Research Pricing

UCLA Clinical Research Pricing Overview

UCLA Policy 915.1 (Pricing for Budgeting and Contracting of Clinical Research Studies) is intended to provide transparency, consistency, and facilitate compliance with applicable research finance regulatory requirements. UCLA Policy 915.1 defines the key criteria and application of standardized research rates for clinical research studies facilitated across the UCLA enterprise and informs the UCLA Clinical Research Chargemaster and subsequent updates and iterations.

UCLA Clinical Research Chargemaster Goals

• Transparency: Clear methodology and consistent pricing.
• Efficiency: Streamline budgeting & applicable negotiation.
• Compliance: Adherence to regulatory and institutional policies and procedures.

For-Profit and Non-Profit Research Rates

UCLA’s Clinical Research Chargemaster establishes two distinct rate bases, for-profit research rates and non-profit research rates, which are set based on the source of funding/support for a clinical research study.

• For-Profit Supported Study is a Clinical Research Study that is funded extramurally by a for-profit organization.
• Non-Profit Supported Study is a Clinical Study that is funded extramurally by a governmental or non-profit organization, or internally funded through departmental/division funds, and/or other discretionary funds utilized by the Principal Investigator (PI) (including but not limited to PI and staff time and effort used to conduct the Clinical Study).

Chargemaster Items & Services

The UCLA Clinical Research Chargemaster includes Procedural Research Costs as well as standard Administrative Research Costs, as defined below:

Procedural Research Cost(s) is any procedure, service or item, including but not limited to those procedures, services and / or items identified by: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), Diagnosis- Related Group (DRG), Ambulatory Payment Classifications (APC), and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes required by a Clinical Study that can, though not necessarily will, be charged to a patient or third party payer (e.g. CMS, medical insurance providers, etc.) by either the hospital or faculty practice billing groups.

Administrative Research Cost(s) are item(s)/service(s) that are not Procedural Research Cost(s) but may be required to activate, coordinate, maintain, amend, and/or closeout a clinical research study across the UCLA enterprise.

UCLA Clinical Research Chargemaster Access:

UCLA’s Annual Research Charge Masters are available online and to UCLA AD account holders on UCLA intranet or via UCLA VPN access at the following link: http://finance.mednet.ucla.edu/cdmweb/clinicaltrial/default.htm

For questions related to the UCLA Clinical Research Chargemaster, please contact the UCLA Charge Description Master (CDM) Research Team at CDMResearch@mednet.ucla.edu.