OnCore Phase II Implementation Pilot at Success!

The U-M Medical School has made a long-term commitment to improving clinical trials research and the research patient experience. Our clinical trials community identified the need for an integrated and comprehensive clinical trials management system (CTMS). Phase I of Michigan Medicine's CTMS, OnCore, was introduced in February 2017 for new trials and a rolling migration has been occurring to bring existing clinical trials into OnCore and their respective CTSU. 
 
We have now entered Phase II of the OnCore implementation. Phase II's primary focus is refining research billing. Better research billing is an important milestone that will ultimately result in an improved experience for both patients and providers.
 
On March 5, a pilot group comprised of 41 studies across five Clinical Trials Support Units were successfully converted to the new OnCore & MiChart integrated research billing workflow. The new billing workflow uses the detailed billing calendar from OnCore to assign each patient a calendar timeline. Study coordinators use this timeline to "link" patient encounters, admissions and surgeries, and subsequently, the charges from the billing calendar are routed properly for review in Revenue Cycle. To learn this process, study coordinators completed a brief MLearning training and attended an in-person setup of the new workflow.
 
Facilitated by MiChart, OnCore, and CRAO staff, study coordinators linked upcoming research-related encounters for the next two months at the in-person setup of the new workflow. Study coordinators learned ways to adopt encounter linking as a daily habit, as well as other tips and tricks for managing the new research billing workflow.
 
Starting in April, the Implementation Team will be working with each CTSU to systematically convert all active studies to the new research billing workflow. The new research billing workflow is mandatory and will allow study coordinators to impact the accuracy of research billing. Coordinators now have a point of control in reducing billing errors, thus improving patient experience at U-M.
 
The Migration team continues to monitor the 41 studies throughout the pilot. For the next phase of the research billing workflow integration, studies will be rolled over by their respective CTSU. Please pay close attention - the next round of studies to migrate will be notified via email in the upcoming weeks.
 
Questions? Contact the Implementation Team at oncore-crpc@umich.edu.