Predictability in daily patient volumes is reshaping how oncology infusion centers operate, according to an interview with the associate chief nursing officer of the Cancer Service Line at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
How staffing aligns with forecasted demand
Donna Berizzi, DNP, RN, OCN, NEA-BC explained that when patient flow is spread more evenly across the day, nursing teams can fine‑tune staffing models and skill mix. “You do not need all your nurses arriving at 7 am if the day begins with a slower infusion schedule,” she said, noting that the LeanTaaS iQueue system helps identify when more complex regimens are slated for midday.
Staffing adapts to patient flow.
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By matching nurse start times to expected workloads, the center can avoid over‑staffing early shifts and ensure that newer nurses are exposed to appropriate treatment protocols. The approach also allows the scheduling staff to place short infusion visits into separate templates, keeping the infusion chairs from becoming bottlenecks.
Pharmacy benefits from early patient verification
Pharmacy staff gain a clearer picture of medication demand when patient readiness is verified in advance. Berizzi described a process where patients are contacted one week before their appointment and again 48 to 72 hours prior. If any issues arise, a follow‑up call may occur the day before treatment.
When everything checks out, the pharmacy can prepare the medication before the patient arrives, reducing wait times and limiting waste. Less than 1 % of all medications end up discarded, though some high‑cost drugs are never prepared ahead of time.
These practices contributed to a measurable improvement: average drug wait time fell by 46 %, from 57 minutes to 31 minutes in 2026 after implementing LeanTaaS iQueue. While the reduction may seem modest, it translates into a smoother experience for patients who already spend many hours receiving therapy.
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Predictability also eases coordination across the clinic. When appointment slots, lab results, clinician visits, and infusion capacity line up, early‑day delays are less likely to cascade through the schedule. However, Berizzi acknowledged that some factors—like a lab outage or an unexpected clinician delay—remain outside the team’s control.
Looking ahead with coordinated planning
Berizzi stressed that predictability does not mean every day will be identical. Patient volumes naturally fluctuate from Monday through Friday, and the goal is to give the entire care team enough advance visibility to prepare for the actual workload, not the assumed one.
When a holiday like the July 4th weekend approaches and template utilization spikes, the team can proactively request additional staff, mitigating stress and preventing delays.
