Fox Chase Cancer Center has dramatically improved the efficiency of its clinical trial activation process, reducing the median time from submission to activation by 182 days between 2021 and 2023. This achievement, spearheaded by the center's Study Activation Unit (SAU), addresses a critical bottleneck in cancer research, enabling faster access to advanced care for patients. The SAU's success was recently presented at the annual Clinical Research Innovation meeting of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI).
Overcoming Silos and Streamlining Processes
Recognizing that compartmentalized workflows and a lack of interdepartmental communication were hindering the timely initiation of clinical trials, Fox Chase established the SAU. This dedicated unit critically examined the new study approval process across various departments, fostering collaboration and identifying roadblocks in real time. According to Michael Oldfield, JD, MBA, CCRP, the senior project manager in the SAU, the initiative was driven by the need to improve clinical operations and patient recruitment as part of the Cancer Center Support Grant resubmission.
"We realized that there was a lot we could do, from a regulatory management standpoint, to shorten the time it takes to open new clinical trials," Oldfield explained. The SAU's approach involved weekly meetings to track studies and proactively address challenges, leading to incremental improvements in the activation process.
The Study Statusboard: A Tool for Transparency
A key component of the SAU's success is the Study Statusboard, a custom-built tool that provides real-time data tracking for all stakeholders involved in the clinical trial process. This interactive tool extracts crucial data points from various source systems, such as OnCore (a clinical trial management system) and eIRB (the electronic file management system used by Fox Chase’s Internal Review Board), offering transparency and facilitating quicker issue resolution.
Rosanna Veggeberg, MS, a director in the OCR, emphasized the importance of the Study Statusboard in managing and measuring progress. "It was important for us to develop the Study Statusboard to provide transparency into the progress of each trial so that we could leverage real-time insights to address issues or deficiencies as they emerge," Veggeberg said.
Impact and Recognition
The SAU's efforts have not only accelerated clinical trial activation at Fox Chase but have also garnered recognition from other institutions. Karen Van Arsdale, a research project manager, noted that their presentations at the AACI meeting sparked conversations with colleagues who were either struggling with similar challenges or unaware of the potential for improvement. This highlights the broader impact of Fox Chase's innovative approach to clinical research administration and its potential to serve as a model for other cancer centers.
