Most of us haven’t even heard of a patient navigator before. Now that it has taken the 11th spot on the list of top jobs for the coming decade, the patient navigator is receiving more and more attention.
So what exactly is a patient navigator? The title actually indicates many of its main functions; they “navigate” patients throughout their health care. Families can quickly become overwhelmed when providing long-distance care, and patient navigators quickly alleviate the stress. They help communicate, care, and support your aging loved one going through an illness.
According to Senior Care Examiner, a patient navigator’s job “is to provide up-to-date, reliable information to the patient and family so that with the medical team, they feel confident about his or her treatment decisions.”
One should also note that your patient navigator is not a source for medical advice. They only provide the valuable skill of communication between you and your medical team.When you have an extra set of ears to listen and translate complicated medical advice, it can make all the difference. Sometimes it’s the missing key to feeling empowered and taking control of your health.
Other duties a patient navigator include:
* Assisting you with insurance claims and medical paperwork
* Research and identification of suitable social and treatment services
* Organization of caregivers to efficiently support your treatment and recovery
* Research of other options for complementary and collaborative care
* Research of other medical options and treatment that your medical team has/hasn’t advised
* Explanation and education of your medical advice in an understandable manner
Many patient navigators usually have a nursing degree and have experience working with breast cancer patients or those terminally ill. Some patient navigators were former patients themselves, or caregivers, and social workers. You’ll find that most simply want to help others after dealing with their own personal complicated experience with our health care system.
Unfortunately, patient navigators are not covered by insurance and usually cost around $75/hour. This may seem expensive at first, but having a patient navigator could save you a lot of time and frustration, especially when dealing with hospital bureaucracies and insurance papers.
