Embedded Clinical Research and Innovation Unit (ECRI)

Tools available to UCLA’s Epic to provide research recruitment assistance that streamlines and enhances the process of identifying, recruiting, and managing participants for clinical studies. These tools are integrated within the Epic EHR system, leveraging existing patient data and clinical workflows.

Please reference this document for more detailed information: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/CP/File.php?F=F_0eK27crRYBm5v7M 

MyChart Messages: Send secure messages directly to patients' MyChart accounts, inviting them to participate in studies. This tool is efficient for reaching large candidate populations.

Reporting Workbench Report: Generate a list of patients within CareConnect to identify patients who qualify for a study based on provided eligibility criteria.

Real-Time Notification: Receive email, page, or InBasket messages when patients meet eligibility criteria for a study, suitable for time-sensitive enrollments or interventions.

Provider-Facing BPA: Display on-screen alerts to clinicians during clinic visits, notifying them of patient eligibility for research studies.

• Integration: Seamless integration with EHR ensures that all relevant patient data is easily accessible and current.
• Efficiency: Automates many aspects of the recruitment process, saving time and resources.
• Accuracy: Reduces errors and enhances the precision of patient selection through automated matching and comprehensive data analysis.
• Engagement: Improves patient engagement through direct communication channels like MyChart.
• Compliance: Ensures that recruitment processes comply with regulatory requirements by using secure and validated systems.

Overall, Epic's research recruitment tools provide significant advantages in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and patient engagement, ultimately facilitating more effective and streamlined clinical research efforts.

For research recruitment ECRI is the only dedicated team that is approved by IRB to send out MyChart blasts. This is required to ensure that ethical guidelines are followed when contacting potential participants for research recruitment. To utilize MyChart for research recruitment, approval must be received by the CareConnect Research Recruitment Committee.

82% of our 4.8 million patients are active on MyChart.

Yes, we can accommodate more than one cohort for an additional fee.

Up to 5% of patients contacted will enroll.

Up to 10% of patients contacted will enroll.

Yes, we can configure the messages to come to each user in any of the three formats (page, email, CareConnect InBasket message).

CareConnect research recruitment tools are available for use by UCLA researchers conducting studies involving UCLA patients. These tools cannot be used for non-UCLA patients or healthy cohorts. If a study team is a part of a multi-site study, as long as a Principal Investigator (PI) is affiliated with UCLA Health, the study team can utilize CareConnect research recruitment tools.

The common search criteria include demographic factors such as age, race/ethnicity, language, and marital status, as well as diagnosis codes (ICD-9 & ICD-10), visit types, encounter departments, admission status, lab result values, and medications. However, it's important to note that the tools cannot search through free text documentation or scanned documents.

Contact ECRI right away to assure that services are not canceled at ECRIRequest@mednet.ucla.edu

Make sure to add ECRI recruitment services to your contract with the sponsor. This involves including the recruitment details as part of the agreement language and budget to reflect our services. Please consult with our team before you provide budget details to the sponsor. We are working to add ECRI recruitment services to the budget templates as an electable service budget item in the near future.

Option 1: Update the Existing Agreement

You can add ECRI recruitment services to your current contract with the sponsor. This involves updating the agreement language and budget to reflect our services. Once revised, the contract goes through your usual internal processing steps. The turnaround time typically 1-2 weeks, depending on how quickly the forms are signed and assuming no financial conflict delays the process. ECRI can provide more detailed guidance on this as part of your feasibility consultation. 

Option 2:

You can opt to cover the recruitment services outside of the Sponsor agreement by using your department’s unrestricted funds. This approach avoids contract changes altogether, it has been used successfully by other study teams and is entirely acceptable. 

This is dependent on the risk of the study. If your study is a trial intervention high risk study MyChart cannot be used.  Make sure you connect with ECRI for MyChart tool for Cohort identification. Through our feasibility assessment we can let you know if your request is feasible from a technical perspective and which tool would be best suited for your recruitment needs. 

1. Submitting a Qualtrics form.
2. A feasibility consultation with ECRI.
3. Submitting for IRB approval.
4. ECRI presents on behalf of the project to get approval from the CareConnect Research Recruitment Committee.
5. Signing a Statement of Work (SOW) with ECRI.
6. Submitting a ticket for tool building.
7. Completing a Data Use Agreement if needed.
8. A tool handoff meeting with the CareConnect analyst.

