The healthcare system can be hard to understand, especially if you have zero background in the medical industry. More often than not, people don’t know how to proceed in a hospital setting, including where to begin and the type of treatment for their specific issue. That is why most hospitals have a medical navigator system to see that every patient gets as much help as they need.
Healthcare Navigator: Who are They and What do They Do?
A healthcare navigator is a skilled person who helps people (patients, small businesses, and employers) navigate the healthcare system and overcome barriers associated with it. They are also known as a resource or patient navigators. A medical navigator system is essential in addressing challenges such as insurance, healthcare access, childcare, transportation, and health literacy. Check out service by free hospice care san diego.
Patient navigators usually have a deep understanding of the available resources in their community to guide patients accurately. They aim to build effective relationships with patients by understanding their emotional, physical, and cultural needs to help them better.
The medical navigator system is divided into two:
1. Clinical Space
This is basically a traditional hospital setting where healthcare navigators help patients move through different stages in their diagnosis and treatment process. Specific roles of the navigators in this clinical space are as follows:
- Help patients get the proper treatment for their issues by guiding them through tests, diagnosis, treatment, and check-ups.
- Assist patients in understanding their diagnosis to make sound decisions.
- Explain different healthcare plans to patients.
- Take patients through the process of accepting their illness by offering emotional support.
Healthcare navigators in this niche are mostly clinicians and nurses. According to a JAMA oncology study, layperson navigators who were non-clinicians helped patients at a reduced cost. They only had a bachelor’s degree in any field and helped cancer patients in various treatment centers in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. They helped patients with informational, spiritual, practical, financial, and physical concerns.
2. Health Payer Space
A health payer is a company that pays a healthcare provider some amount of cash for their medical services. They include insurance companies, government medical aids, and health insurance administrators.
They work with healthcare navigators whose roles are as follows:
- Help beneficiaries and purchasers understand different health insurance packages.
- Explain and guide beneficiaries through the entire process of getting a health insurance plan.
- Assist payers in selecting appropriate medical coverage for employees and what is needed for their enrollment.
- Help payers identify the best insurance plans for their beneficiaries and purchasers.
- Healthcare navigators could be different people like nurses, doctors, clinical officers, and other professionals in the medical space. They could also be well-trained personnel who understand various parts of the healthcare system like facilities, billing codes, and how to get quality doctors.
Conclusion
The medical navigation system is crucial since it helps different people understand the complex healthcare system. When patients don’t know how to proceed in a hospital, they may give up or get the wrong direction which hinders their course of treatment.
