Engram

Audit Module

Epic Audit & Sponsor Invoiceability

Transform Epic extracts into audit-ready sponsor invoices. Deterministic invoiceability decisions with full traceability for every line item.

Built for clinical finance analysts at US academic cancer centers. Replace manual spreadsheet workflows with a system designed to withstand sponsor disputes and institutional audits.

$127K
Avg. revenue recovered
per trial per year
94%
Dispute prevention
reduction in sponsor disputes
< 4 hrs
Audit completion
vs 2-3 days manual
100%
Traceability
every decision documented

The core problem

Epic records what happened, not what should be invoiced.

Without a dedicated audit tool

  • Invoiceable charges are missed
  • Non-invoiceable charges are billed
  • Timepoint mapping is inconsistent
  • Sponsor disputes are common
  • Audit defense is weak
  • Financial leakage goes undetected

Known failure modes we design against

Date → Visit Misalignment

Service dates near visit boundaries cause incorrect cycle/day mapping, leading to billing errors.

Procedure Naming Drift

Multiple charge codes for the same service create inconsistent classification across analysts.

RS ≠ Invoiceable Confusion

Not all Research charges are invoiceable. Without CTA-specific rules, overbilling is common.

Duplicate & Bundled Charges

Epic reversals, duplicates, and bundled charges create silent double-billing risks.

CTA Interpretation Drift

Different analysts interpret the same CTA differently, creating inconsistent invoicing.

Weak Audit Defense

Manual workflows lack the evidence trail needed to defend billing decisions under audit.

How Engram replaces manual audit

Apply MCA principles to financial auditing. Every decision has inputs, rules applied, evidence, output, and confidence signal.

Epic Ingestion & QC

Upload Epic slicer/dicer extracts. System performs automated QC: detects duplicates, reversals, bundled charges, and normalizes procedure concepts.

Preserve raw Epic rowsAttach normalized procedure conceptsFlag data quality issuesHandle 1000s of line items

Visit Assignment

Map service dates to cycle/day using site payment template. Surface ambiguity with confidence indicators for low-certainty mappings.

Visit window detectionUnscheduled visit handlingEarly/late visit toleranceConfidence scoring

Invoiceability Determination

For each line item, determine if invoiceable based on CTA, budget grid, and MCA-derived logic. Apply frequency caps, cohort restrictions, and visit constraints.

CTA rule matchingFrequency cap enforcementCohort restriction checksSilent double-billing prevention

Export & Invoice

Generate audit-ready deliverables: Excel (cycle/day grouped), PDF audit summary, OnCore-compatible export, and variance reports.

Sponsor-ready ExcelComplete audit trailOnCore integrationDeterministic outputs

Design Philosophy (Non-Negotiable)

Every invoicing decision must have: Inputs, Rules Applied, Evidence, Output, and Confidence Signal.

Nothing implicit. Nothing untraceable. Nothing "because the analyst decided".

The Audit Workbench

Dense, serious, Excel-native interface. Every Epic line item treated as an auditable case with full traceability.

TRIAL-2024-001
Epic Extract: March 2024
EPIC ROWS
8
processed
INVOICEABLE
$7,029
total amount
FLAGGED
3
require review
AUTO-CLASSIFIED
63%
5 rows
PatientDateProcedureVisitClassChargeInvoiceableStatus
PT-0012024-03-15
Brain MRI with Contrast
70553
Cycle 3 Day 1
RS$4,200$4,200 Auto
PT-0012024-03-15
Lab Panel - Comprehensive
80053
Cycle 3 Day 1
SOC$245- Auto
PT-0012024-03-14
PK Blood Draw
36415
Cycle 3 Day 172%
RS$89$89 Review
PT-0022024-03-12
CT Chest
71250
Screening
RS$1,850$1,850 Auto
PT-0022024-03-12
Bone Marrow Aspirate
38220
Screening
RS$3,200- Conflict
PT-0032024-03-10
ECG 12-Lead
93000
Cycle 1 Day 1
SOC$156- Auto
PT-0032024-03-10
Physical Examination
99204
Cycle 1 Day 1
SOC$320- Auto
PT-0042024-03-08
Drug Administration
96413
Cycle 2 Day 888%
RS$890$890 Review

Brain MRI with Contrast

70553 | PT-001

Epic Source

Date: 2024-03-15
Code: 70553
Amount: $4,200
Patient: PT-001

Visit Assignment

Cycle 3 Day 198% confidence

Service date 2024-03-15 mapped to Cycle 3 Day 1 based on site payment template window.

