Sarah Cannon to Launch AONN+ Pilot to Measure Impact of Navigation on Clinical Outcomes
CRANBURY, NJ – The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) and Sarah Cannon, the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare, announced today a new collaboration for a pilot study to measure the impact of oncology navigation programs on patient experience and clinical outcomes.
Earlier this year, the AONN+ Standardized Metrics Task Force, comprised of an expert team of navigators, published research-supported metrics to measure the impact of navigation programs on clinical outcomes, patient experience, and return on investment. The 35 metrics are applicable in all navigation models and enable an accurate evaluation of a program’s impact.
Sarah Cannon will utilize the AONN+ metrics in a select navigation program, collecting data for analysis in this first-of-its-kind validation study. In tandem, participating Sarah Cannon navigators will become members of AONN+ and pursue AONN+ professional development programs, such as the Oncology Nurse Navigator Certification, to further establish best practices in training across programs.
“We look forward to working with the navigators and leaders at Sarah Cannon to establish and validate navigation metrics for the enhancement of care delivery,” said Lillie D. Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, ONN-CG, Co-Founder and Program Director, AONN+. “By analyzing the data gathered from this pilot, we will enrich the literature on the benefits of navigation programs for patients.”
“With this concerted effort between AONN+ and Sarah Cannon, navigators across the country will be able to share best practices for establishing and delivering quality navigation programs to ultimately improve patient care,” said AONN+’s Danelle Johnston, RN, MSN, ONN-CG, OCN, CBCN, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Director of Strategic Planning and Initiatives.
“AONN+ and Sarah Cannon share in a commitment to enhancing the patient experience and the delivery of quality cancer care through standardized navigation programs,” said Crystal Dugger, RN, BSN, MBA, Assistant Vice President of Clinical Operations at Sarah Cannon. “Through this pilot, we look forward to further validating metrics to improve patient care, engage physicians, and deliver quality programs for our patients in communities across the US.”
About the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators® (AONNonline.org)
The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators, Inc. (AONN+) is the largest national specialty organization dedicated to improving patient care and quality of life by defining, enhancing, and promoting the role of oncology nurse and patient navigators. The organization, which has more than 6,000 members, was founded in 2009 to provide a network for all professionals involved and interested in patient navigation and survivorship care services in order to better manage the complexities of the cancer treatment process.
The Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship® (JONS-Online.com) is the official publication of AONN+. It is published 12 times a year and features topics related to patient navigation and survivorship care. JONS offers original research, best practices, interviews, case reports, and study highlights, as well as a platform through which navigators can share research and views on navigation and survivorship issues.
CONQUER: the patient voice™ magazine (Conquer-Magazine.com) is AONN+’s premier forum for patients with cancer. CONQUER features articles written by and for patients with cancer, survivors, nurse navigators, and other oncology team members. This magazine addresses the issues that patients, their family members, and caregivers face every day in an easy-to-read format. Issues include interviews with patients with cancer, information on access to care, and articles on lifestyle topics such as nutrition, stress management, personal finance, and legal and employer issues. CONQUER also features patient stories that are nominated for the AONN+ Hero of Hope Patient Award, which is presented each year at the AONN+ Annual Conference.
About Sarah Cannon (SarahCannon.com)
Sarah Cannon, the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare, offers integrated cancer services with convenient access to cutting-edge therapies for those facing cancer in communities across the United States and United Kingdom. Sarah Cannon’s cancer programs include individualized patient navigation provided by oncology-trained nurses, more than 1,000 stem cell transplants performed annually throughout the Sarah Cannon Blood Cancer Network, hundreds of clinical trials, and molecular profiling capabilities. Through its services, Sarah Cannon is providing state-of-the-art cancer care close to home for hundreds of thousands of patients, a number unmatched by any single cancer center.
