Sustainability
The ACS National Navigation Roundtable is uniquely positioned to lead an effort to support the creation of a sustainable model of oncology patient navigation to achieve health equity across the continuum of cancer care. Sustainability is not simply linked to financial reimbursement. It includes developing:
- A workforce, defined by standardized training and certification
- An infrastructure at respective organizations and institutions that integrate and utilize patient navigation services at the highest level of certification
- A monitoring and evaluation process to assure outcomes are documented, measured and utilized to improve practice
- A communication strategy supporting planning, implementation and the engagement of professional, patient and public communities in the role and efficacy of patient navigation
- A strategy to assure consistent reliable funding mechanisms, across the continuum of cancer.
The ACS NNRT is, by design, an occupational network convening members at national and state level organizational networks around strengthening Patient Navigation. The Task Groups have focused on dedicated activities to support training and standardization of patient navigation and supporting policy for standard reimbursement mechanisms. The ACS NNRT adopted the Patient Navigation Sustainability Assessment Tool (PNSAT). [i] The PNSAT identifies eight Domains and eighteen (general, shortened version) /twenty-five (cancer screening, CCSP specific version)descriptive elements.
[i] Citation for PNSAT Adaptation used here: Dwyer, A., Weltzien, E., and Harty, N. (2019). Patient Navigation Sustainability Assessment Tool for Preventive Cancer Screening. Colorado School of Public Health and University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO.
