In the eyes of a patient, especially one with a chronic or complex illness, the healthcare system can feel overwhelming. Compound the inherent complexities of the system with a variety of barriers patients can face -- transportation, language, and many others -- and patients can have difficulty following the care plan developed by their team of providers.
Founded and pioneered in 1990 by Dr. Harold P. Freeman, patient navigation originally focused on the critical window of opportunity to save lives from cancer by eliminating barriers to timely care between the point of suspicious finding and resolution by diagnosis and treatment. Since its inception as a community-based intervention program, patient navigation has expanded and transformed into a nationally recognized model that extends well beyond cancer care to include the timely movement of an individual across the entire healthcare continuum.
While patients clearly benefit from the guidance of a patient navigator, a growing body of evidence suggests that patient navigation increases both patient satisfaction and hospital revenue. Nationally, patient navigation is becoming well-recognized for being a cost-effective strategy to address several healthcare priorities. An attractive career choice for those looking to make a difference in healthcare, patient navigation also provides economic development opportunities in communities throughout the United States.
About the Speaker:
Carol Santalucia, Vice President, of CHAMPS Patient Experience, LLC is a seasoned healthcare leader with a passion and commitment to enhancing the patient experience. After 28 years in various service excellence and leadership roles at Cleveland Clinic, where she played a pivotal role in the design, creation and implementation of Cleveland Clinic's service recovery model Respond with H.E.A.R.T., and the development of their patient navigation program and Service Excellence and Patient Advocacy Department, Carol began her own healthcare consulting practice, Santalucia Group, LLC.
