Turning Oncology Frustrations Into Quality Improvement Solutions: Eileen Ehret, BS

Eileen Ehret, BS, CNMT, ARRT, PET, CPHQ, sat for an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® at the 2026 Community Oncology Conference to discuss a compelling case study from Care Fresno, a larger community oncology facility that uncovered a regimen scheduling error in its electronic health record (EHR) system. When the EHR couldn’t provide adequate safeguards on its own, the team took matters into their own hands and brainstormed a creative solution: a digital macro checklist embedded directly into the patient medication administration record and saved to the patient file. Unlike a paper checklist that could be misplaced, this fix lived within the EHR itself. The result was a measurable reduction in incidents and a powerful reminder that internal ingenuity, not outside intervention, can be the most effective path to improvement.

Ehret, who is vice president of regulatory and compliance at Navista, also spoke to making regulatory and compliance requirements feel relevant to frontline staff, acknowledging the challenge directly: Busy practices often hear “quality improvement” (QI) and assume it means more work piled onto an already full plate. Her strategy is to reframe QI around what clinicians already care about: patient safety and risk reduction. When improvement efforts are positioned as a way to protect patients and reduce errors rather than as a bureaucratic exercise, they naturally capture attention and generate buy-in.

For leaders looking to build a culture of continuous improvement, Ehret stresses the importance of broad communication and inclusion from the start. QI initiatives need to be socialized across every level of the organization—from frontline staff to senior leadership to physicians—so that everyone understands what the project is and why it matters. Her standout piece of advice: create a “frustration station,” a designated safe space where team members can raise process improvement ideas without fear of being labeled a complainer. When staff feel secure enough to speak up, the entire team benefits and can work smarter, not harder.