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Webinar

How Nebraska Medicine and Rush University Cancer Center Leveraged Advanced Analytics to Optimize Infusion Operations for Up to 10% More Patients Served

Speakers

rebecca-duchman
Rebecca Duchman
MSN, MA, RN, NEA-BC Director Ambulatory Infusion/Treatment Services Buffett Cancer Center, Nebraska Medicine
INF Impact Story 2 - Katie_Kean
Katie Kean
BSN, OCN, RN Manager Clinical Operations-Oncology Infusion Rush University Cancer Center

Summary

Infusion scheduling is a complex problem. Capacity, including nurse resources, is limited and fixed, while patients’ need for appointments is unlimited and variable. The mismatch between nurses and patient loads leads to busy midday “peaks” between 10am and 2pm, causing inconsistent nurse workloads, missed lunch breaks and a higher risk of burnout. By instead level loading the infusion schedule throughout the day, infusion centers can unlock additional capacity while providing predictably paced shifts for nurses. 

Two leading cancer centers, Chicago-based Rush University Cancer Center and Nebraska Medicine (Omaha), have been leveraging the AI-powered iQueue for Infusion Centers solution for over five years to “smooth schedules”, increase efficiency, improve patient access by accommodating higher appointment volumes, and enhance nurse satisfaction by providing full, consistent work weeks.

In this presentation, leaders from Rush University, Nebraska Medicine, and LeanTaaS explore the unique challenges involved in optimizing infusion schedules to make the best use of chairs, nurses, and other resources, the reasons that AI technology is required to create optimized infusion schedules, and the ways cancer centers have applied and grown this technology to continue improving their own operations and better serve patients and nurses alike. 

Viewers of this webinar will be able to: 

  • Understand how AI scheduling tools level-load appointment durations to maximize infusion chair utilization while maintaining safe nurse-to-patient ratios
  • Explain how data-driven AI appointment scheduling can increase operational efficiency by reducing wait times, improving nurse satisfaction, and growing patient volume without adding staff
  • Describe how implementing AI scheduling tools in infusion centers can further benefit operations through financial ROI, Magnet nursing standards compliance, and meeting target metrics for chair turns and nurse utilization

Results

20-28%Typically reduced wait times and 5-10% more patients served combined between Nebraska Medicine and Rush University
Grewcapacity at one infusion center by 10-15 appointments per day, for 20% growth, within 12-18 months of implementing iQueue (Nebraska Medicine)
Highlightedthe role of iQueue for Infusion Centers in the documentation submitted for its fifth Magnet designation (Rush University Cancer Center)
We tried to use [our EHR] as much as possible, but it was nothing compared to how iQueue has allowed us to look at our data…when we demonstrate how many more patients we are able to serve and how many we can fit into the full length of the day, it's telling and quite impressive.
Katie Kean, RN, BSN, OCN
Manager of Clinical Operations and Oncology Infusion, Rush University Cancer Center

Related resources

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