The American Cancer Society has launched a national training and credentialing program to support cancer institutions in advancing patient navigation services.
The Leadership in Oncology Navigation Program offers the American Cancer Society's expertise to oncology organizations looking to standardize and implement navigation services. Five institutions are working with the program as its initial partners to train their navigation workforce, including Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia and the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center in New York City.
The credentialing program comes after CMS' recent final rule that determined nonclinical navigation services are reimbursable. The American Cancer Society said its program meets CMS' training requirements for principal illness navigation reimbursement.
Navigation professionals work with patients and caregivers from screening through survivorship. Research has shown expert navigation can improve access and continuity of cancer care, increase screening rates, and improve timeliness of diagnosis.