Research in Private Practice

[staup]

Is this possible at all? Can a private practice oncologist accomplish any kind of clinical research while in private practice?

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[gutonc]

Is this possible at all? Can a private practice oncologist accomplish any kind of clinical research while in private practice?

Yes. It helps if you already have a pretty good research program going when you leave fellowship, or you join a group that has a good clinical research program/clinical trials division or you keep in touch w/ either your fellowship program or the nearest academic center and get on as an additional site/investigator for trials they are doing. Keep in mind that clinical trials need a lot of record keeping and you or your group will probably have to hire someone to keep the records and watch for protocol violations, esp if you have a large # of studies going on.

A former fellow of ours who is in a PP group about an hour from here just opened a satellite clinical trials site at his clinic. The Univ and his group are splitting the cost of the trials manager at his site.

It's a hard thing to get going from scratch but can be done.

 

[texashemonc]

I'm part of a large network- affiliated with US Oncology. Our practice does participate in clinical trials- only phase 2 and 3 studies. Majority is breast cancer, but some lung too. It is a significant commitment and not at all a money maker for our practice. We do it because we can offer a service for our patients and it keeps us intellectually fresh.
Having said that, most practices that I know do not participate in research- it detracts them from making more money.

 

[gutonc]

I'm part of a large network- affiliated with US Oncology. Our practice does participate in clinical trials- only phase 2 and 3 studies. Majority is breast cancer, but some lung too. It is a significant commitment and not at all a money maker for our practice. We do it because we can offer a service for our patients and it keeps us intellectually fresh.
Having said that, most practices that I know do not participate in research- it detracts them from making more money.

I forgot about US Onc. I don't have much experience w/ them directly, just with docs who are affiliated with them.

If you want to do clinical research in order to advance knowledge and allow your patients access to cutting edge treatment options then something like US Onc is a great way to go. If you're interested in getting your name on papers and buffing your CV though, this kind of arrangement won't do much for you.