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