Why Hospitals should hire Patient Navigator Research Paper

Why Hospitals should hire Patient Navigator - Research Paper Example The populations with limited access on the healthcare system encounter difficulty in using the system leading to delay in cancer diagnosis, added costs, less efficient, and effective use of recommended therapies. The patient navigation programs provide support and guidance to people with the goal of improving access to the cancer care system and overcome barriers to quality care. This paper will present a conceptual model to evaluate cost-effectiveness of cancer patient navigation-programs, discuss challenges, and the best approach to address the challenges. Evaluating the economic impact of patient navigation has a wide array of activities that involves different settings while it suffers from inadequate of information. Different cost elements differ in the study perspective. Different researchers present interventions to determine the relevant cost measures that assess the economic value of patient navigation. The history of the patient navigation programs attributes to Harold Freeman the chair of American Cancer Society that commissioned the study of barrier to cancer among the poor in America. The success of the pioneer program and recognition of significant barriers to cancer diagnosis continue to exist among the minority and the underserved populations. Currently, many patient navigation programs work to reduce barriers to care at all levels. The growing popularity and publication of promising observational studies fail to evaluate the efficacy of navigator programs. Researchers are yet to establish the cost-effectiveness and the impact of navigation programs on cancer-related morbidity and survival. The patient navigator programs can be time and resource intensive. Similar to other interventions may improve the health of poor and underserved populations. One should view the navigation programs in the context of allocating resources to maximize health outcomes on limited budgets. It is important to