As there is always an opportunity in health care, another successful branch has sprung up from the woodwork and into the mainstream market of America. Although it mostly goes under the radar because it is conventionally viewed as a venture primarily structured and carried out by large universities, clinical research is part of a growing percentage of research in private practices today.
From a university standpoint, the perquisites of centering valuable research on the basis of academia extensively benefits education, naturally presents resources in abundance and is funded reliably by numerous patrons. For instance, Princeton is ranked “one of the world’s great research centers” where studies “across all academic areas from nanotechnology to politics” are researched and discovered. This specific university is equipped with an impressive range of studies, and the findings are sure to be both trustworthy and unparalleled at many levels.
Alternatively, however, the widening opportunity for clinical research in the private practice setting exhibits a successful integration of medicine and business by providing invaluable opportunities for the patient and the physician, as well as for both pharmaceutical and corporate research companies involved. At a progressive level, private practice research is able to successfully grow because of the affiliation of the corporate and medical research teams working collectively. Both parties are able to operate at a smaller scale, which conveniences everyone involved in the study. From giving patients more personal service to giving the corporate research office the ability to establish valuable partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and physicians through interactive communication, private practice research proves to be the key to advancing in clinical research.
Subsequently, the question has evolved into, “Why is private practice research swiftly growing in popularity among physicians today?” To begin, adding a research component to the physician’s workplace is a naturally marketable element. This is a result of patients already existing within the private practice sector. Therefore, initial recruitment would be a mere postcard or a telephone call away.
On the other hand, patients are looking for progressive and innovative physicians to be involved with as potential medical advisers for alternative treatments. In the case of a physician serving as a specialist who is involved in research, patients evaluate the practice and the physician based on these positive criterions. This is so because the credentials of research mean there are potential ways for the researching physician to help the patient overcome a medical condition. As a result, research is a mean of acquiring such standards for old and new patients and therefore accessing more specific discoveries based on the specialized nature of private practice research.
Consequently, another difference between private and institutionalized clinical research is that private practice provides a very well-organized, as well as exceptionally controlled, environment for testing and researching medication or treatment. Everything involved with the research trial is closely monitored because of the small-scale setting of a doctor’s office and the presence of research sponsors and promoters on-call.
Usually, most of the lab work is initiated and preformed in the actual physician’s private practice. This is important because the medical physicians always have their team on-hand, which helps the physical part of the research run smoothly. This includes anything from patient medical history and current documentation to blood tests, urine specimens and tissue biopsies. While the medical team at the private practice takes care of these research components, there would ideally be a team of business experts in clinical research services helping with the process backstage. These services take the reins when it comes to the extensive paperwork of medical research that must be fulfilled in a specific timeframe for pharmaceutical companies, the FDA and other organizations that control new market drugs.
In this division of clinical research, “marketing, legal, financial and regulatory services help strengthen and increase [the practice’s] clinical research capabilities” by promoting the private practice to corporations like “biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies” in order to achieve the potential excellence in the given clinical study – not to mention maximum profit, as well. By having the opportunity and ability to partner with such services in the private practice sector of clinical research, the physician and practice need to focus their time and energy on the study and the patients rather than all the administrative details and other pre-occupations that could hinder the study in various ways. This combination proves successful for both parties because of the specific protocol on both the physical and administrative sides.
Private practice clinical research has evolved into an admired and successful alternative to institutionalized clinical research because of the capabilities of the physician throughout, as well as the small-scale nature of the business. The one-on-one interaction with patients provides appreciated personal service, while the close relations of the involved entities create an efficient model of research excellence.
Trudy Madan, MHA, is the CEO of Synergyst Research and Discovery Clinical Trials. Synergyst Research contracts with physicians to assist with administrative duties and increase clinical research studies. In 2009, Synergyst Research negotiated more than 150 research studies in all specialties. Please visit us online at www.synergystresearch.net.
Discovery Clinical Trials partners with physicians to create research centers within private practices. In 2009, Discovery Clinical Trials created eight research center partnerships with physicians across the United States. Please visit us online at www.discoveryclinicaltrials.com.
For more information, e-mail trudy@synergyst.net or call 210-447-2080.
