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Silverlight 3.0 Web Clinical Trial Management Solution
Background
PMG Research, Inc. (PMG) was expanding their network of research facilities so quickly that they had outgrown their in-house clinical trial management system (CTMS). They turned to Logical Progression to build a new web-based CTMS. We saw opportunity for big improvements across the board. We proposed a Silverlight 3.0 application that was customized for PMG’s organizational workflow and gave them greater visibility into their network, in addition to being visually off the charts. PMG is an Integrated Site Network (ISN) of eleven clinical research facilities in the Southeast. They have been conducting clinical trials since 1979, in all phases of trials and across a comprehensive list of conditions. PMG’s progressive organization is comprised of an experienced team of clinical research professionals and a network of specially-designed sites. They have conducted 5,000 research studies for 100 pharmaceutical sponsors and CRO’s.
The Challenge
PMG used an application called Study Track that was designed internally to manage their studies, serve as a recruitment database and handle scheduling. The solution was built on MS Access and had evolved over many years to fit PMG’s business needs. As PMG’s network grew, a copy of the application was created for each site because of the limitations in MS Access. This presented several problems for PMG, including not having a centralized database, as well as creating a burden on the IT staff in supporting the application and ensuring data was backed up properly. PMG management could not easily monitor revenue goals and study progress across their network. Business Development had to piece together reports from each site to determine availability for new studies. Sites would ask IT for customizations, making standardization a problem across the organization. The really interesting side effect from using the MS Access application for so long was that PMG staff viewed Study Track as just a ‘database’ instead of a tool that could help streamline their processes and work for them. They started changing their workflow around the tool. It turned out that getting all of the pertinent data into the database and then trying to report on that data was consuming most of their time. Users were managing calendars in three places. Reimbursement checks were cut even if patients ended up not showing for their visit. The tail was wagging the dog. After looking at several commercial CTMS solutions, PMG selected Logical Progression to build a custom solution. They wanted to convert their Study Track application to new technology that would better support their business needs, scale to additional sites as they grew and reduce the support burden on IT. The new application, called InSite™, had to provide the basics for a CTMS including: recruitment database, budgeting, scheduling, accounting, relationship management, and reporting. And, it had to be intuitive and user-friendly for PMG’s network of site managers, coordinators, business developers and investigators. After spending a few weeks talking to the stakeholders and walking through their processes, it was obvious that Study Track no longer reflected their business or met their business needs. The project wasn’t just a matter of migrating over 100 MS Access screens/reports to the web – we had to take a fresh look at their business needs and create a solution that matched their corporate culture/mission statement.
The Solution
Logical Progression immediately saw the need for a web application and relational database as a foundation for InSite. To achieve the level of sophistication that the user experience warranted, we chose to create the application in Silverlight 3.0. This gave our designers and developers the flexibility to create a simplified yet powerful user interface. Instead of creating redundancy by implementing a scheduling, accounting and document management component, we chose to provide seamless integration with PMG’s existing enterprise MS Exchange, QuickBooks, and SharePoint portal environment. This would encourage PMG staff to use the tools they already had/used, and it reduced the scope of the project.
Instead of relying heavily on custom reports, the application provides visual dashboards for activity at the various sites. This activity includes revenue, recruitment goals, visit progress and referrals. The application utilizes study scorecards that give users a quick summary of each study with links to various subpages. 
Manager Dashboard Coordinators get the same study score card (color-coded based on recruitment goals), their patient visit schedule in Exchange and a list of reference links to SharePoint documents and sites. 
Coordinator Dashboard The Patient Info screen is available for any patient in the database. If they have an active study, their next appointment and visit schedule is shown. Coordinators can edit demographics, primary contact info, medical interests, medications, and view their trial history. 
Patient Info The Scheduling screen allows Call Screeners and Coordinators to setup the appointment with the patient. They can add any number of site resources to the schedule to check their availability for the appointment. InSite creates a new appointment in Outlook so PMG staff gets reminders and their calendar is blocked off accordingly. 
Appointment Scheduler FeaturesZero cost of deployment with web architecture Relational SQL database that is scalable and reportable Integration with MS Exchange for appointments, reminders and contacts Integration with SharePoint for document management Integration with QuickBooks for budgeting, accounting and reimbursement checks Out-of-browser mode for desktop app experience in a web framework Support for multiple sites lets PMG grow its network and retain standardization across the enterprise Web portal will allow PMG to expand its application to investigators and sponsors/CROs
Results/Benefits
The immediate benefits of a web application, relational database and improved user experience were obvious. But the seamless integration that InSite provides with PMG’s existing infrastructure is where the rubber meets the road. The reduction in “clerical work” by integrating the various systems to cover scheduling, budgeting, accounting, visit log and document management has made positive changes in the organization and allowed the staff to focus on bigger tasks. Any business that invests the time/money required to take a fresh look at their mission/processes and builds a solution designed specifically for that is going to see immediate, positive changes in their organization. PMG was in their 30th year as a company and its business had changed considerably since it was a single research site. Ease-of-use from simplicity of screens, focused workflow and thoughtful design results in employee satisfaction Improved Business Development tools yields more study opportunities and helps with investigator recruitment Dashboards give Management and Coordinators greater visibility into their network’s performance Improved tools for managing the relationships with patients, investigators and sponsors Higher quality recruitment database for future studies Reduced burden on IT for support, maintenance and new site rollout
Technology
The CTMS solution utilizes the following technologies: About PMG Research
PMG Research, Inc. (PMG) is an Integrated Site Network (ISN) of eleven clinical research facilities in the Southeast. PMG has been conducting clinical trials since 1979, in all phases of trials and across a comprehensive list of conditions. PMG’s progressive organization is comprised of an experienced team of clinical research professionals and a network of specially-designed sites. They have conducted 5,000 research studies for 100 pharmaceutical sponsors and CRO’s. The company is based in Winston-Salem, NC. For more information, visit www.pmg-research.com.
About Logical Progression
Logical Progression is a software company specializing in elevating the visitor experience. With over 20 years of experience, Logical Progression is an innovator in the healthcare tablet documentation market, building ink-friendly and intuitive user experiences. Logical Ink®, the company’s core product, is a tablet-based charting solution used in hospitals and clinical trials. The company also produces VisitTrax™, an enterprise visitor management solution. The company is based in Cary, NC. For more information, visit www.logicalpro.com. |
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