Saving Lives Through Patient Navigation

Navigating a cumbersome health-care system is daunting to most people, even those who have the means to afford the best care. Imagine trying to fight cancer or even get basic care if you are low-income or uninsured. It's virtually impossible for many.

In Harlem, Dr. Harold Freeman, seeing a great need in his community, pioneered the concept of patient navigation: helping community members overcome barriers to prevention, detection and treatment. Transportation to appointments, help in finding funds to pay for treatment, translating medical instructions into layman's terms, making follow up appointments and promoting prevention through healthy choices -- all are among the services provided at the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention and Care under Dr. Freeman's direction.

And it's working. In 1989, this community had a five-year breast cancer survival rate of just 39 percent, compared to 60 percent for the rest of the U.S. population. By 2004, the five-year survival rate had jumped to 70 percent, compared to 90 percent for the rest of the nation. According to One Voice Against Cancer, "diagnosis of early stage breast cancer in the Harlem community has improved from 1 out of 20 in 1989 to 4 out of 10 women today, and the average length of time between initial breast exams and biopsies has decreased to 10 days, a rate comparable to patients in private care."

This model is clearly working and it's something that can be replicated throughout the U.S.
In 2005, Congress took a positive step forward when it passed the Patient Navigator, Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act. President Bush signed this important legislation into law, authorizing a $25 million demonstration program within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for patient navigators to help people stay healthy and overcome barriers to health care - from screening to diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.

Unfortunately, the program has yet to be funded adequately by Congress - receiving less than $7 million in the four years since the law passed. Let's hope Congress has the foresight to support full funding of the HRSA Patient Navigator Program in FY 2010, providing HRSA with $18 million to help low-income cancer patients navigate the health care system and overcome barriers to health care.

By Doug Ulman  |  July 4, 2009; 10:28 AM ET  | Category:  Health Care Reform
Share This: Technorati | Del.icio.us | Digg | Facebook
Previous: The View from the Lake | Next: An Economic Rationale

Posted by: lensch | July 6, 2009 3:44 PM
Report Offensive Comment

The comments to this entry are closed.