When battling cancer, every minute counts. Getting patients scheduled quickly and efficiently for infusion treatments, and minimizing wait times once they’ve arrived, is critical—which is why Temple Health recently started using an automated scheduling template generator across its infusion centers.
“This is one of the most vulnerable times in a patient’s life,” says Jennifer Hansell, MBA, Director of Epic Revenue Cycle for Temple Health’s IT Department, who helped lead the infusion template generator rollout. “When you’re diagnosed with cancer, you want to get an appointment as soon as possible, because your life can depend on it. The infusion template generator is getting more patients—and members of our community—through our doors so they can receive the treatment they need.”
“Thanks to this new tool, patients can get appointments faster, wait times have been reduced, and infusion chair utilization has increased,” explains Katie Licata Deschaine, IT’s Vice President of Clinical Applications.
“At Fox Chase Cancer Center at Chestnut Hill Hospital, which was the first implementation site, there’s been a 15% increase in schedule utilization from the initial go-live through January 2026,” Deschaine continues. “The department logged 59 more visits in January than in their first month of operation, and they’re now caring for an average of 3.4 additional patients each day. It’s making a real difference for our patients and community.”
AI-Assisted Scheduling Meets Patients’ Needs
In the past, Temple Health’s multiple infusion centers used several different scheduling systems, with some locations utilizing a third-party product. “We wanted to streamline and standardize our workflows, so we identified an infusion template generator within Epic that, according to our preliminary analysis, would reduce patient wait times and produce better chair and nurse utilization,” says Deschaine.
The infusion template generator uses AI to analyze Temple Health’s data, making informed scheduling decisions to best utilize the Health Sytem’s resources. “Historically, we would ask, ‘Is there a chair available? Is there a nurse available?’” Hansell explains. “But this new product analyzes the patient’s needs and the treatment course their doctor has prescribed. Then, it matches them with a chair based on the complexity of their treatment, the time it will take, the nurse who’s best equipped to perform it, and the locations with availability.”
All of this makes it much easier and more convenient for patients to receive chemotherapy, immunotherapy, non-chemotherapy infusion, and hydration and blood product transfusion services at a Temple Health infusion center, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital, Fox Chase Cancer Center at Temple University Hospital, TUH-Northeastern Campus, Fox Chase Cancer Center-East Norriton and Buckingham, and the Fox Chase-Temple Bone Marrow Transplant Program.
Mission-Driven Innovation
Both Hansell and Deschaine emphasize that this implementation was driven by a desire to improve the patient experience. “By adopting the infusion template generator, we’re innovating in this space, but we did this because it was best for our patients,” says Deschaine. “We wanted them to have the most positive infusion experience possible.”
“When we decide whether to use a new technology, it’s all about how it will further our mission,” Hansell says. “In this case, we’re leveraging AI to tailor our infusion services to the patient’s needs—and by improving scheduling efficiency and cutting down on wait and lead times, we can care for more members of our community.”