Healthcare · Moraph software

Grant & Site Payment Manager

Turn completed research visits into invoices, payments and reconciled accounts

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Overview

What you are buying

Grant & Site Payment Manager tracks each study's budget and the patient visits and milestones that earn payment, so research finance teams know what is owed, what has been invoiced and what has been paid. It matches completed visits from your clinical trial management system to the contract, prepares invoices and site payment requests for approval, and reconciles payments received against them. Payments themselves move through your own accounts payable and banking, and Moraph does not hold funds.

The problem it solves

Research finance at most sites runs on spreadsheets kept beside the clinical trial management system. Coordinators record visits in one place, finance staff re-key them into trackers to work out what can be invoiced, and sponsor payments arrive as lump sums with remittance details that do not match visit by visit. Invoiceable items such as screen failures and start-up fees are easy to miss, coordinating centers struggle to pay participating sites accurately, and at study close-out nobody can easily say whether every visit was paid for or every grant dollar accounted for.

  • Completed visits are re-keyed from the clinical system into finance spreadsheets
  • Sponsor payments arrive in lump sums that are hard to match to visits
  • Invoiceable items such as screen failures and start-up fees are missed
  • Close-out and audit reconciliation is assembled by hand

Who uses it

  • Academic medical centers and health systems that run sponsored clinical trials
  • Research finance and clinical trial billing teams
  • Coordinating centers and research networks that pay participating sites
  • Sponsored programs and grants accounting offices
  • Department research administrators and principal investigators who track study finances

Requirements it supports

ICH E6(R3) Guideline for Good Clinical PracticeFDA electronic records and signatures (21 CFR Part 11)Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR Part 200)Open Payments, Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 CFR Part 403, Subpart I)Medicare Clinical Trial Policy (National Coverage Determination 310.1)HIPAA Privacy Rule research provisions (45 CFR 164.508 and 164.512(i))

The product supports these requirements; meeting them remains your organization’s responsibility.

See how it works

A short walkthrough

Illustrative screens with fictional sample data. They show the workflow, not any client’s data or configuration, and the layout of the product itself differs. A live demonstration uses the product with sample data.

  1. Step 1

    What is ready to invoice

    Analysts start from earned items that no sponsor payment or invoice has covered yet.

    StudySponsorItemParticipantsAmountAge
    Study EX-204Example Sponsor A (fictional)Screen failures3$2,25095 days
    Study EX-204Example Sponsor A (fictional)Unscheduled visits2$1,18040 days
    Study EX-311Example Sponsor B (fictional)Protocol amendment fee-$3,00022 days
    Study EX-118Example Network (fictional)Start-up fee-$5,00012 days
    Analysts start from earned items that no sponsor payment or invoice has covered yet.

  2. Step 2

    The study budget

    Each study's budget shows the contract terms and where the money stands.

    Study EX-204 · Example Sponsor A (fictional)

    Budget version
    Amendment 2
    Per-participant total
    $14,600
    Holdback
    10% until close-out
    Earned to date
    $186,420
    Received to date
    $151,900
    Outstanding
    $34,520

    Invoiceable items

    • Start-up fee, invoiced and paid
    • Screen failures, 3 not invoiced
    • Pharmacy fees, invoiced quarterly
    Each study's budget shows the contract terms and where the money stands.

  3. Step 3

    Matching a participant's visits

    Visits from the clinical trial management system are matched to the budget, and anything that does not match goes back to the coordinator.

    Participant 204-0412 (fictional) · Study EX-204

    Visits completed
    7
    Matched to budget
    6
    Unmatched
    Visit 5, procedure not on budget
    Paid by sponsor
    5
    Earned, not paid
    $1,840

    Unmatched visit detail

    • Visit 5 recorded with an extra imaging procedure
    • Procedure listed as standard of care in budget
    • Sent to coordinator to confirm
    Visits from the clinical trial management system are matched to the budget, and anything that does not match goes back to the coordinator.

  4. Step 4

    An invoice from preparation to payment

    Each invoice keeps a timeline of who prepared, approved, sent and reconciled it.

