WCG announced the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) is implementing WCG's IRBNet electronic submission and review system for more than 100 VA medical centers (VAMCs) that have research programs.
In 2019, the VA selected IRBNet as the best solution to meet its complex research and compliance needs on an enterprise scale and to standardize processes among all sites. IRBNet provides technology-supported workflow, communication and documentation capabilities, assisting IRB compliance with ethical and regulatory standards for the inclusion of appropriate human subject protections, and the oversight of study conduct as mandated by federal guidelines.
"We are proud that WCG is providing support to the dedicated VA clinicians who care for our veterans at the VA research sites. By precisely following the workflow of the VA's IRB processes, the IRBNet application enables a seamless transition from paper documents to more efficient electronic reviews. The expertise of our support teams and the ease-of-use of the application were the most compelling features that VA ORD considered in making this large-scale strategic decision," said Donald A. Deieso, PhD, Executive Chairman and CEO of WCG.
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IRBNet allows all the functions performed by the VA IRBs to be conducted electronically, from reviewing the research submission application through reporting meeting minutes, coordinating communications, and tracking correspondence to submitting approved protocols. Some VA IRB offices are transitioning from preparing masses of paper documents for review to assigning reviews electronically, while others are migrating from different electronic systems.
"We are delighted that all the VA sites will now be using IRBNet. We specifically designed the platform to facilitate IRB compliance and increase productivity," said Jeremy Katz, President, WCG IRBNet. "By reducing VA IRB staff's administrative burden, IRBNet allows them to devote more time to other high priority activities, such as training and protocol development."