If interested in using CareConnect research recruitment tools, fill out: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8G7lHnOQEbYONaS

Yes, there are estimated fees associated with tool requests. Each standard tool request is an estimated one-time fee of $2,500, while custom/advanced builds can increase up to $5,000 per tool. Additionally, there's a one-time project management setup fee of $438. For MyChart tools, there's a $91 fee per message blast. For MyChart Non-Standard Messaging tool only, there is an additional $91 per month fee for managing patient inquiries. 

Scenario: A study is looking to recruit participants and do not have any restrictions on how many participants can be processed per week/month. They want 500 messages to go out per blast. Given a 2% enrollment rate they will require 20 blasts to meet their recruitment goal. Each blast is $91.

• Recruitment Goal: 200 participants
• Enrollment Rate: 2%
• Blasts Required: 20
• Total Cost: $1,820

After the tool is built out, the ECRI team will send out an invoice. Study team will need to provide contact information for their finance manager for payment processing.

Submit an intake form prior to the feasibility consultation: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8G7lHnOQEbYONaS

You will be prompted to attach your study protocol, study IRB application (if approved at time of submission), and study Informed Consent Form as well as other basic study information such as inclusion/exclusion criteria, expected recruitment dates, challenges recruitment, etc. 

Review the information sent out via email prior to the consultation and discuss which tool might be the best fit for your needs.

Ideally, at least one person on the study team would have CareConnect access. However, ECRI can forward interested messages from the MyChart Recruitment Messaging tool, but fees may be associated. CareConnect access is required to use Reporting Workbench Report, Real-Time Notifications, and Provider-Facing BPA tools.

You must be affiliated with UCLA Health to receive CareConnect access. Complete the required live trainings, submit an access request form, and get sign off from a PI and manager.

If changes or modifications are required for a built-out tool, the team needs to submit a Change Request Form. Depending on the request, associated fees may apply. The ECRI team will review the request and notify the study team of any costs involved. Please see the following link to find the Change Request Form: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eQagl4PNlEhcB9Q

If there are other staff changes, please ensure that new staff members are IRB-approved and submit a Change Request Form here: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eQagl4PNlEhcB9Q

Embedded Clinical Research and Innovation (ECRI) Unit (CTSI) manages intake process for all requests, feasibility review, point of contact for research teams for all Research Recruitment build requests in CareConnect. Designated group to send out MyChart research recruitment bulk messaging blasts.

The committee is responsible for reviewing and approving requests to use CareConnect Research Recruitment tools, ensuring that all requests comply with IRB guidelines and are feasible with the CareConnect Research team.

Works with ECRI and study teams to build each customized study specific recruitment tool so that it meets inclusion and exclusion criteria, RCC test/validates tool and pushes it to production.

CareConnect is UCLA’s electronic health record (EHR) program, that is also known as Epic. The system offers several tools for research recruitment that utilize the EHR data stored here.

DUA: Data Use Agreement. A Data Use Agreement (DUA) is a legally binding contract that outlines the terms and conditions under which data can be accessed, used, and shared. It governs the use of data that may contain sensitive or confidential information, such as personal health information (PHI) or proprietary research data. It is necessary for CC tools that utilize electronic health record (EHR) data.

SOW: Statement of Work. A Statement of Work is a signed agreement to outline scope, deliverables, and resources needed for a project. Typically, the ECRI team will generate an SOW document for both parties to sign prior to the build of the tool, but after IRB approval of the tool.

Smart data fields in Epic/CareConnect are structured data elements that capture key clinical information, such as vital signs, medications, allergies, and lab results. They integrate seamlessly within the EHR, supporting real-time clinical decision-making, reporting, and data analysis. They do not capture free-text clinician notes nor scanned documents.

For any further inquiries or assistance, please contact the ECRI team at ECRIRequest@mednet.ucla.edu.

