Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare created an artificial intelligence-based algorithm that can predict the upcoming week's work schedule for its nurse navigators who are in charge of facilitating the process of cancer care for patients.
OSF HealthCare, which has 15 cancer patient navigators at its largest hospital, developed a model to predict upcoming workloads for each navigator's existing patients and for new patients needing navigation.
The team also created a second model to distribute new patients among navigators.
The models use patients' EHR data such as demographics, cancer type and prior healthcare utilization to make its predictions.
"Our cancer patient nurse navigators are highly dedicated, and their workload can sometimes be overwhelming. They never want to shortchange the patient, so they shortchange themselves, working extra hours and sacrificing their own well-being to help patients," Jonathan Handler, MD, senior fellow at OSF Healthcare, said in a June 26 press release. "We hope our system can even out those workloads and improve their work-life balance."