The American Cancer Society and patient navigation: Past and future perspectives

Over the past 30 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has played a key role in shaping the field of patient navigation as a means to address cancer disparities. Through collaborations with organizations like the National Navigation Roundtable and the ACS Cancer Action Network, the ACS is uniquely positioned to help develop sustainable navigation models that directly address disparities in access to quality cancer care. As health systems continue to adapt and change in response to various factors, including an aging population and rapid advances in screening and treatment, it is important to evaluate existing navigation-delivery models and promote those that are sustainable while maximizing reach and impact and providing the greatest return on investment (ROI). In this report, the term ROI is used to describe the potential financial gain resulting from the navigation service (ROI = net gains/total program cost). Calculating net gains requires assigning a monetary value to key outcomes and subtracting this amount from the total program cost. ROI is a measure often used by health care executives to show the savings or financial benefit from a program or service. Other measures of financial impact exist that may be of greater or lesser value to program leadership, including cost effectiveness (if financial information for outcomes is not available) and cost-benefit analysis. Here, the current and future commitment of the ACS to advancing the field of patient navigation is outlined as an organizational priority and a key building block in their health equity strategy. By working with partners like the National Navigation Roundtable, the ACS can help guide efforts to evaluate these approaches, with the goal of identifying the most effective and potentially sustainable models of delivery while also increasing equitable access to care.