    Invoice INV-7731 · Study EX-204

    1. Screen failures and unscheduled visits addedResearch financial analyst
    2. Supporting visit detail attachedResearch financial analyst
    3. Invoice approved with electronic signatureResearch finance manager
    4. Invoice sent to sponsorResearch financial analyst
    5. Payment received and allocatedResearch financial analyst
    Each invoice keeps a timeline of who prepared, approved, sent and reconciled it.

  5. Step 5

    Reconciling a sponsor payment

    A lump-sum payment is allocated to visits and invoices, and any difference becomes an exception.

    Remittance lineParticipantItemExpectedPaidResult
    1204-0398Visit 4$1,460$1,460Matched
    2204-0412Visit 4$1,460$1,314Short $146
    3204-0415Visit 2$980$980Matched
    4-Unidentified-$600Unallocated
    A lump-sum payment is allocated to visits and invoices, and any difference becomes an exception.

  6. Step 6

    Tracking a grant award

    Grants accountants see spending against each award's budget by category, taken from your general ledger.

    Award GR-1027 (fictional) · Example Foundation

    Budget period
    Year 2 (sample)
    Personnel
    $212,400 of $260,000
    Supplies
    $18,750 of $22,000
    Participant costs
    $9,300 of $30,000
    Indirect costs
    Calculated at the award rate

    Open items

    • One cost transfer awaiting approval
    • Interim financial report date entered by your office
    • Supplies near budget
    Grants accountants see spending against each award's budget by category, taken from your general ledger.

Workflows

The principal workflows

  1. Budget

    Each study's negotiated budget is set up from the clinical trial agreement: per-visit amounts, procedures, invoiceable items, holdbacks and payment terms.

    • Study and contract details received from your clinical trial management system or entered
    • Visit schedule and per-visit amounts loaded from the budget
    • Invoiceable items added: start-up, screen failures, amendments, pass-through costs
    • Holdbacks, payment terms and overhead rates recorded
    • Budget reviewed and approved by the research finance manager

  2. Track

    Completed participant visits and milestones arrive from your clinical systems and are matched to the budget, so what has been earned is always current.

    • Visit and procedure completions received from the clinical trial management system
    • Each visit matched to the budget line for that study and protocol version
    • Visits missing data entry or monitoring confirmation flagged
    • Coordinator confirms or corrects unmatched visits
    • Earned amounts updated by study, participant and milestone

  3. Invoice and pay

    Earned amounts not covered by the sponsor's automatic payments are invoiced, and coordinating centers prepare payment requests to participating sites. Each goes through approval before leaving the team.

    • Invoiceable items and payment requests prepared from earned amounts
    • Analyst reviews and attaches supporting visit detail
    • Finance manager approves invoices and payment requests
    • Invoices sent to sponsors; payment requests sent to your accounts payable system
    • Status tracked until paid

  4. Reconcile

    Payments received are matched to invoices and visits using the sponsor's remittance, and differences are worked until the account is clear at close-out.

    • Payment and remittance details received from your finance system
    • Payment allocated to visits, invoices and holdbacks
    • Short payments and unmatched amounts raised as exceptions
    • Exceptions resolved with the sponsor and the resolution recorded
    • Close-out reconciliation prepared for the study or award

Roles and permissions

Who does what in the product

Each role below is a starting point. During implementation we set them up to match your teams, and every action anyone takes is recorded in the audit trail.

Research financial analyst

Research financial analyst, clinical trial billing specialist, post-award analyst

Keeps each study's money straight: budget set up, earned amounts invoiced, payments reconciled.

Sees

  • Budgets, earned amounts, invoices and payments for their assigned studies
  • Unmatched visits and reconciliation exceptions
  • Sponsor payment terms and holdbacks

Does

  • Sets up and updates study budgets from contracts and amendments
  • Prepares invoices and site payment requests with supporting detail
  • Allocates payments received to visits and invoices
  • Works reconciliation exceptions with sponsors
  • Proposes write-offs for amounts that will not be collected
  • Prepares close-out reconciliations

Cannot

  • Approve their own budgets, invoices, payment requests or write-offs
  • Send a payment request to accounts payable without approval
  • Change a visit's clinical completion status
Approvals
Budgets, invoices, payment requests and write-offs they prepare need approval by the research finance manager or another designated approver.
Notified about
New unmatched visits, payments received, exceptions assigned to them, and invoices returned with comments.

