In recognition of the recent announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposing payment for community health integration services, the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) sees this opportunity as a key initiative to strengthen and accelerate the oncology navigation footprint in every community. These services are often completed by patient navigators and Principal Illness Navigation services but can be accomplished by all professional navigator types to help patients traverse cancer treatment and treatment for other serious illnesses. The provisions described by the proposed codes are groundbreaking as the first that are specifically designed to describe services of navigators that focus daily on what is best for the patient and caregivers through person-centered planning, care coordination, patient empowerment, and addressing individual barriers to promote access to care and treatment. This is a monumental commitment to health equity as navigation is an evidence-based solution to addressing disparities in cancer care. As the professional home dedicated to improving patient care and quality of life by defining, enhancing, and promoting the role of all oncology navigators, AONN+ is excited to see the recognition of the navigation metric contributions that are completed through patient outcomes, return on investment, and patient satisfaction. AONN+ thanks CMS for seeing the value of patient navigation services and is in full support of advancing this initiative.
Since 2019, the AONN+ Leadership Council has made it part of their strategic plan to support a sustainable navigation workforce, and reimbursement for services was one part of the vision. Other strategies included identifying metrics important to payors to compensate for navigation via bundled payments or other alternative payment/value-based models, and to encourage buy-in from organizational leadership to use metrics in the operationalization of navigation services that show systemic value in a patient-centric model.
AONN+ is alerting all members that they can submit comments on the CY 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule by visiting the following link: https://www.regulations.gov/document/CMS-2023-0121-1282. The deadline for submitting comments is September 11, 2023.
