By partnering with or participating in clinical research trials, CMHCs can generate revenue through reimbursement for specific services provided as part of study protocols. This income stream can help bridge funding gaps, enabling centers to maintain or even expand their mental health services despite budgetary constraints.

Sponsors (pharmaceutical companies sponsoring the clinical trials) usually pay clinicians a certain amount per study participant recruited for a study—anything from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the requirements of the trial. The compensation covers services rendered, lab work, and other expenses. Sandoval points out that profit should not be a reason to participate in clinical trials. “If you’re doing it for the money, forget about it,” he says.

A much better reason to participate is “for the patients,” Sandoval adds. Participating in clinical trials can give patients access to new treatment options or off-label uses of medications. It can also provide free medications and care for patients who are struggling with health care costs. Patients may receive laboratory tests, procedures, and examinations for which insurance companies would not necessarily pay.(1)

(1) Excerpted from ‘Practice-Based Clinical Trials: Benefits and Barriers’, by Emily Paulsen, 2016. https://physicians.dukehealth.org/articles/practice-based-clinical-trials-benefits-and-barriers