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Since the inception of the oncology nurse navigator (ONN) program at Memorial Hermann Hospital System (MHHS) in 2009, the role of the ONN was vastly misunderstood, and the overall potential benefits for the hospital and patient were undefined.

The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators conducted a 1.5-day live conference April 27-29, 2017, in Phoenix, AZ.

Navigation is defined as the “guiding force promoting the timely movement of the patient through a complex system of care.”

Multidisciplinary care is recognized as a sign of quality cancer care according to several organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Institute of Medicine, the National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Centers Program (NCCCP), and the Oncology Roundtable.

The number of cancer survivors is increasing because of advances in detection and treatment.

Transitions in care require well-managed timing and sequencing of events across specialties.

As people with a history of cancer are living longer and surviving their cancer, today it is estimated that there are 14 million cancer survivors in the United States.

The MPNs myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are associated with a variety of burdensome symptoms (BMC Cancer. 2016;16:167) and reduced survival compared with the general population (PLOS One. 2014;9:e90299).

Patient navigation has been shown to improve patient engagement and participation in clinical trials and reduce barriers to cancer care.

Sarah Cannon’s San Antonio market was seeking a way to effectively improve key quality and operational navigation metrics on their monthly Navigation Market Scorecard.