Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute

Reading... http://catalyst.nejm.org/healthcare-built-order-customized/

Patient Navigation in Nigeria: "Runcie C.W. Chidebe, executive director of Project PINK BLUE, asserted, 'so many cancer patients are not sufficiently knowledgeable of where to get care, what will happen next after their diagnosis, during their treatment, and people to talk to or share their feeling with. We are delighted to have trained these nurses, breast cancer survivors and retired midwives to become Patient Navigators, who would educate, guide and navigate patients through their journey with cancer. We strongly believe that with Patient Navigators, more lives would be saved and improvement on early detection achieved.' http://www.360naijahits.com/public-launch-of-nigerias-firs/

Due to the higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions and greater likelihood of new-onset morbidity after completing cancer treatment, cancer centers are challenged by a need for survivorship care plans that can meet the unique needs of the older cancer survivor. To address this need, a team at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) Health System Cancer Community Network developed a lay navigation program integrated into the care system that serves adults aged 65 years and older who are undergoing cancer treatment or follow-up care. Read more here:

We believe that navigation may help underserved low-income smokers complete lung cancer screening and increase equity in care while decreasing lung cancer mortality, Dr Percac-Lima told listeners.

Here's a great piece articulating barriers to breast cancer care and the reasons why Patient Navigation is crucial! Please read and share: http://health.usnews.com//how-can-patients-in-underserved-

On Patient Navigation and postpartum care: http://www.jwatch.org//guiding-new-mothers-through-healthc

The NH Colorectal Cancer Screening Program evaluated the effectiveness of PN intervention by comparing outcomes for navigated versus non-navigated patients in one of the community health clinics included in the statewide program. Want to skip right to the conclusion?: "PN appears to be effective for improving colonoscopy screening completion and quality in the disparate populations most in need of intervention. To the best of our knowledge, the results of the current study de...monstrate some of the strongest evidence for the effectiveness of PN to date, and highlight its value for public health." | Cancer 2017. 2017 American Cancer Society. Read about the entire study here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cncr.30761/full

Reading... In Resource Use and Medicare Costs During Lay Navigation for Geriatric Patients With Cancer, published by JAMA Oncology in January, the UAB team reported that an estimated potential 10:1 return on investment of the UAB cancer navigation program helps make a financial case to organizational leadership for sustainability of navigation programs... By pursuing patient engagement outside the traditional model, which focuses on clinic-based care, the navigators are... uniquely positioned to meet the needs of these high-risk patients and help them better use outpatient resources. More here: http://www.uab.edu/news/focus-on-patient-care/item/8272

"BMC’s patient navigation program targeting underserved and minority women in Boston demonstrated a 12 percent improvement in mammography screening rates and a 15 percent improvement in timely follow-up rates after an abnormal screening test and helped reduce missed appointments at BMC by 50 percent..." An important read and a must-share:

A wonderful, concise article on Patient Navigation: "With the way healthcare systems are being set up in this day and age, it is vital that there is one individual tracking the journey of the cancer patient. In hospitals all over the world, each specialist could potentially work in a different facility, which can create a confusing and stressful journey for the patient. Not only do they have to deal with their diagnosis, but also the coordinating of the many doctors and therapists they have to be treated by. With a patient navigator, this journey is simplified and more tolerable as the patient has an advocate to walk with them to recovery."

"As a breast cancer screening navigator, it is my job to ensure that every woman who needs a mammogram can get one. That means helping to address patients’ barriers to care. Language can be a big barrier. Women who fear they won’t be understood by their provider tend to put off preventive health screenings, including mammograms."