The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently begun compensating for patient navigation services, a pivotal move aimed at enhancing cancer care accessibility and quality across the United States. This development, championed by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and its advocacy arm, ACS CAN, underscores a significant stride toward mitigating health disparities and improving outcomes for cancer patients, particularly those from underrepresented communities.
Patient navigation, recognized for its critical role in guiding patients through the complex landscape of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care, has now gained financial support from CMS, marking a milestone in healthcare policy. The ACS, leveraging its influential position within the White House Cancer Moonshot initiative and other key organizations, has been instrumental in advocating for this change. The society’s efforts, led by President Lisa Lacasse, have focused on publishing opinions and mobilizing support to underscore the importance of patient navigation in cancer care.
In addition to CMS’s policy shift, the ACS has introduced a credentialing program for patient navigators, aiming to standardize and elevate the quality of navigation services provided to cancer patients. This initiative not only acknowledges the value of navigators in the healthcare system but also ensures that patients receive informed, compassionate, and effective support throughout their cancer journey.
The move by CMS to fund patient navigation services, coupled with the ACS’s credentialing program, represents a significant advancement in the fight against cancer. It highlights a growing recognition of the need to address healthcare disparities and ensure that all patients, regardless of race or ethnicity, have access to the support and care they need to navigate their cancer treatment successfully.
See “CMS starts paying for patient navigation; ACS offers navigation credentialing program” on The Cancer Letter website (January 5, 2024)
