161818 A Collaborative Effort to Address Insurance Issues with Underinsured Patients through Patient Navigation

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Karen Schwaderer, RN, BSN, OCN , UPMC McKeesport Hospital, Neighborhood Cancer Care Cooperative, McKeesport, PA
Jessica Seabury, SM , Consumer Health Coalition, Pittsburgh, PA
Leslie Bachurski, BA , Consumer Health Coalition, Pittsburgh, PA
Elaine F. Martz, BS , Jameson/UPMC Cancer Center, New Castle, PA
Laura Hoffman, BS , Mercy Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Tammie McKenzie , West Penn Allegheny Cancer Center, Somerset, Somerset, PA
Raymond Cosgrove , UPMC McKeesport Hospital, Neighborhood Cancer Care Cooperative, McKeesport, PA
A National Cancer Institute funded Patient Navigation program that spans four Western Pennsylvania hospitals was developed in 2005. The four hospitals include two rural freestanding cancer centers and two hospital-based urban cancer centers. The purpose of the program was to assist low income, minority cancer patients to overcome barriers that would keep them from receiving timely and quality cancer treatments. Since the program's initiation, three barriers have consistently been identified in all of the participating cancer centers. Transportation, prescription coverage and health insurance have been identified as highly requested and time consuming issues in all of the programs. Since the Patient Navigators were not specialists in dealing with insurance issues, a collaborative relationship was formed with the Pittsburgh advocacy organization, the Consumer Health Coalition. The Coalition is active in providing education to the Navigators in government-sponsored insurance programs. They also act as a resource to provide in-depth insurance counseling to patients whose insurance issues lie outside the realm of the Patient Navigators. In addition to assisting the Navigators, the Consumer Health Coalition advocates in the legislative arena for underinsured and uninsured patients. This close working relationship has closed the gap in health care disparities for underserved and uninsured patients in Western Pennsylvania.

Learning Objectives:
Our presentation will describe the key internal alliances that were necessary for each host treatment center to embrace the value of the navigator program and will highlight the key role of our CHC partnership in facilitating program goals

Keywords: Community Collaboration, Access to Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.