Study coordinator

Clinical research coordinator, research nurse, study manager

Makes sure the visits that earned payment are recorded correctly so finance can bill for them.

Sees

  • Visits for their studies and whether each matched the budget
  • Unmatched or incomplete visits flagged for them
  • Invoiceable items triggered by their visits

Does

  • Confirms visit completions and procedures performed
  • Corrects visit details in the clinical trial management system when a match fails
  • Records screen failures and unscheduled visits
  • Answers analyst questions about visits

Cannot

  • See invoice amounts, payments or budgets unless your institution allows it
  • Prepare or approve invoices
  • Change budget lines
Approvals
None required.
Notified about
Visits that did not match the budget and questions from analysts.

Research finance manager

Research finance manager, director of clinical research finance, research revenue cycle manager

Approves the money that leaves and the amounts the institution claims, and oversees the research receivables.

Sees

  • All studies, budgets, invoices, payments and exceptions
  • Receivables by sponsor and age
  • Write-offs and approvals history

Does

  • Approves or returns budgets, invoices and payment requests
  • Approves write-offs within their limit
  • Assigns studies to analysts
  • Sets approval limits and invoicing rules
  • Reviews receivables and close-out status

Cannot

  • Approve an item they prepared themselves
  • Edit or delete audit trail entries
  • Approve write-offs above the limit your policy sets without a further approver
Approvals
Approves budgets, invoices, payment requests and write-offs; items they prepared need a second approver.
Notified about
Items waiting for approval, receivables past the age you set, and close-outs ready for sign-off.

Grants accountant

Sponsored programs accountant, post-award grants accountant, grants manager

Keeps federal and foundation awards within budget and ready for financial reporting.

Sees

  • Awards, budget categories and periods
  • Spending from the general ledger mapped to each award
  • Cost transfers and reporting deadlines entered by your office

Does

  • Sets up awards and budget categories
  • Reviews spending against each award's budget
  • Proposes cost transfers with justification
  • Prepares data for financial reports to the funding agency
  • Prepares award close-out reconciliations

Cannot

  • Post entries to your general ledger, which stays the system of record
  • Approve their own cost transfers
  • Change clinical trial budgets
Approvals
Cost transfers and award close-outs are approved by the research finance manager or sponsored programs director.
Notified about
Awards approaching budget limits, reporting dates your office has entered, and cost transfers returned.

Principal investigator or department administrator

Principal investigator, department research administrator, division business manager

Understands the financial position of their own studies and awards.

Sees

  • Earned, invoiced, received and outstanding amounts for their studies
  • Award spending against budget
  • Open exceptions affecting their studies

Does

  • Reviews study and award summaries
  • Answers questions on visits and costs
  • Exports summaries for department planning

Cannot

  • Change budgets, invoices or payments
  • See studies or awards outside their department
  • Approve financial transactions
Approvals
None required.
Notified about
Monthly summaries if subscribed, and exceptions on their studies that need their input.

Auditor (read-only)

Internal auditor, external auditor, sponsor auditor (under temporary access)

Reviews budgets, reconciliations and approvals without being able to change anything.

Sees

  • Budgets, invoices, payments and reconciliations within the scope granted
  • Approvals and electronic signatures
  • The audit trail

Does

  • Searches and reads records within their scope
  • Exports evidence they have been given access to, with each export logged
  • Leaves review notes where enabled

Cannot

  • Change, approve or delete anything
  • See records outside the scope and dates granted
  • Keep access after it expires
Approvals
Their access is approved by the research finance manager or an administrator, with a scope and an end date.
Notified about
Nothing by default.

Administrator

Application administrator, research systems analyst

Manages users, roles and integrations without working financial records.

Sees

  • Users, roles and study assignments
  • Integration status and file errors
  • The record of permission changes

Does

  • Adds and removes users, or maps them from single sign-on groups
  • Assigns roles and departments
  • Monitors integration errors and reprocesses files
  • Runs access review reports

Cannot

  • Change budgets, invoices or payments
  • Grant themselves a finance role without a second approver
  • Change approval limits
Approvals
Role changes that grant approval rights are approved by the research finance manager.
Notified about
Integration failures, access reviews due, and accounts unused for a period your policy sets.

