Case Study: Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center achieves 52% time savings with Advarra Participant Payments

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center Sees 52% Time Savings with Advarra Participant Payments

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indiana’s only NCI‑designated cancer center running more than 600 clinical trials, faced heavy administrative burdens and participant hardships from managing bulk pre‑paid gift cards and slow check reimbursements. To be more patient‑centric and reduce staff workload, the center evaluated and selected Participant Payments from Advarra, including reloadable debit cards and an automated payments portal.

Advarra implemented a system of protocol‑preset, reloadable debit cards and a web/mobile portal so nurses can instantly load stipend and reimbursement payments at visit “pay” time. The solution cut total staff time on subject payments by 52%, reduced reimbursement staff time by 76–82%, shrank per‑payment staff time from 33–55 minutes to 6–13 minutes, and shortened patient receipt of funds from 4–6 weeks to as little as two hours (typically under 24 hours), while improving the participant experience.

Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center

Eric Borchardt

Financial Analyst