Smarter Site Selection: What Sites Can Do to Stand Out in Feasibility Scoring

Sponsors are no longer relying solely on surveys and gut instinct to select clinical trial sites. Increasingly, they’re turning to site feasibility scoring tools that use real-time data to evaluate which sites are best equipped to recruit patients efficiently and compliantly.

That means performance history, patient availability, and EMR integration now influence whether a site gets chosen for a study. For many sites, that shift has been frustrating—especially when capable teams are passed over without feedback.

But it’s also an opportunity. If your site can proactively demonstrate trial readiness using your own EMR data and performance metrics, you don’t just participate in feasibility—you lead it.

What Modern Site Feasibility Looks Like

Traditional feasibility relied on survey responses and anecdotal estimates. But with protocols becoming more complex and diverse populations harder to reach, sponsors want more than educated guesses.

A 2023 report from Florence Healthcare found that over 75% of sponsors rank EMR access and data integration as key criteria when selecting trial sites. Sponsors increasingly use feasibility scoring tools to assess:

• Real-time access to trial-eligible patients

• Site activation timelines and FPI (first patient in)

• Screen failure and protocol deviation rates

• Digital system readiness (CTMS, eSource, eConsent, etc.)

If you can’t provide that information with evidence, you risk falling behind sites that can.

What Sponsors Are Actually Evaluating

Whether they say it directly or not, sponsors are now prioritizing:

• Recruitment speed: Can you identify and enroll the first patient quickly?

• Accuracy: Do you avoid screen failures and protocol deviations?

• Efficiency: Are your workflows and tech stack built to reduce lag?

• Evidence: Can you show actual data to back up your feasibility claims?

According to Clinical Leader, over 80% of trials fail to meet enrollment targets, and poor feasibility forecasting is a primary contributor.

How Sites Can Take Back Control

The good news: You don’t need to wait for a sponsor to ask for your numbers. You can proactively build your own feasibility data set using AI-driven EMR tools.

Here’s how high-performing sites are doing it:

1. Use EMR-based screening tools (like BEKhealth) to generate real-time patient counts aligned to protocol criteria.
2. Incorporate unstructured data: Physician notes, labs, pathology, and radiology reports often contain eligibility clues missed in structured fields.
3. Track your operational metrics: FPI timelines, screen failures, deviation rates.
4. Present your data in feasibility responses with visuals or summaries showing patient pools and site performance.

Sites using BEKplatform have reported a 40% increase in study selection rate after adding protocol-aligned feasibility reports to their responses.

From Invisible to Indispensable

Data isn’t just something sponsors use to evaluate you—it’s something you can use to advocate for your team. Sites that adopt site feasibility scoring tools not only stand out during selection but also build trust and long-term relationships with sponsors and CROs.

This shift isn’t about being bigger—it’s about being better prepared, better equipped, and more transparent.

From Data-Ready to Study-Ready: Why Visibility Wins

Feasibility scoring isn’t just something happening behind closed doors—it’s shaping which sites succeed and which get left behind. But that shift is an invitation.

Sites that embrace data transparency, use real-time EMR insights, and track their performance aren’t just more likely to get selected—they’re building a sustainable edge in a highly competitive environment. With the right tools, you don’t have to guess what sponsors want. You can show them.