Permissions at a glance

ActionAnalystCoordinatorFin managerGrants acctPI or deptAuditorAdmin
Set up and amend budgetsOwn work onlyNo accessApprovesNo accessNo accessNo accessNo access
Confirm and correct visitsView onlyOwn work onlyView onlyNo accessView onlyView onlyNo access
View earned and outstanding amountsOwn work onlyNo accessFullView onlyOwn work onlyView onlyNo access
Prepare invoicesOwn work onlyNo accessFullNo accessNo accessNo accessNo access
Approve invoices and payment requestsNo accessNo accessApprovesNo accessNo accessNo accessNo access
Allocate payments receivedOwn work onlyNo accessFullNo accessNo accessNo accessNo access
Propose and approve write-offsOwn work onlyNo accessApprovesNo accessNo accessNo accessNo access
Manage awards and cost transfersNo accessNo accessApprovesOwn work onlyView onlyView onlyNo access
Prepare close-out reconciliationOwn work onlyNo accessApprovesOwn work onlyView onlyView onlyNo access
View audit trailNo accessNo accessView onlyNo accessNo accessView onlyView only
Manage users and rolesNo accessNo accessApprovesNo accessNo accessNo accessFull
  • Full
  • Own work only
  • Approves
  • View only
  • No access

How access is controlled

  • Two-person rules are built in: nobody approves a budget, invoice, payment request, write-off or cost transfer that they prepared themselves.
  • Coordinators see visits but not money by default, and principal investigators and department administrators see only their own studies and awards.
  • Roles are configured with you during implementation. You can rename them, create custom roles, and limit them by department, sponsor or study portfolio.
  • Staff sign in through your identity provider, and roles can follow its groups. Every permission change is logged, and auditors receive temporary read-only access with a scope and an end date.

Features

What it does

Study budgets

Per-visit amounts, procedures, invoiceable items, holdbacks and payment terms for each study, versioned with each contract amendment.

Visit matching

Completed visits and procedures from your clinical trial management system matched to the budget line for the protocol version in effect.

Earned revenue tracking

What each study has earned, invoiced, received and is still owed, down to the participant and visit.

Invoiceable item capture

Start-up fees, screen failures, unscheduled visits, amendments and pass-through costs flagged when triggered so they are invoiced.

Invoice preparation

Invoices prepared with supporting visit detail in the format each sponsor requires, approved before they are sent.

Site payment requests

Coordinating centers calculate what each participating site has earned and send approved payment requests to accounts payable.

Payment reconciliation

Payments and remittance matched to visits and invoices, with short payments and unmatched amounts raised as exceptions.

Holdback tracking

Amounts withheld under the contract tracked until released, and included in close-out.

Grant award tracking

Federal and foundation awards tracked by budget category and period, with spending from your general ledger compared with the award.

Approval rules

Budgets, invoices, payment requests and write-offs each need approval by a second person, with limits you set.

Close-out

A reconciliation of every visit, invoice, payment and holdback at study or award end, with open items listed.

Audit trail

Every budget change, match, approval and reconciliation logged with the person, time and reason, with electronic signatures where you require them.

Integrations

How it connects to your systems

Connects toHowWhat flows
Clinical trial management systemStudies, protocol versions, participants, visit completions and procedures received from your clinical trial management system by API or scheduled file.In: studies, visit calendars, completions and participant identifiers used by the study.
Electronic health recordResearch visit and procedure status used to confirm completions where your clinical trial management system does not hold them.In: research encounters and procedures linked to studies.
General ledger and ERPPayments received, remittance details and spending by account are read from your finance system, which remains the system of record.In: receipts, remittance and spending by account. Out: allocation and reconciliation entries for your team to post.
Accounts payableApproved site payment requests are sent to your accounts payable system, which makes the payments.Out: approved payment requests. In: payment status and dates.
Sponsor invoicingInvoices produced in the format each sponsor or its payment vendor accepts, as a file for upload or email.Out: invoices with supporting visit detail.
Grants management systemAward, budget and period details from your sponsored programs system.In: awards, budget categories and periods.
Single sign-onStaff sign in through your identity provider (SAML or OpenID Connect).In: user identity and group membership for role assignment.
Work APIBudget, earned, invoice and reconciliation data available to your data warehouse through the Moraph Work API.Out: studies, visits, invoices, payments and exceptions.

