About

Founded by Dr. Jack McGettigan in the late 1990s in Tucson, Arizona, Quality of life Medical Center (QLMC) and Quality of Life Medical & Research Center (QLMRC) are the culmination of Dr. McGettigan’s vision to create a single-facility medical practice focusing on both the patient experience and the total health of each person under a doctor’s care.

QLMC is a multispecialty medical practice working closely with our research division (QLMRC) in patient management and recruitment. QLMC’s 25,000 active patients – widely diverse in both age and condition – receive routine care in a variety of specialty areas. This sizable multispecialty practice allows our research providers to maintain a constant presence on the front lines of patient care.

Quality Aesthetics is an established medical-aesthetics practice utilizing state-of-the-art laser technology. Please click HERE for more information on Quality Aesthetics.

QLMC providers function in the following areas and specialties:

  • General Medical Care
  • Internal Medicine
  • Diabetes Care
  • Interventional Pain Management
  • Sports Medicine
  • Age Management
  • Hormone Therapy for Men and Women
  • Thyroid Management
  • Sexual Medicine
  • Cardiovascular Care
  • Weight Management and Bariatric Medicine
  • Quality of Life Research

QLMRC, one of Tucson’s premier research facilities, has conducted over 100 clinical trials. Our operations and staff are qualified to handle a wide variety of Phase 1-4 studies, ranging from 1-1,000 study participants, and our research-patient population includes a cross section of ethnic backgrounds, ages, and medical conditions.

QLMRC is committed to world-class research results and the development of assurance programs via rigorous staff education and internal audit programs. Continuous quality improvement, an ongoing effort, involves QLMRC’s entire staff, and weekly training meetings at a study’s start are mandatory, as the key to quality research is constant training. And constant communication between CROs, monitors, and QLMRC staff helps maximize the proper results.

QLM&RC has conducted studies in numerous areas, including:

  • Diabetes care and management
  • Migraine medications
  • Cardiovascular (hypertension)
  • Hormone therapies (male and female sexual health)
  • Vaccines (including zoster, influenza, and rotavirus)
  • Weight-loss therapies and drugs
  • Pain therapies and pain management (osteoarthritis, chronic pain)
  • Urological (including prostate and cancer)
  • Gynecological health
  • Healthy management
  • Cholesterol management
  • Sports medicine and injury care

QLM&RC Facilities

  • Temperature-controlled, 24-hour-monitored locked storage facilities featuring -20° F freezers, cold centrifuge, regular centrifuge, stadiometer, DXA (Lunar Prodigy machine) for bone density, and body-fat composition testing
  • 12 exam rooms
  • Four dedicated monitoring rooms
  • Large conference facilities
  • On-site long-term records storage
  • Nearby X-ray facility and on-site colposcope and balance equipment
  • Overnight-sleeping capability, for round-the-clock blood draws
  • On-site emergency equipment including airways, Ambu Bag, IV fluids and epinephrine, IV Benadryl
  • New 7,800-square-foot research facility, centrally located near QLMRC’s medical practice

About QLMC Staff

  • Five study coordinators
  • One nurse-practitioner
  • On site phlebotomists
  • Available registered dietitians
  • One certified Diabetes Educator (for weight loss, diabetic, and lipid trials)
  • Two patient recruiters
  • Administrative staff (for regulatory preparation)
  • One certified DXA technician
  • Five on-site physicians
  • One M.D. (available on a daily basis)
  • Relationships with Specialist M.D.’s (for OB-GYN, gastroenterology, allergy, and immunology, cardiology, pulmonology, orthopedics)

Within a range of two to 25 years, the average years of experience per QLM&RC coordinator is four years. Our investigators’ range of experience is six to 18 years. Standard Operating Procedures are in place for staff training, informed consent, drug accountability, drug storage, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All clinical research staff is Saf-T-Pak certified. A site-responsibility log is kept for all participants involved in a QLM&RC trial. All staff training and meetings are documented for review. Drug accountability is documented at the time of dispensation; drug dispensation is strictly controlled by study coordinators; and, only authorized study staff have access to the drug room.
MEET OUR STAFF >>

QLM&RC Market Position

  • 30,000 active patients, searchable via Clinical Conductor by age, sex, ethnic background, diagnostic code, prescribed medication, and various other fields
  • Patient population: 56% female, 44% male
  • Affiliated with multiple specialty practices including Tucson Orthopedic Institute (48 providers), Genesis OB/GYN (12 providers), Urological Associates (22 providers), Tucson Pain Management, and others
  • Located in the Southwestern desert, with large Hispanic and American Indian populations. Tucson is a popular retirement area, with a University of Arizona-based medical community.
  • With a recruitment specialist, specialized regulatory department, and trained/certified coordinators, QLM&RC has been successfully FDA-audited with no findings of fact
  • Our sophisticated marketing and branding campaigns have established QLM&RC as a regional leader in medical research. In addition to our database marketing, we have a complete print, radio, TV, Internet, email newsletter, and social-media marketing apparatus in place. All recruitment materials are sent to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for review prior to use.
  • Two full-time recruiters for initial patient screening