By Anastassia Gliadkovskaya

NextGen Healthcare, a software company, has partnered with integrated research organization Circuit Clinical to help community health centers participate in clinical trials.

The aim is to improve participation and representation in clinical trials, which have a long history of low participation from communities of color. Clinical trials are becoming increasingly decentralized, with local providers overseeing research as study sites themselves. According to Deloitte, hybrid trials between academic medical centers and community care providers made up to 50 per cent of all trials in 2020 and some of 2021. Decentralized trials have also been found to reduce patient recruitment time, increase retention and patient interest and increase participation from communities of color.

This trend is what duo NextGen and Circuit Clinical aim to tap into, now offering training and infrastructure support to providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers and community-based health centers wishing to become research-enabled. The partners are also offering clinical trial patient recruitment, referral and enrollment services and will enable benefits to patients such as extra care visits without co-pays and patient stipends.

“NextGen Healthcare’s technology is empowering providers to build healthier communities,” chief growth and strategy officer at NextGen, ,” Srinivas Velamoor said in an announcement. “Our work with Circuit Clinical is a milestone that provides real impact for our clients and their patients, and delivers on our pledge to facilitate better healthcare outcomes for all.”

“Combining NextGen Healthcare’s comprehensive data insights and national reach with Circuit Clinical’s expert ecosystem offers pharmaceutical, biotech and vaccine companies a groundbreaking opportunity for accelerating therapeutic development and improving diversity in clinical trials,”  founder and chief executive officer of Circuit Clinical, Irfan Khan, M.D., said in the announcement.

Research as care is what Velamoor terms an “important piece of the puzzle” in medicine, which has the potential to improve treatment and outcomes. With this approach, he told Fierce Healthcare, patients are connected to a provider they trust as opposed to being referred to a third party and providers remain engaged in their care journey, too. NextGen and Circuit Clinical also track trial performance and patient retention and engagement for providers.  “Simply identifying and referring the patient isn’t enough,” Velamoor said.

An important piece of this partnership is spreading the message to patients that participating in trials is a normal part of healthcare, Velamoor said, and should be a “trust-based discussion between the patient and the doctor.”

Their initial rollout will focus on Federally Qualified Health Centers and community-based health centers, but will eventually be available to other multi-specialty practices, Velamoor said. “They know best what the mix of their population is and what the health needs of that population are,” Velamoor said of providers. NextGen and Circuit Clinical will work with them to understand their needs and how they can enable them to become study sites.