The Research Recruitment Registries streamline participant recruitment by offering specialized registries. These platforms enable the public to voluntarily register their interest in being contacted for future research studies within specific topic areas. They are used to recruit UCLA patients and non-UCLA patients. Common search criteria to identify a cohort includes: demographics, health conditions, medications, mental health. Registry participants are local to Los Angeles, as well as, from across the nation. Please note, that the registries are not linked with UCLA electronic health record. 

The available UCLA research recruitment registries are the Mental Health and Smart Health Technology Registry, Diabetes Registry, GI Registry, Wildfires Registry, and ResearchMatch.

Please reference this document for more detailed information: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/CP/File.php?F=F_8okwS7KkqxChZGK 

Mental Health & Smart Health Technology Registry: 37,727

GI Registry: 5,103

Diabetes Registry: 7,610

Wildfires Registry: 3,892

ResearchMatch: 121,200

*As of 06/05/2025

Prior studies utilizing these registries have demonstrated their effectiveness, achieving enrollment rates of approximately 10% - 12% of those contacted. 

1. Submitting a Qualtrics form.
2. A feasibility consultation with ECRI.
3. IRB submission/approval for Registry use to recruit. Amendment language and recruitment message template will be provided by ECRI after consultation. 
4. Principal Investigator signs SOW
5. Data Extract from CTSI honest broker
6. ECRI sends out recruitment blasts

If interested in using CareConnect research recruitment tools, fill out: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8G7lHnOQEbYONaS

Yes, there are estimated fees associated with using the registries for recruitment. There is a one-time ECRI Research Recruitment outreach set-up Fee: $438. Additionally, there's a Registry Bulk messaging Fee: $91 per blast sent out. And there is a monthly coordinating fee of 2 hours per month while blasts are actively being sent out = $182 per month for managing patient inquiries and metrics reporting.

Scenario: A study is looking to recruit participants and do not have any restrictions on how many participants can be processed per week/month. They want 500 messages to go out per blast. Given a 7% enrollment rate they will require 15 blasts to meet their recruitment goal. Each blast is $91.
 

• Recruitment Goal: 500 participants

• Enrollment Rate: 7%

• Blasts Required: 15

• Total Cost: $1,365

ECRI will send out an invoice to the study team after the first blast of recruitment messages are sent. The first invoice will include the one-time ECRI Research Recruitment Registry Outreach Set-Up fee plus any registry recruitment message blasts sent out. 

Studies will be billed monthly for the services performed the preceding month. Invoices will be sent by the 15th business day after the end of the service month and the FAU provided before work was initiated will be billed 5 business days after the invoice is sent to the study team. Unless another FAU is provided or questions/concerns arise regarding services performed. 

Submit an intake form so ECRI can set-up a consultation: https://uclahs.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8G7lHnOQEbYONaS

You will be prompted to attach your study protocol, study IRB application (if approved at time of submission), and study Informed Consent Form as well as other basic study information such as inclusion/exclusion criteria, expected recruitment dates, challenges recruitment, etc.

Review the information sent out via email prior to the consultation.

Embedded Clinical Research and Innovation (ECRI) Unit (CTSI) manages all requests from research teams interested in using UCLA’s Research Registries to recruit for their studies. ECRI conducts feasibility review, identifies available cohort, requests list of eligible people from CTSI Honest Broker, send recruitment messages via Research Registry mailbox account, and triages inquiries to study team. Most importantly ECRI ensures that the study has IRB approval to use research registries to recruit for the target cohort.

UCLA researchers interested in recruiting older adult populations may request a consultation with the EMBRACE team. IRB approval is not required at the time of inquiry.

We use our network to deliver in-person education sessions on study opportunities, distribute multilingual materials, and connect interested participants to active studies. We also provide support with IRB language for submissions and can assist with updating flyer materials to ensure they are appropriate for the target population.

We support studies that are appropriate for community-based recruitment, including observational, clinical, and behavioral studies focused on aging, cognition, mobility, chronic disease, and wellness.

All projects begin with a consultation. We’ll assess feasibility, recruitment needs, and determine if your study aligns with our network.

Depending on the level of support and number of sites involved, some services may require cost recovery. An estimate is provided post consultation.

We will need your protocol or study proposal draft, your target recruitment cohort which includes inclusion/exclusion criteria, and timeline.

Yes. We can provide sample language post consultation.