Personal Navigators Within The Healthcare Industry

Personal navigators position arose due to patient’s personal needs being unmet within the healthcare industry. Initially it was started by the National Cancer Institute to help cancer patient navigate through diagnosis, treatment, and the decision making process. It has picked up momentum in other areas such as the Veterans Health Administration, and community care organizations. Personal navigators are able to help the patients in many ways and come from many areas within or served by the healthcare industry. A patient navigator can work in many different settings within the healthcare environment. There is increasing demand from; oncology, veterans, community based healthcare, federal and state programs. These specialist can help a
Many different positions within the healthcare industry are well suited for this position. Nursing has become one of the more dominant forces due to their training and knowledge of the processes that the patient will go through. Social workers also bring a wealth of experience in helping patients obtain resources that may not be known to the patient and family members. “HIM professionals bring organizational skills to patient navigation, including an understanding of healthcare workflow and insurance and reimbursement issues. Their familiarity with managing and accessing protected health information and their knowledge of diagnoses, procedures, and documentation issues are helpful skills in navigating the healthcare system.” (AHIMA 2010) Some cancer survivors have been trained and equipped to help other patients go through the cancer process and decisions that will have to be made. Many of these patient navigators bring more than just a wealth of experience of the diagnosis and treatments, but also an understanding of what the diagnosis feels like on a deeply personal level. They bring an additional dimension in helping other cancer victims manage their circumstances with empathy and
Medical Center Hospital has billing staff members that help the uninsured and indigent patients fill out the state sponsored program forms for state assisted funds that I was not even aware existed. They are not called patient navigators, because in the truest sense they are not. A HIM personal navigator could help fill this need, and will better assist a patient than just help in filling out forms. The HIM has the training and ability to help the patient access information, looking into billing and claims information, and navigating through their care