Author: Elizabeth Smith, Director of Product Management, Patient Engagement at Suvoda
Snapshot:
- What it is: Greenphire Patient Payments automates clinical trial participant reimbursement and stipends around the world through flexible, real-time payment methods.
- Why it matters: Financial barriers are a leading driver of trial dropout and site burden. Greenphire Patient Payments eliminates manual workflows and gets patients paid in their preferred method.
- What it delivers: Improved patient engagement and retention, streamlined site workflows, global payment capabilities, and real-time financial transparency for sponsors and CROs.
Greenphire Patient Payments is a financial management software solution that streamlines how clinical trial participants receive compensation and reimbursement. It automates payment workflows, supports flexible payment methods, and provides real-time financial visibility—helping sponsors, sites, and patients navigate the financial aspects of trial participation with less friction.
Why patient payments matter
Financial barriers consistently rank among the top obstacles to trial participation. Patients face out-of-pocket costs for travel, meals, parking, time away from work, and childcare—and traditional reimbursement processes make it worse.
The latest CISCRP Perceptions & Insights Study found that one in three trial participants received no compensation or reimbursement at all. Among those who did, only 49% strongly agreed the amount fully covered their costs. The same study found that 68% of participants ranked compensation for time and expenses among the top 10 most helpful services during participation.1
How Greenphire Patient Payments works
For sites: Streamlined payment execution
Sites can complete a patient payment in under a minute. The portal offers single sign-on with other eClinical systems, local language support, a knowledge center with training resources, and pre-filled fields that reduce manual entry and minimize errors.
After a visit, a coordinator opens the payment portal, selects the patient, enters expenses, and submits. Soon after, the patient receives notification that funds are available. The entire workflow typically takes less than 60 seconds.
For patients: Real-time, flexible payments
Patients receive funds in real time through their preferred payment method. Options include the ClinCard (physical or virtual debit card) or direct bank deposit—depending on regional availability. The product supports payments globally, including 30+ currencies.
Patients track payments through the Suvoda App, which provides mobile and web access to account balances, transaction history, receipt submission, and payment notifications. Configurable text and email alerts keep patients informed in real time.
Greenphire Patient Payments handles both reimbursements for out-of-pocket expenses and stipends for patient time and effort. Integration with eCOA enables automatic payment triggers when patients complete specific activities, removing manual tracking from sites entirely.
For sponsors: Visibility and control
Sponsors gain complete financial transparency through a reporting suite covering payment data, transactional history, program balances, and study budgets. Configurable approval workflows maintain appropriate oversight without slowing payments down.
The product manages regulatory requirements including localized data storage and blinded patient identifiable information. Tax management support covers TIN validation, automatic withholding, payment classification, and 1099 reporting.
Global capabilities
With 24/7 local language support for patients and 30+ currencies available, Greenphire Patient Payments accommodates the complexities of global trials.
What Greenphire Patient Payments delivers
Greenphire Patient Payments provides comprehensive functionality across the payment lifecycle:
- Payment types: Reimbursements, stipends, and data-triggered payments
- Payment methods: ClinCard (physical and virtual), direct bank deposit
- Global reach: 30+ currencies
- Compliance: Tax management, regulatory adherence, data privacy
- Integration: Seamless connectivity with eCOA, RTSM, Travel, and other eClinical technologies through the Suvoda Platform
- Reporting: Real-time financial visibility and configurable approval workflows
The impact: Better patient engagement and retention, reduced site burden, and greater sponsor visibility
Effective payment management can reduce barriers to trial participation and directly affect whether patients stay in a trial.
Greenphire Patient Payments also removes the need for sites to reimburse patients directly—eliminating site cash flow challenges, manual receipt tracking, and spreadsheet reconciliation.
For sponsors running global studies, this translates to better financial control, reduced administrative burden on sites, and fewer payment-related disruptions to trial timelines.
Greenphire Patient Payments and the Suvoda Platform
As part of the Suvoda Platform, Greenphire Patient Payments connects patient payment data alongside other trial data—from randomization and supply management to eCOA, travel, and eConsent—giving sponsors a unified view of financial and operational activity across a study.
Request a demo to see how Greenphire Patient Payments can reduce financial barriers and administrative burden in your trials.
Authors
Elizabeth Smith
Director of Product Management, Patient Engagement,
Suvoda
Footnotes
- Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation. 2025 Perceptions & Insights Study. Published 2025.