NASHVILLE, TENN. October 27, 2016 – Sarah Cannon, the global cancer institute of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), and the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+), today announced that their joint project to enhance oncology nurse navigation was released as a part of Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. Included in the White House fact sheet released last week, the national research project is designed to measure, standardize and further define the role of oncology nurse navigators.
“Throughout the cancer journey, a patient sees a variety of specialists in multiple locations from diagnosis through recovery,” said Howard A. “Skip” Burris, MD, President, Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Cannon. “Nurse Navigators serve a critical role for cancer patients – coordinating care, offering support, answering questions and ultimately improving the patient experience throughout the continuum of care. We are honored to collaborate with AONN+ in this Cancer Moonshot initiative to further our efforts in advancing care standards for patients through navigation.”
Sarah Cannon and AONN+ will study and standardize the scope of the nurse navigator role by ensuring compliance to cancer treatment plans, removing barriers to care, improving care coordination and patient satisfaction, as well as identifying patients eligible for clinical trials. The project aims to demonstrate improved programmatic and patient outcomes throughout the continuum of cancer care.
“As the largest professional membership organization for nurse and patient navigators, AONN+ continually strives to demonstrate the value of navigation and its role in the cancer care continuum,” said Lillie Shockney, RN, BS, MAS, Founder and Program Director, AONN+. “We are proud to partner with Sarah Cannon on this project, which will advance the profession, enhance patient care, and build greater credibility for navigators through the generation of verifiable data.”
This project will use standardized metrics to measure clinical outcomes and patient experience. Jointly funded by Sarah Cannon and AONN+ with an investment of $12 million dollars over 18 months, it will impact tens of thousands of cancer patients across seven Sarah Cannon community-based markets and five AONN+ associated facilities.
About Sarah Cannon
Sarah Cannon, the global cancer institute of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), 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 900 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. To learn more about Sarah Cannon, visit sarahcannon.com.
About the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators®)
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® is the official publication of AONN+. It is published six 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™ is the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators’ (AONN+) 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™ award, which will be presented at the AONN+ Annual Conference. All stories are compiled in a special issue of CONQUER at the end of the year.