Cancer Center Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) Working Group

Current Project: CTMR

"Clinical Trials Medical Record"

Next Generation CMTS & EMR Focus Group

The Future of Integrated Clinical Trials Management: The future of the Clinical Trials Management System (CTMS) lies in its seamless integration with the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), creating a unified, intelligent ecosystem that connects clinical care, research operations, and real-world data. Next-generation CTMS platforms will move beyond traditional study tracking and financial management to become AI-enabled, interoperable environments that support automated patient identification and trial matching, streamlined eligibility screening, electronic consent, remote monitoring, and the integration of research workflows into routine clinical care. Standardized, bidirectional data exchange between CTMS and EMR platforms will provide timely access to structured and unstructured clinical information, reduce duplicate documentation and administrative burden, and accelerate study activation and patient accrual.

To support this transformation, 2026 will mark the launch of the CTMR Project—Clinical Trials Medical Record: Next-Generation CTMS and EMR National Focus Group. This phased, collaborative initiative will bring together leaders from NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, community oncology programs, health systems, industry, and technology organizations to help define the future architecture of integrated clinical and research data ecosystems.

The Cancer Center CRIO Working Group will focus on the standards, governance frameworks, interoperability strategies, AI-enabled workflows, and operational practices required to incorporate clinical trials into the longitudinal patient record. This work will support decentralized and hybrid trial models, strengthen regulatory compliance and reporting, reduce operational silos, and help establish a continuously learning health system in which research and patient care inform one another.

Ultimately, the convergence of CTMS and EMR platforms—guided by national collaborations such as the CTMR Project—will provide a critical foundation for precision oncology, AI-enabled clinical research, and the continued modernization of cancer care.

Learn more here and consider participation: Link