Navigation

Oncology nurse educators and reimbursement field managers representing pharma are an invaluable resource for navigators.

Approximately 45% of all Americans suffer from 1 or more chronic diseases, which are among the most prevalent and costly health conditions in the United States.

Cancer, chronic conditions, and comorbidities often lead to polypharmacy. What is it, and what should oncology navigators know about helping their patients manage it?

What a year it has been since launching the “Oncology Navigation Standards of Professional Practice” published by the Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force (PONT) in March 2022. These standards were developed by PONT to provide clinical oncology nurse navigators, social work navigators, and patient navigators with clear information regarding best practices in professional care.

Navigators at the Miami Cancer Institute (MCI) have built a successful navigation program database to track patient care delivery and report metrics, according to Morgan Nestingen, MSN, APRN, AGCNS-BC, NEA-BC, OCN, ONN-CG, director of Nursing, Patient Intake and Navigation Services at MCI.

A first-of-its-kind navigation acuity tool is entering a critical new phase of its development: an Institutional Review Board (IRB) quality initiative that will span 6 sites and include a minimum of 200 patients.

As a survivor of homelessness, domestic abuse, and advanced-stage breast cancer, Gail Zahtz is no stranger to hardship. When things got so bad that she was told to simply “accept her situation,” she credits her navigator with saving her life by helping her find her own voice.

According to Ms Gentry, who spoke at the 2022 AONN+ Midyear Conference in Austin, TX, the navigation profession indeed kept up with the changing healthcare environment, leading to the development of navigation core competencies, as well as the only nationally recognized certifications for Oncology Nurse Navigator–Certified Generalist (ONN-CG) and Oncology Patient Navigator–Certified Generalist (OPN-CG).

Being new to oncology navigation can undoubtedly be intimidating and overwhelming, but perhaps most important, many rookie navigators simply don’t know where to start, according to Deidra Hamilton, MSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG, a nurse navigator (and cancer survivor) based in Las Vegas, NV.

International patients seeking cancer treatment in the United States face a number of unique barriers to care, according to Elizabeth Paucar Harris, MBA, chief executive officer at H.O.P.E., Helping Our People Everywhere.