Each integration is confirmed in discovery and specified in the design. See how an engagement progresses.

Security and privacy

How your data is protected

Single sign-on

Staff sign in through your identity provider, so your password and multi-factor policies apply.

Role-based access

What each person sees follows their role and department; preparing a financial transaction is separate from approving it.

Business associate agreement

Where visit data includes protected health information, Moraph signs a business associate agreement with you.

Encryption and keys

Client data is encrypted, with keys Moraph staff cannot use without explicit, time-bound authorization.

Complete audit trail

Every change, approval, signature and export is logged with the person, time and reason, and cannot be edited.

Data residency

Data stays in the hosting region you choose: the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia.

Company-wide controls, independent audits (SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 27001) and data residency are described in our Trust Center, where you can request the evidence pack.

Reporting

What you can report on

11 standard reports, grouped by who uses them. Each shows who it is for, how it can be broken down, how it is delivered and what it is used for. The data behind them is also available to your own reporting tools.

Operational

Ready to invoice

For research financial analysts

Earned visits, procedures and invoiceable items not yet covered by a sponsor payment or invoice.

Break down by
Study, Sponsor, Item type, Age
Delivered as
Live dashboard; CSV export
Used for
Invoicing everything that has been earned.

Unmatched visits

For analysts and study coordinators

Completed visits that did not match a budget line, and why.

Break down by
Study, Coordinator, Reason, Age
Delivered as
Live view; scheduled email
Used for
Fixing visit data so it can be billed.

Reconciliation exceptions

For analysts and the research finance manager

Short payments, overpayments and unallocated receipts, with their status and owner.

Break down by
Sponsor, Study, Exception type, Age
Delivered as
Live dashboard; CSV export
Used for
Working payment differences to resolution.

Approvals waiting

For research finance manager

Budgets, invoices, payment requests, write-offs and cost transfers waiting for approval.

Break down by
Item type, Preparer, Age
Delivered as
Live view; scheduled email
Used for
Keeping approvals moving.

Financial

Research receivables aging

For research finance manager and leadership

Amounts invoiced and earned but unpaid, by sponsor and age.

Break down by
Sponsor, Study, Department, Age band
Delivered as
Live dashboard; PDF; CSV export
Used for
Following up overdue sponsors and reporting receivables.

Study financial summary

For principal investigators, department administrators and finance

For each study, the budget, earned, invoiced, received, holdbacks and outstanding amounts.

Break down by
Study, Department, Investigator, Period
Delivered as
Live dashboard; PDF; scheduled email
Used for
Giving investigators and departments a clear view of each study's position.

Site payments

For coordinating center finance staff

Amounts earned by each participating site, payment requests approved and payments made.

Break down by
Site, Study, Status, Period
Delivered as
Live dashboard; CSV export
Used for
Paying participating sites accurately and answering their questions.

Grants

Award spending

For grants accountants and principal investigators

Spending against each award's budget by category and period.

Break down by
Award, Budget category, Period, Department
Delivered as
Live dashboard; CSV export
Used for
Keeping awards within budget and preparing financial reports.

Cost transfers

For grants accountants and the sponsored programs office

Each proposed and approved cost transfer with its justification, preparer and approver.

Break down by
Award, Preparer, Approver, Period
Delivered as
Live view; CSV and PDF export
Used for
Showing that cost transfers were justified and approved.

Audit

Close-out reconciliation

For finance, auditors and sponsors

Every visit, invoice, payment, holdback and write-off for a study or award, with open items listed.

Break down by
Study or award, Item type, Status
Delivered as
PDF and CSV export
Used for
Closing a study or award with complete evidence.

Audit trail extract

For internal and external auditors

Who changed, approved or signed what, when and why, for a selected study, award or period.

Break down by
Record, User, Action, Date range
Delivered as
On request in the product; CSV and PDF export
Used for
Answering audit requests without assembling evidence by hand.

Exports, access and evidence

  • Every report can be exported to CSV, and summary and evidence reports to PDF. Reports can be scheduled by email to people entitled to see them.
  • Filters can be saved, so each analyst, manager or department keeps their own views.
  • Budget, visit, invoice and payment data is available through the Moraph Work API for reporting alongside your other finance data.
  • Reports respect each viewer's role: investigators and departments see only their own studies and awards.
  • Reconciliation and close-out reports can be run as of a past date and give the same result each time. Running and exporting a report is recorded in the audit trail.

