The Metrics Initiative: What Is Next?

For the past 2 years, the annual Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) conference has been the place to learn what is exciting and happening in the standardized metrics initiative. In fall 2015, responding to a need by membership for metrics that reflect the impact of navigation and to demonstrate program success, the Standardized Navigation Metrics Task Force was formed. After an extensive literature review of over 300 source documents, the 35 standardized metrics based on the 8 domains of certification for navigation were announced at the annual conference in 2016.¹ So what will be the next phase of the metrics initiative?

As announced at the 8th Annual Conference in November 2017, the second phase of the metrics initiative will be the development of a metrics repository for navigation/cancer programs to report outcomes, lessons learned, and performance improvement initiatives that have been implemented to enhance and improve navigation processes. Phase 2 is a metrics research study in which selected navigation/cancer programs utilizing a cloud-based business intelligence tool will be identifying core metrics, standardizing data collection, and demonstrating program outcomes.

The goals of the phase 2 project include:

• Implementation of metrics and reporting of outcomes with data analysis
• Establishing evidence-based, national standardized navigation benchmarks
• Navigation research to validate sustainability and value of navigation
• Identification of navigation best practices and lessons learned
• Creation of a centralized navigation metrics database and repository

The 10 core metrics that will be identified for the study include:

• Coordination of Care/Care Transitions: Barriers to care; measuring the number and list of specific barriers to care identified by navigator per month
• Coordination of Care/Care Transitions: Diagnosis to initial treatment; measuring the number of business days from diagnosis (date pathology resulted) to initial treatment modality (date of 1st treatment)
• Operations Management/Organizational Development/Health Economics: Navigation caseload; measuring number of new cases, open cases, and closed cases navigated per month
• Operations Management/Organizational Development/Health Economics: Measuring the number of navigated patients readmitted to the hospital at 30, 60, and 90 days
• Psychosocial Support Services/Assessment: Psychosocial distress screening; measuring the number of navigated patients per month who received psychosocial distress screening; at a pivotal medical visit using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress screening tool
• Psychosocial Support Services/Assessment: Social support referrals; measuring number of navigated patients referred to support network per month
• Survivorship/End of Life: Palliative care referral; measuring number of navigated patients per month referred for palliative care
• Patient Advocacy/Patient Empowerment: Identify learning style preference; measuring the number of navigated patients per month whose preferred learning style was discussed during the intake process. The group agreed this should be included if we can identify a validated tool
• Professional Roles and Responsibilities: Navigation knowledge at time of orientation; measuring percentage of new hires who have completed institutionally developed navigator core competencies
• Research/Quality/Performance Improvement: Patient experience/patient satisfaction with care; measuring patient experience or patient satisfaction survey results per month. The group determined use of CCHAPS (Community-wide Children