Online, interactive evaluation of research performance

Abstract

Medical and other research organizations, sites within those organizations, and physicians practicing at those sites register in an online database. The company providing the database posts a description of a clinical trial opportunity or other research opportunity. The company can search and match for physicians with research opportunities, or the physicians can browse the list of opportunities. Once it is determined who will perform the research and awarded a contract, performance data are collected at 30-day intervals over the life of the trial for computation of benchmarks. The benchmarks from one physician are compared anonymously to those from other physicians participating in the same opportunity.

1 - 21 . (canceled)  
   
   
       22 . A method for permitting a user to access information on fees charged in that user's area of work, the method comprising: (a) storing, in a database, the information on the fees; (b) providing a user interface for permitting the user to formulate a query on the fees; (c) searching the database for the information on the fees in accordance with the query; and (d) providing to the user the information located in step (c).  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the information located in step (c) comprises information on high, low and average fees.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising: (e) providing the user with a study budget template to collect information from the user for addition to the database; and (f) updating the database with the information collected through the study budget template.  
   
   
       25 . A system for permitting a user to access information on fees charged in that user's area of work, the system comprising: (a) a database storing the information on the fees and for searching for the information in accordance with a query on the fees formulated by the user; and (b) a user interface for permitting the user to formulate the query on the fees and for providing to the user the information located in the database.  
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the information located in the database comprises information on high, low and average fees.  
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the user interface provides the user with a study budget template to collect information from the user for addition to the database.