Automated Patient Matching for Trial Recruitment

Manual screening and data verification consume up to 30% of a trial's budget. A blockchain-based system automates eligibility checks against immutable, patient-consented health records, reducing screening costs by an estimated 40-60%. For a typical Phase III trial, this can translate to direct savings of $1-2 million by eliminating redundant administrative work and false starts.

The average trial takes 6+ months to recruit. Blockchain enables real-time, privacy-preserving matching across disparate hospital EHRs and registries. By creating a tokenized, patient-controlled profile, sponsors can instantly find qualified candidates who have opted in. Case in point: The Miami Cancer Institute's pilot using blockchain matching reduced pre-screening time from weeks to hours, accelerating trial start dates.

FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and GDPR require demonstrable data integrity and consent trails. A blockchain ledger provides an immutable, timestamped record of:

• Patient consent grants and revocations
• Eligibility criteria matching events
• Data access by sponsors and CROs This automated audit trail reduces compliance overhead and de-risks regulatory submissions, turning a cost center into a compliance asset.

Poor data siloing leads to homogenous trial populations and failed endpoints. A decentralized network incentivizes broader participation by allowing patients to own and share their data securely. This enables sponsors to:

• Target underrepresented demographics with precision
• Access higher-fidelity, real-world data
• Reduce protocol amendments due to enrollment issues Result: More robust trial outcomes and faster regulatory approval.

Patient-matching infrastructure isn't just a cost saver—it's a revenue generator. Hospitals and research networks can monetize anonymized data access via smart contracts, creating a new income stream. For example, a hospital consortium could license access to its tokenized patient cohort pool to pharmaceutical sponsors, generating recurring revenue while maintaining strict patient privacy and control.

Traditional trials are transactional; patients are often lost to follow-up. A patient-centric blockchain platform creates a persistent, portable health identity. This allows for:

• Longitudinal studies across multiple trials
• Direct engagement for post-market surveillance
• Loyalty rewards for continued participation via token incentives This transforms patient recruitment from a one-time cost into a valuable, retained asset for future research.

Replace paper-based consent with immutable, patient-controlled digital records. Patients can securely share their anonymized health data with multiple trial sponsors without re-submitting paperwork. This reduces onboarding time from weeks to hours and creates a verifiable audit trail for regulators.

• Example: A major oncology research network reduced patient screening time by 70% using a blockchain-based consent ledger.

Enable algorithmic patient-trial matching without exposing raw personal health information (PHI). Patients' eligibility criteria (e.g., biomarkers, treatment history) are verified against trial protocols via zero-knowledge proofs or hashed data points. This protects patient privacy while dramatically increasing match accuracy.

• Result: Pilot programs report a 3-5x increase in qualified patient identification versus traditional database queries, while maintaining GDPR and HIPAA compliance.

Tokenized incentive systems and transparent tracking keep patients engaged. Participants can earn rewards for completing milestones (e.g., survey submissions, clinic visits) tracked on-chain. This provides a clear, tamper-proof record of participation, simplifying reimbursement and reducing administrative friction that leads to dropout.

• Business Impact: Studies show a 15-20% reduction in patient dropout rates in token-incentivized trials, protecting the millions invested in each participant.

Break down data silos between hospitals, CROs, and sponsors. A permissioned blockchain allows trusted parties to access a single source of truth for patient pre-screening status and consent. This eliminates duplicate screening costs and enables sponsors to collaboratively fund and populate niche trials.

• ROI Driver: One consortium of pharma companies reported $12M in annual savings from shared pre-qualified patient pools and reduced redundant screening efforts.

Automate regulatory reporting with an immutable chain of custody for all trial-related actions. Every consent update, data access, and protocol amendment is time-stamped and logged. This reduces the cost and time of FDA/EMA audits by providing instant, verifiable proof of compliance.

• Quantifiable Benefit: Audit preparation time can be reduced by over 80%, turning a multi-week manual process into a real-time dashboard for compliance officers.