Facing challenges in optimizing infusion care? Prateek Bhatia, a leading expert, sheds light on how smart scheduling and data analytics are revolutionizing the field. This is crucial because, as you'll see, the stakes are incredibly high for both patients and healthcare providers.
At the 2025 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition, Prateek Bhatia, Vice President and General Manager of Intrafusion at McKesson, shared his insights on the complex world of infusion operations. He stressed the importance of a comprehensive understanding of the patient journey, from the moment a therapy is selected to the final clinical care management. High-cost infusion drugs demand meticulous coordination across various departments, including insurance verification, inventory management, and patient scheduling.
But here's where it gets controversial... Bhatia argues that technology, especially AI-driven tools, is no longer optional but essential for managing multiple infusion centers, diverse therapies, and varying infusion runtimes. He also highlights the critical role of data and analytics in optimizing infusion service lines, preventing patient leakage, and maintaining script capture rates.
Let's dive deeper into what this means.
Pharmacy Times: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Prateek Bhatia: My name is Prateek Bhatia. I lead Intrafusion by McKesson, which focuses on helping health systems and community clinics optimize their infusion services for patients.
Pharmacy Times: How can health systems streamline infusion workflows to reduce administrative burden and give staff more time with patients?
Prateek Bhatia: The process begins with a clear understanding of the therapy prescribed. Then, the complexity of managing high-cost drugs comes into play, starting with verifying insurance coverage and ensuring timely ordering. This involves inventory management, and a seamless scheduling experience for the patient. Effective clinical care management is crucial before and after the infusion. Successfully navigating this complexity, from start to finish, is critical. Combining a well-defined process with the right technology to automate tasks is a great starting point.
Pharmacy Times: What role do technology and data tools play in improving infusion chair scheduling and utilization?
Prateek Bhatia: Technology, particularly AI, plays a huge role. Many health systems manage multiple infusion centers and offer various therapies with different infusion times. Managing this manually is incredibly challenging. The right technology integrates all therapies within the EMR platform or scheduling software, enabling accurate patient volume forecasting. It also accounts for pre- and post-infusion observation times.
From an analytics perspective, it's vital to assess the performance of the infusion service line, including tracking how many patients start and complete their infusions at a given health system. Understanding patient leakage and script capture is also crucial. Technology and analytics are essential for optimizing current operations and preventing script capture decline.
And this is the part most people miss... The ability to harness data and technology isn't just about efficiency; it's about providing better patient care and ensuring the long-term viability of infusion services.
What do you think? Are you seeing these trends in your own experiences? Do you agree with the emphasis on technology and data analytics, or do you have different perspectives on how to improve infusion care? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Stay informed on drug updates, treatment guidelines, and pharmacy practice trends—subscribe to Pharmacy Times for weekly clinical insights.
