One of the great things about participating in a Rare Patient Voice study is that we pay you by check. So, you can use it for whatever you need, you are not restricted as you would be if it were a gift card.
How does the process work?
Once a study is over (we say “closed”) – meaning every patient or caregiver has finished the survey or interview – the study sponsor notifies us. We confirm by ID number everyone who has taken part and we send the checks in for processing. Note that your check isn’t processed as soon as you do your questionnaire – we need to process them all at once. So, studies can run a few weeks after you have completed your part.
We send the checks in to our very reliable check processing company. Usually we send them in every Friday for studies that have closed that week. The following week, the checks are processed and mailed out. Once they are mailed, we’ll send you an email letting you know to expect it. Mail service can vary, but you should get them in a week or two after they’ve been sent for processing.
If you ever have a question about your payment, please ask your project manager. They are the one whose name and email address is on the emails you have received about the study. They can tell you if the study hasn’t closed, and when they expect it to. And if you have received the email that your check has been sent, and two weeks have gone by, then something has gone wrong. It doesn’t happen often, but we send out thousands of checks, and like with anything in the mail, they could go astray. Please let us know if it hasn’t arrived, we’ll double check the address with you, and send a new check if necessary. Sometimes people tear their check and need a replacement, we are happy to do that.
We ask your address when you qualify for each study. That is the address the check is sent to. We use that rather than the address we have in your profile to make sure we are using your most recent address.
We have paid out over 3.6 million dollars in checks for patients completing studies. We want you to receive your check. And since we pay the check processing company, we pay for your check whether you get it or not. We don’t save anything if you don’t get it! So, we want to make sure you get it and use it! Please ask us if you have any questions. In addition to your Project Manager, you can email us at research@rarepatientvoice.com .
