Case
Study - Specialty Hospital and Research Center
Clinical Trial Development and Management
Medical Record Systems Integration
Situation
An internationally known specialty hospital and Cancer Research
Center receives patients and conducts cancer clinical trials over
a wide geographical area. To conduct trials it relies on patient
referrals from specialized physicians over a broad geographical
area.
Problem
Highly targeted and specialized clinical trials required communicating
with new physicians treating specific types of cancer in order to
build populations of patients sufficient to support a trial. Information
about these referring physicians had to be developed and maintained
over lengthy periods of time because of the duration of trials and
the evaluation of outcomes. At the same time referring provider
information was maintained in separate hospital systems for clinical
and billing purposes.
The Center was experiencing increasing difficulty and cost in forming
clinical trials, particularly for rarer forms of the disease. At
the same time, given the length of time for both trials and inpatient
treatments, changing referring physician information would not be
captured and updated consistently to maintain the accuracy of medical
records.
Folio Problem Solving
Folio was initially asked to help in the recruitment of clinical
trials.
Because Folio’s proprietary database consisted of over 270
specific physician medical specialties, together with the ability
to identify primary, secondary and tertiary specialties of the physician,
the center was able to focus communications on only those physicians
specializing in treating patients that would be eligible for specific
trials. Because up-to-date information was required, the Folio solution
was to provide a monthly electronic file to the center each month
that focused only on those specialties appropriate to a particular
clinical trial.
In order to match the clinical trials to the patient care and payment
systems, Folio data was directly loaded into the Center’s
patient care and financial systems using Folio’s database
structure. This improved scheduling, patient registration, and billing
operations. However since these systems were not integrated with
the medical records and transcription systems, a multi user Folio
IS (internet) application was employed to maintain provider data
for medical records, consultation requests and transcription.
The Center decided to utilize the Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
and transcription system of a joint venture partner, a tremendous
cost saving advantage. However, this required an integrated central
provider database. Folio’s solution consisted of the following:
- Utilizing Folio’s software tools, Folio’s database
was matched to the Center’s provider database eliminating
all redundant, duplicate, inactive and out of area records. Because
the Center relied on fax numbers as a preferred method of communicating
patient progress with referring physicians, Folio manually reconciled
all fax number discrepancies.
- Folio’s reference, census database thus became the facility
wide source for provider data for all non-credentialed physicians.
- To maintain an up-to-date provider file, encrypted files of
all provider database changes by the Center are electronically
transferred to Folio on a bi-weekly basis. Folio then verifies
all Center changes and together with provider changes initiated
by Folio an encrypted file is transferred back to the Center in
a reciprocal scheduled exchange.
Benefits
Folio’s solutions enabled the Center to substantially lower
clinical trial development and management costs. Enhanced and more
effective communications strengthened their relationship with referring
physicians. Folio’s provider data solution also allowed the
Center to avoid the cost and the implementation of a separate dedicated
EMR. In testimonials the Center complimented Folio saying that “
Folio was helping to save lives” because of the increased
ability to form clinical trials through use of the Folio database.
Quantify the financial impact of
inaccurate and incomplete provider information with the Folio Analyzer
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