The George Washington (GW) University Cancer Center announced the launch of an updated free on-demand course titled Oncology Patient Navigator Training: The Fundamentals. The revised training aligns with both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force Practice (PONT) requirements. After the completion of training, learners can receive a certificate of completion or 14 continuing education credits for Certified Healthcare Education Specialists (CHES/MCHES), or 14 nursing contact hours (NCE), or 14 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. This training was developed and revised by a Cooperative Agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Through a collaborative process, the GW Cancer Center was the first institution to offer national consensus-based competency training for oncology patient navigators without a clinical license. The course was first developed by a Training and Technical Assistance team, led by Dr. Mandi Pratt-Chapman, in 2015 and is an accredited, comprehensive, competency-based training that uses evidence-based information and case studies to prepare patient navigators to effectively address barriers to care for cancer patients and survivors. Since its initial launch in 2015, more than 12,000 learners have enrolled from over 42 countries. It has been adapted for speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, and American Sign Language.
Given major updates to the patient navigation field over 10 years, the GW team updated the training by reviewing current literature, applying new standards, and gathering new resources. To make the training inclusive and well-rounded, 15 subject matter experts were asked to suggest updates, provide revisions, and suggest new resources. The revised training is also more dynamic and interactive applying best practices in online training. Dr. Pratt-Chapman acknowledges the critical importance of this collaborative approach to the development and revision of such a comprehensive training, “We are pleased to provide this free training to meet the needs of navigators and cancer centers across the United States. Further, we acknowledge the many thought leaders, researchers, navigators, and professional organizations who have contributed to the development of the training directly or indirectly through their professional expertise, research, and contributions to the field,” Said Dr. Pratt-Chapman.
Partner organizations who contributed to update this training include Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ACSO), Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), Navigation Advisors, NW Portland Area Indian Health Board, National LGBT Cancer Network, Harvard University, Commission on Cancer (CoC), Nuestra Voces, Susan G. Komen, NPI, Gallaudet University, Patient Advocacy Foundation(PAF)/ Self-Made Network, American Samoa Cancer Coalition, National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
The previous GW training has been shown to be effective with statistically significant learning improvements for every lesson and has been identified as a key resource to expand capacity for patient navigation in numerous state coalitions, state associations and national organizations. While there is not a specific training or credentialing process that is endorsed by CMS, the GW training is available to anyone with a desire to bolster knowledge of cancer, navigation role and best practices and document their training for Medicare payment.
“Going forward, the field will benefit from sharing of implementation best practices sharing lessons learned as we collectively pilot and implement these new billing codes, “said Dr. Pratt-Chapman.
This comprehensive training is the start, not the end, of effective navigation. Additional tools, such as those from the National Navigation Roundtable, the National Academies of Medicine, and the AONN+ provide guidance for navigation program implementation and quality improvement. Training and credentialing for specific populations, such as the National Consortium of Breast Centers certification program or the LGBT Cancer Network’s Welcoming Spaces training provide strong documentation of knowledge for practice for breast-specific navigators. An ongoing commitment to learning, adequate institutional support, community partnerships, available resources to meet patient needs, and thoughtful implementation of programs bolster navigation excellence.
The training is free and meets CMS requirements for navigator credentialing.