Deployment

Where and how it runs

Moraph cloud

Hosted and operated by Moraph in the United States region. United Kingdom and Australia regions are available for organizations outside the US.

Dedicated environment

A single-tenant environment for organizations whose policies require isolation, scoped in the proposal.

With a managed service

Optionally run alongside Moraph managed services for integration engine or identity support.

Security controls, independent audits and data residency are set out in our Trust Center. Engagement models and what drives a quotation are on Working with Moraph.

Implementation

What a rollout involves

The general phases are on Working with Moraph. For this product, they involve the following.

Finance process review

We review how your team budgets, invoices, pays sites and reconciles today, and agree approval limits and invoicing rules.

System connections

We connect your clinical trial management system, finance system, accounts payable and grants system. We need data extracts and contacts from each system's team.

Budget loading

Budgets for active studies are loaded from contracts and checked by your analysts before go-live.

Historical reconciliation

For studies you choose, past visits and payments are loaded and matched so open balances start from a reconciled position.

Roles and approvals

Roles, departments, approval limits and electronic signature requirements are configured to match your procedures.

Training and go-live

Analysts, coordinators, approvers and department administrators are trained on their own workflows, starting with a set of studies you choose.

Limitations

What it does not do

Worth knowing before you evaluate it.

  • Moraph does not hold funds. Payments are made by your accounts payable system and received into your own bank accounts.
  • It is not a general ledger or ERP. Your finance system remains the system of record, and your team posts entries there.
  • It is not a clinical trial management system. Visit completions come from your clinical systems, and match quality depends on that data.
  • It does not negotiate budgets or contracts; it records the terms you agree with sponsors.
  • It does not perform Medicare coverage analysis. It can record which items are billed to the sponsor, but the billing determination is made by your team.
  • It does not pay study participants; participant payments stay with the method your institution uses.
  • It does not submit financial reports to federal agencies or report to Open Payments; it prepares data your teams use for those submissions.
  • Approval limits, write-off decisions and cost transfer justifications are your institution's decisions; the product records and enforces them.

Evaluation checklist

What to test in a demonstration or pilot

Questions worth putting to us, and to any other vendor you are considering.

  1. Load one active study's budget and visit history and compare the earned amount with your current tracker
  2. Allocate a recent sponsor payment and see how differences are raised and worked
  3. Check that screen failures and other invoiceable items are flagged when triggered
  4. Walk an invoice from preparation through approval and confirm the two-person rule
  5. Review the close-out reconciliation for a study you have already closed
  6. Confirm what coordinators, investigators and department administrators can each see

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Does Moraph move or hold research funds?

No. Sponsors pay into your bank accounts and your accounts payable system pays participating sites. Moraph does not hold funds.

Does it replace our clinical trial management system?

No. It reads studies and visit completions from your clinical trial management system and adds the financial tracking, invoicing and reconciliation.

Can a coordinating center use it to pay participating sites?

Yes. It calculates what each site has earned from its visits and sends approved payment requests to your accounts payable system.

Does it support electronic signatures?

Yes. Approvals can require an electronic signature, and signatures are recorded in the audit trail with the meaning of each signature.

How is it priced?

As a subscription, usually based on the number of active studies or awards, with implementation charged separately. See Working with Moraph for what drives a quotation.

Is there an accessibility conformance report?

Ask for one through the procurement request form at /how-to-buy/request, naming the version you are evaluating.

Next steps

Evaluate Grant & Site Payment Manager

Book a demonstration

See the product working with sample data, focused on your workflows.

Request a demonstration

Request a technical briefing

Architecture, integrations, security and hosting, with our engineers and your technical team.

Request a briefing

Factsheet

This page on two sides, to share with colleagues or add to your evaluation file.

Open the factsheet

Buying through a formal procurement? See How to buy for purchasing routes, accessibility conformance reports and company information. Documentation: Grant & Site Payment Manager guides on docs.moraph.com (getting started and security guides are public; setup, administration and integration guides are for client accounts). Support: Grant & Site Payment Manager support guide.

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