WellSky and uMed announce partnership to support remote participation in national clinical research registries

The agreement connects home-based care providers with an automated registry platform, enabling patients to participate in longitudinal clinical research from home, with initial cohorts planned in cardiometabolic disease and Parkinson’s disease from 2026. 

WellSky and uMed have announced a partnership aimed at expanding patient access to national clinical research registries through existing home-based care relationships. By integrating a large network of care providers with an automated registry infrastructure, the collaboration is designed to support the systematic collection of real-world clinical data from patients in routine care settings.   

The partnership brings together WellSky’s network of more than 10,000 home-based care organizations and uMed’s ACCESS Cohorts platform, which supports the development and operation of national, longitudinal registries. Under this model, patients receiving care from participating providers will be able to enroll in research registries remotely, without additional site visits or disruption to established care pathways. This approach is particularly important for underserved, rural, and aging populations who are often willing to participate in clinical research but face practical barriers to doing so. By enabling participation within routine, home-based care settings, the model has the potential to broaden access to research and generate clinical trial and real-world evidence (RWE) that is more reflective of the populations most likely to receive these interventions in practice. 

The registries will collect real-world data (RWD) on patient experiences, treatment preferences, and medication usability across multiple therapeutic areas. Initial cohorts will focus on cardiometabolic conditions and Parkinson’s disease, with the first registries expected to launch in 2026 and further expansion planned over time. 

The companies position the initiative as a way to reduce longstanding barriers to research participation for patients who are not treated at large academic medical centers, by embedding registry enrolment within existing home-based care relationships. As Bill Miller, chairman and CEO of WellSky, explained: 

“Access to participate in clinical research has historically been limited for many patients, particularly those not connected to major academic medical centers. By integrating WellSky’s expansive provider network with uMed’s turnkey registry infrastructure, we are establishing a new framework for inclusive, patient-centered research that meets individuals where they are.”   

In addition to supporting patient participation, the partnership is expected to offer operational value for care providers. Participation in national registries may support more consistent data reporting and enable organizations to compare performance against national benchmarks, helping to identify areas for improvement and inform quality improvement efforts. 

From uMed’s perspective, the collaboration aligns with its focus on generating more representative sources of RWE. “uMed’s mission is to make research more accessible and representative,” said Matt Wilson, MD, founder and CEO of uMed: 

“Partnering with WellSky allows us to reach patients where they are—at home—while ensuring the process is seamless for clinical teams. Together, we’re expanding the potential of real-world evidence generation at scale from patient populations that have historically been out of reach.” 

Through the ACCESS Cohorts platform, uMed supports longitudinal registry development by linking electronic health records (EHRs) with patient-reported outcomes, generating datasets intended to inform regulatory, payer, and clinical decision-making.