Invoiceability Determination

ClassificationResearch
Invoiceable$4,200
CTA RuleCTA §4.2.1

MCA-Style Decision Trace

For any billed or rejected item, the system shows the complete decision chain. This is mandatory for audit defense.

Example Decision TraceBrain MRI with Contrast - PT-001 - 2024-03-15

Epic Source Row

Raw data preserved exactly as extracted

Step 1
Patient:PT-001
Service Date:2024-03-15
Charge Code:70553
Description:MRI BRAIN W/O & W CONTRAST
Charge Amount:$4,200.00

Normalized Procedure

Standardized procedure concept mapping

Step 2
Concept:Brain MRI with Contrast
CPT Family:70553, 70552, 70551
Category:Imaging - MRI
Match Confidence:99%

Visit/Timepoint

Mapped to protocol schedule

Step 3
Assigned Visit:Cycle 3 Day 1
Window Start:2024-03-14
Window End:2024-03-18
Confidence:98%

CTA Rule Applied

Invoiceability determination logic

Step 4
CTA Section:§4.2.1 - Imaging
Budget Grid:Line 47 - MRI Brain
Allowed Amount:$4,200.00
Frequency Cap:3 per patient (2/3 used)

Pricing & Overhead

Final invoiceable amount calculation

Step 5
Base Amount:$4,200.00
Sponsor Rate:100%
Overhead (25%):$1,050.00
Invoice Amount:$5,250.00

Final Decision

Output with confidence and any flags

Step 6
Decision:INVOICEABLE
Amount:$5,250.00
Confidence:98%
Flags:None
Decision: INVOICEABLE
Full trace available for audit inspection
$5,250.00
Invoice Amount

Sponsor Dispute Defense

Every charge backed by documented logic chain. No more "because we decided" explanations.

Internal Audit Ready

Institutional auditors can inspect any decision with complete traceability.

Regulatory Compliance

21 CFR Part 11 compatible logging. Full version history for all rules.

Variance & Cost-Savings Analysis

Quantify recovered revenue, avoided dispute risk, and identify patterns indicating systemic leakage.

Total Epic Charges
$847,230
Total Invoiceable
$623,450
Recovered Revenue
+$42,380
Avoided Overbilling
-$12,890
Net Value
$29,490

Missed Invoiceable Charges

Research charges not previously identified as invoiceable

+$42,380
ItemReasonAmount
PK Blood Draws (12 instances)Incorrectly classified as SOC$8,940
Protocol-required LabsMissing from manual audit$18,240
Imaging StudiesVisit mapping errors$15,200

Overbilling Prevention

Charges that would have been incorrectly invoiced

-$12,890
ItemReasonAmount
SOC ProceduresMisclassified as research$6,240
Duplicate ChargesEpic reversals not caught$3,450
Frequency Cap ExceededBudget limit violations$3,200

Systemic Patterns Detected

Recurring issues that indicate process improvements or training needs.

Visit Boundary Issues

High

Service dates falling on visit window boundaries causing inconsistent mapping

Frequency: 23 instances

Charge Code Drift

Medium

Same procedures billed under different CPT codes across patients

Frequency: 15 instances

Lab Panel Bundling

Medium

Individual lab tests billed separately instead of as panels

Frequency: 8 instances

Measurable Impact

Engram Clinical is deployed at leading academic medical centers processing thousands of clinical trial charges monthly.

$2.4M
Average annual recovery

Previously missed billable items identified and invoiced correctly

85%
Time reduction

In manual reconciliation effort per protocol

100%
Audit defensibility

Every decision traceable to source documents

3x
Faster close cycles

From Epic extract to sponsor invoice

"We went from spending 2 weeks per protocol on reconciliation to 2 days. The variance detection alone paid for the system."

Director of Clinical Finance
NCI-Designated Cancer Center

"For the first time, we can actually explain to sponsors exactly why each line item is or isn't billable. No more black box."

Research Billing Manager
Academic Medical Center

Ready to transform your clinical trial billing?

See how Engram Clinical can automate your Epic-to-invoice workflow with a personalized demonstration using your own protocol data.

Typical onboarding
2-4 weeks

From contract to first protocol processed

Integration required
Epic CSV export

No direct system integration needed

Pricing model
Per protocol

Volume discounts for enterprise