Scaling Clinical Trial Recruitment

Background

Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in Louisiana, Mississippi, and across the Gulf South, delivering care through a network of 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. With more than 40,000 team members and nearly 5,000 physicians, Ochsner serves a large patient population across a highly connected and geographically distributed health system.

As Ochsner expanded its clinical trial portfolio and research capabilities across multiple specialties, the organization identified an opportunity to strengthen how patients were identified and connected to clinical trial opportunities across its system. With patients accessing care through community clinics, specialty practices and regional facilities throughout the Gulf South, Ochsner prioritized a scalable, technology-enabled approach to help ensure patients had greater visibility into and access to research opportunities, regardless of where they entered the system.

To support this vision, Ochsner focused on strengthening patient identification workflows, improving coordination across research operations, and enabling clinical research coordinators (CRCs) to spend more time on high-value patient engagement and enrollment activities.

Ochsner's goals included:

• Expanding consistent identification of potential trial candidates across the health system
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• Enhancing visibility into eligible patients through more connected, data-driven workflows
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• Improving precision in identifying patients most likely to qualify
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• Streamlining screening processes to support greater efficiency and scalability
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• Increasing enrollment throughput while supporting sustainable operational growth
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Approach & Solution

At the core of this model was Paradigm Health’s platform, integrated into Ochsner’s existing clinical and research workflows. By connecting with the electronic health record (EHR) and other diagnostic data sources, the platform continuously evaluated patient eligibility using real-time clinical information across the health system. And, rather than relying on static screening lists or manual processes, the platform continuously assessed patients against eligibility criteria as new clinical data became available.

“This collaboration has created a broader, more connected view of potential trial candidates beyond any single site or point of care. We are also able to identify potential candidates earlier in the care journey while maintaining visibility into evolving eligibility over time, allowing Ochsner researchers to strengthen the scalability and efficiency of our clinical research operations.”

Nneka Ifejika, MD

Chief Scientific Officer
Ochsner Health

The platform also surfaced clear, actionable eligibility insights, allowing CRCs to validate candidates efficiently and prioritize patients most likely to qualify for available studies. Structured workflows supported consistent candidate review, eligibility confirmation, and progression through enrollment activities. Patients could be identified proactively ahead of clinical encounters, enabling research teams to coordinate follow-up and facilitate evaluation at the appropriate specialty or research center.

Paradigm Health also provided operational support through dedicated recruitment and research coordination specialists who assisted with candidate triage, follow-up management, and ongoing reassessment of patient eligibility. It also offered continuous patient identification, AI-enabled insights, standardized workflows and embedded operational support. Paradigm Health’s AI helps automate and scale the identification, prescreening, and prioritization of patients who may meet trial inclusion/exclusion criteria, so research coordinators can confirm eligibility.

“As our clinical research program continues to grow, our focus remains on ensuring every patient has the opportunity to be considered for a clinical trial. Clinical trials provide access to tomorrow’s therapies today, and we believe patients should have access to these opportunities regardless of where they enter our health system.”

Wendy Chriss

Director, Clinical Research
Ochsner Health

Looking Ahead

Ochsner Health’s collaboration with Paradigm Health highlights a scalable, innovation-driven approach to clinical research operations in a large, distributed healthcare system. By leveraging AI-enabled workflows, data-driven patient identification and standardized research processes, Ochsner strengthened its ability to connect patients with clinical trial opportunities across its network while supporting continued growth in research activity.

Through this approach, Ochsner improved the precision and consistency of patient identification while maintaining a centralized and coordinated enrollment model. The integration of technology-enabled screening, structured workflows and embedded recruitment support increased enrollment throughput, improved research efficiency, and expanded visibility into eligible patient populations across the health system.

Scaling Clinical Trial Recruitment Through Increased Site Capacity and Precision

Background

Approach & Solution

Results

Looking Ahead

Ready to streamline clinical trial recruitment?