Flatiron Health and NRG Oncology have announced a strategic partnership to implement innovative electronic health record (EHR) to electronic data capture (EDC) technology in a multi-center oncology trial, promising to transform clinical research data management processes.
The collaboration will deploy Flatiron Clinical Pipe, a specialized connector technology designed to streamline the transfer of clinical data from EHR systems directly into trial databases, significantly reducing manual data entry requirements that have traditionally burdened research staff.
"Collaborating with NRG Oncology, a leading research consortium within the National Clinical Trials Network, is an incredible opportunity to create a new trial experience—unlocking higher data quality and more efficient data acquisition with Flatiron Clinical Pipe," said Alex Deyle, General Manager of Clinical Research at Flatiron Health.
Technology Capabilities and Benefits
Flatiron Clinical Pipe has been specifically engineered to address key inefficiencies in clinical trial operations. According to preliminary research, the technology can transfer thousands of data points in minimal time, dramatically decreasing the hours spent on manual data entry throughout a trial's duration.
A key technical advantage of the system is that data captured and transferred through Flatiron Clinical Pipe directly mirrors the original EMR/EHR information, effectively eliminating the requirement for source data verification (SDV). This feature alone is expected to deliver substantial efficiency improvements for site coordinators, monitors, and other clinical trial team members.
The technology also claims to minimize data queries and accelerate timelines for data cleaning, addressing two persistent pain points in clinical research operations.
Measuring Real-World Impact
Beyond implementation, Flatiron Health and NRG Oncology will conduct a correlative trial to quantitatively evaluate the efficiency of the pipe technology against traditional methods of data entry. This parallel assessment will provide valuable metrics on time savings, data quality, and operational improvements.
By reducing administrative workload, the partnership aims to enable healthcare providers to dedicate more time to trial participants, potentially enhancing the overall care experience for patients enrolled in clinical studies.
Implications for Cancer Research
The collaboration has significant implications for accelerating cancer research, as Deyle explained: "By putting our cutting-edge technology in the hands of more research teams, Flatiron and NRG will enhance our ongoing efforts to improve efficiency and reduce time and effort of study data capture, ultimately accelerating evidence generation and improvements in care for people with cancer."
NRG Oncology, as a leading research consortium within the National Clinical Trials Network, brings substantial clinical research expertise to the partnership. The implementation of Flatiron Clinical Pipe in their multi-center trial environment provides an important test case for the technology's scalability across complex research networks.
Broader Context for Clinical Research
This partnership represents part of a broader industry trend toward digital transformation in clinical trials, with a particular focus on reducing manual processes that contribute to trial delays and increased costs. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated interest in technologies that can streamline clinical research operations while maintaining data integrity and regulatory compliance.
If successful, the Flatiron-NRG collaboration could establish a new operational standard for data management in oncology trials, potentially influencing how future clinical studies are designed and conducted across therapeutic areas.
