On Wed. Nov. 1, more than 60 clinical investigators, research coordinators, and others interested in next-generation clinical trial research joined CCTS to toast the launch of OnCore, which will replace the current UAB clinical trials management system, SiteMinder. The implementation will take place in three waves, with trials in the Department of Medicine (DOM) the first to migrate into OnCore.

In a brief presentation, CCTS Director Dr. Robert Kimberly highlighted the system’s many advantages, including centralized protocol tracking from startup to closeout, electronic ordering of clinical services, streamlined patient and billing processes, regulatory compliance support, and transmission of study and patient data to UAB’s electronic medical record. “OnCore will simplify our lives, making clinical trial management easier, faster, less prone to error. It will help us keep it all straight and manage trials in real time,” Kimberly said.

Kimberly also underscored the positive impact the system should have on recruitment, budgets, and patient safety. “Roughly half of all Phase III trials do not meet their recruitment goals—and we know that without enough recruits there isn’t sufficient statistical power to make reasonable conclusions from studies that are executed. OnCore will enable study teams to monitor and enhance recruitment with embedded mechanisms,” he noted. Support for more accurate capture and invoicing of billables could result in “nearly a doubling of the income from clinical trials.”

Patient safety will be improved as well—there is already a way to send a message from OnCore to UAB’s Cerner electronic health record (EHR). He encouraged emergency room clinicians to help scope what they need to see on the first page of a subject’s EHR to enable them to take clinical trial history into account, thus ensuring the “whole patient” is treated and clinical trial participants are recognized as such and receive appropriate care.

A panel of implementation experts and several super users answered attendees’ questions, which reflected concerns with the timing of the rollout, availability of OnCore training, accessing support via the HSIS help desk, the cost for using OnCore, and multisite study support. All attendees were provided with a handout of OnCore Frequently Asked Questions.

Dr. Kimberly reminded attendees that “implementation is a team sport—we need your help as OnCore is rolled out. Improvement is an iterative process, and we may hit a few speedbumps, but by working together we will get there.”

CCTS thanks its panel of OnCore experts: Dr. Cindy Joiner, Meredith Fitz-Gerald, Lisa Williams, Mark Marchant, John Sandefur, and Geoff Gordon.

In case you missed it, you can access the Nov. Forum video and slide deck from our CCTS Forum page. Mark your calendar for our Dec. Forum, which will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 6.