Where Does It Hurt? Diagnosing What’s Broken in Your Patient Navigation Program
By Sarah Doss, Healthcare Technology Advocate
When a patient walks into your clinic, your first question is often simple: Where does it hurt? You listen, probe, and search for root causes—not just symptoms. The same diagnostic mindset should apply to your patient navigation program.
In theory, navigation is meant to streamline the patient journey, reduce no-shows and readmissions, and close the loop on referrals. But in practice, many health systems struggle to scale these programs beyond a few high-touch cases or fail to measure their real-world impact at all.
So, where does it hurt?
1. You’re Investing in Navigators, but Not Empowering Them
Most navigation teams are still stuck using spreadsheets, sticky notes, or siloed EHR tools. Without a centralized system to track activity, coordinate across departments, or communicate outside the four walls, your navigators become high-cost clerical staff, managing logistics instead of driving outcomes.
The fix: Equip navigators with tools that prioritize, automate, and escalate so that they can focus on patients, not processes.
2. You Can’t See What’s Working (Or Not Working)
How many patients completed their referred care? How many got lost to follow-up? If your navigation metrics live in fragmented reports or get buried in quality dashboards, it’s nearly impossible to connect program activity to patient outcomes—or make a case for expansion.
The fix: Start with visibility. Your navigation solution should offer real-time tracking, closed-loop reporting, and intuitive dashboards that speak the language of executives, not engineers.
3. Your Navigation Model Doesn’t Flex Across Service Lines
Oncology navigation may be your gold standard, but what about cardiology? Orthopedics? Chronic care? Many programs lack the flexibility to adapt across specialties, which limits their impact and leaves high-risk patients without the necessary support.
The fix: Adopt a modular framework that lets you tailor workflows, priorities, and alerts based on clinical context, without reinventing the wheel every time.
4. You’re Still Relying on Faxes and Phone Calls
Despite years of investment in interoperability, many navigation programs still rely on manual outreach to schedule follow-ups, confirm referrals, or coordinate with external providers. It’s slow, error-prone, and frustrating for everyone involved.
The fix: Leverage a platform that integrates directly with your EHR and external networks, so navigators can send messages, share documents, and track responses without leaving their workflow.
Why It Matters Now
With new CMS models like Principal Illness Navigation (PIN), there’s growing recognition—and reimbursement—for the role of navigation in value-based care. But if your program can’t demonstrate efficiency, equity, and outcomes, you risk missing out on more than just incentives.
Your patient navigation program shouldn’t be a Band-Aid fix. It should be the backbone of how your organization manages complex care.
So, where does it hurt? Let’s diagnose it together and build something more substantial.
