimes accompanies trials can add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars. The Wichita Eagle reports that the lure of volunteering for medical research is growing, given the current economy and millions of people who are uninsured.
Dan Kerpelman, president and CEO at Rochester, NY-based Bio-Optronics, sees the debit card solution as "an efficient alternative to the patient stipend payment process."
The Bio-Optronics Clinical Conductor clinical trial management system handles enterprise workflow, from business development to patient databases, recruitment, scheduling, workload planning, finances, oversight, and reporting. It comes with an Electronic Data Capture option.
- here's the Bi-Optronics release
- read the Wichita Eagle article