305239
Role of Legislation on Access to Care for Southeast Asians
Purpose: This study examines whether the Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act (PNA) served as a catalyst for increasing the availability of cancer patient navigation programs (PNPs) in Los Angeles and Orange County hospitals and if the availability of PNPs had an impact on improving timeliness between diagnosis and treatment.
Methods: Hospital personnel were surveyed by mail or telephone to assess: 1) facility awareness of the PNA, 2) the role legislation in establishing PNPs, and 3) the quality of established PNPs in providing services to SEA-BC patients. Two surveys categorized hospitals as PNP-Available (PNPs established 2006-2010), or PNP-Unavailable (no PNPs and PNPs established post-2010). Regional registry data provided aggregated patient data in the surrounding census tracts of each facility and grouped according to PNP availability. Time between diagnosis and surgery was compared between facilities according to PNP availability.
Results: The surveys informed the categorization of 13 facilities (4 PNP-Available and 9 PNP-Unavailable). Survey responses indicated that the PNA was not related to PNP availability, highlighted the diversity of available PNPs, and provided information pertaining to implementation of PNPs. Registry data showed no differences in time to treatment between PNP-Available facilities or between PNP-Available and PNP-Unavailable facilities.
Conclusions: A larger sample of facilities with PNPs and analysis of time to treatment for patients using PNPs versus those not using PNPs may provide a better assessment of the association between PNPs and timeliness to care, and would allow for control of other confounding factors that may impact treatment delay.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsAdministration, management, leadership
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the value of cancer navigation programs in improving the timely receipt of cancer treatment after diagnosis and the role policies have in the adoption and integration of cancer navigation programs at the health system level.
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal investigator on this study focusing on cancer patient navigation. I have also served as project coordinator on multiple studies examining breast cancer awareness and knowledge among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). My scientific interests have been in reducing health care disparities among AAPIs and culturally tailored cancer care programs for AAPIs.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
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.