A Blueprint for Success: Lessons from the Barbey Pavilion Move
Katie Michaud, executive director of oncology services and a published author, hopes to help cancer centers nationwide prepare for change by sharing lessons learned from Cape Cod Healthcare’s move into the Barbey Pavilion.
Katie Michaud is passionate about sharing ideas that make a difference—especially ones that can help and inspire others.
Whether it’s a new approach to improving patient care or solving operational challenges, the executive director of oncology services, now in her eighth year at Cape Cod Healthcare, believes some of the best innovations come from learning from one another.
So when the Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) invited Michaud to write about how Cape Cod Healthcare prepared its oncology teams for the move into the Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion, she welcomed the opportunity. The article, scheduled for publication this fall in Oncology Issues, will be Michaud’s third for the organization’s online journal. Her first, published in 2015, highlighted a post-biopsy clinic for breast patients she helped develop at a small community hospital in Georgia. Her second article focused on improving access to oncology nutrition services at Cape Cod Healthcare.
“I hope our work at Cape Cod Healthcare and our cancer program can spark innovation, ideas and problem-solving for another cancer program,” said Michaud.
“The exercise of putting our worry up on the walls helped increase our confidence,” said Michaud.
What could go wrong?
That question laid the foundation for a detailed planning process using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), a structured framework that helps teams identify potential risks before they become serious problems. Rather than reacting to challenges after the move, the team worked to anticipate them, prioritize them and develop solutions in advance.
“This tool helped us alleviate anxiety around the overwhelming thought of a big change,” Michaud said. “Many of us are always going to the worst-case scenario anyway. Why not harness that?”
The team considered everything from ensuring an adequate supply of wheelchairs in the newer, much larger building to preventing patients from waiting in the wrong area or wandering into staff-only hallways. They reviewed signage, communication methods and patient instructions, making adjustments before opening day.
Planning for the move began in November 2024, nearly six months before patients first stepped into the pavilion. Separate medical oncology and radiation oncology teams mapped every step of the patient journey—from check-in through treatment and departure—brainstorming every potential failure that could affect patients or staff. Each risk was ranked based on its likelihood and potential impact before action plans were developed and responsibilities assigned.
A helpful process for any major change
To explain the planning process, Michaud often compares it to preparing for a wedding.
“It might rain. The cake could get smashed. The bridesmaids might get lost and not all show up on time,” she said. “You write down everything that could possibly go wrong. Then you step back and ask, ‘Which of these things are high probability, and which ones are possibly but unlikely?’ Then you can organize it, categorize it, plan for it and deal with it before the change ever happens.”
The same approach guided the Barbey Pavilion transition.
Some of the concerns may have seemed small, but in a busy cancer center, even minor disruptions can affect the patient experience.
For example, staff worried that patients might remain in the main waiting room rather than proceed to the treatment waiting area, or walk directly to the treatment area without checking in. They also recognized that the Barbey Pavilion's larger footprint meant wheelchairs would need to be strategically placed throughout the department instead of being retrieved only when needed. By identifying these potential issues early, the team was able to develop solutions before the first patients arrived.
Michaud recalls another concern involving a back hallway in Radiation Oncology that wasn't intended for patient use. If a patient accidentally wandered into the hallway and fell, staff might not realize it right away. “We addressed it with signage and by making sure staff gave patients clear directions throughout the department,” she said.
“It gave us an opportunity to think ahead and plan to prevent possible failures in our process,” Michaud said.
Lowering staff anxiety helps boost confidence
Although the planning process focused on logistics, Michaud believes its greatest benefit was helping teams feel prepared for change.
Every team member was encouraged to voice concerns, no matter how small.
“Everything is discussable,” she told staff, adding that the process was a safe space to share ideas.
No worry was dismissed or considered insignificant because every concern represented an opportunity to improve the process. Creating that safe environment allowed staff to openly identify potential problems without worrying about criticism or blame.
But the benefits extended beyond the move itself and created a successful blueprint.
“If we can decrease anxiety, confidence goes up,” Michaud said. As staff worked together to identify risks and develop solutions, they became more confident that the move would be successful. Surveys completed before the transition showed employees felt significantly more confident after participating in the planning process.
The project also caught the attention of ACCC. After Michaud submitted the Barbey Pavilion initiative for an ACCC Innovator Award, competing alongside much larger organizations such as Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana); St. Luke’s Cancer Institute (Boise, Idaho); and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tennessee), the judges invited the oncology leader to share the team’s planning process in the organization’s journal, recognizing it as a model other community cancer centers could adapt.
While the article is written for oncology leaders nationwide, Michaud hopes the lessons resonate with colleagues across Cape Cod Healthcare.
“I hope that it might inspire another department if they’re going to be changing a process,” she said. “The exercise of putting your worry up on the walls helps increase our confidence that the new process is going to work, and it helps decrease our worrying.”
Writing: Giving back in a small way
For Michaud, writing has always been about giving back. Before moving into healthcare operations, she worked in marketing and communications, where writing was one of her favorite parts of the job. Later, when she stepped into her first oncology leadership role, she turned to ACCC’s journal to learn from others who had faced similar challenges.
“The association was a resource for me, and it continues to be,” she said. “So I’m happy to give back in just a small way.”
By documenting the planning behind Cape Cod Healthcare’s move into the Barbey Pavilion, Michaud hopes the lessons learned here will help other cancer programs prepare for successful transitions of their own.
“I don’t want to be out there rubbing two sticks together trying to make a fire,” she said. “If someone else has already made the fire, how can I take that spark and quickly ignite my own? That’s what I hope our contribution to this journal will do.”
Today, more than a year after the move, the Barbey Pavilion transition stands as proof that thoughtful planning, open communication and a willingness to imagine what could go wrong can ultimately help everything go right.
