Millions of people have benefited thanks to volunteers who have participated in clinical research to help doctors and researchers find more effective, more affordable new treatments with the potential to save lives.
Participants in clinical trials can play a more active role in their own health care, gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, and help others by contributing to medical research.
It is easy to assume there is a cost associated with clinical trial enrollment. After all, you are receiving medications that are not even available to the public yet that might treat a specific ailment you have. However, there is no cost at all and no need for insurance. You may even be paid for your time and travel.
Insurance is not required and is never filed. In fact, we do not need your insurance information at all. That is why clinical research is often a good option for those without insurance. During each study, you receive the study medication, lab tests, and physicals from a certified physician and study team. Some studies will provide MRIs, X-rays, or bone density scans. If you do not have insurance, clinical research provides another avenue to receive medical care under an experienced medical team.
The clinical trial process depends on the kind of trial being conducted. The clinical trial team includes doctors and nurses as well as other health care professionals. They check the health of the participant at the beginning of the trial, give specific instructions for participating in the trial, monitor the participant carefully during the trial, and stay in touch after the trial is completed.
Some clinical trials involve more tests and doctor visits than the participant would normally have for an illness or condition. For all types of trials, the participant works with a clinical research support team. Clinical trial participation is most successful when the protocol is carefully followed and there is frequent contact with the research staff.
You can quit a clinical research study at any time.
At AMR Clinical, all participants receive a debit card that can be loaded by the research team. Once you have completed your first paid visit, your compensation will be added to the debit card.
Some AMR Clinical locations also have referral programs that can range from $50 to $100. When you refer a friend to us and they qualify/randomize in a study, you will be paid for that referral.
Who can participate in clinical trials is determined by inclusion and exclusion criteria. The reasons that allow you to participate in a trial are inclusion criteria, and the reasons that may disqualify you are exclusion criteria. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are detailed in the study protocol and are generally listed in trial databases and briefly in study advertisements you may see or hear. The trial’s objectives, also described in the clinical trial protocol, will dictate participants’ clinical trial eligibility, i.e., healthy or categorized by specific illnesses or conditions.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria may include:
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Smoker or non-smoker
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Pregnancy or intention to become pregnant during a study
- Presence of chronic conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, kidney disease, asthma)
- Stage or severity of a disease
- Previous treatments a participant did or did not take
- Medications a participant is currently taking
- Medical conditions other than the one being studied
- Ability to attend study visits and fulfill data collection requirements (usually involves compensation)
To meet clinical trial eligibility, you must satisfy both the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Once you’ve contacted the clinical site in your area that is running the trial, the medical research team will go through the informed consent process with you. When you have signed your consent form, you may undergo an additional screening process as outlined in the specific trial protocol.
No. However, once your study is complete, you can immediately contact our recruitment specialists to see if there are any new studies that you can participate in.