What is a navigator, and who has them?

What is a navigator and who has them?

Navigation is sort of a newer term. I would say it's come about within the last 10 to 12 years. Folks just didn't know, Where do I go to get an appointment? And how do I see a doctor? What's the difference between a doctor and a nurse practitioner or a PA? What does my insurance allow me to do? What tests do I need? Where do I go for them? How do I know that I need to get to a myeloma specialist? I need to know what tests I need to get as part of my myeloma workup and treatment. Do I need these scans? Where should I get them done? Do they do this kind of testing at this treatment center? That's what a navigator is supposed to be helping you do.

And so that is really where navigation kind of comes from, is how do I get this person to healthcare and keep them in the healthcare system, with the idea being that earlier intervention and preventive care will help people from needing more extensive care in the future.

And so how do we get folks to feel comfortable with using healthcare, not just in emergency when they're feeling sick, but also when they're feeling well? Having a navigator is kind of like having a mentor who can help you maintain your car. They can tell you when to get oil changes, where to get them. They can help you schedule maintenance, help you understand the cost of maintenance and when your insurance covers. So you don't have to buy a whole new engine later.

Navigators can be nurses, can be social workers, can be laypersons. A lot of places do have navigators, not even academics, but even community centers have them. And sometimes the navigators focus on specific things.

So I have a really good friend who is a specific financial navigator. She is a social worker, and her job is to help patients navigate financial resources. And there has been a huge uptake in financial navigation and financial advocacy, because we've also seen, while the ACA, the Affordable Care Act, helped people get insurance, it also really increased the number of patients who were what we call underinsured. And so we've seen this huge uptick in financial toxicity and as a result, a huge uptick in financial navigation.

Then there are also navigators who focus just in certain disease types. So maybe there's a breast cancer navigator. Maybe there's a lung cancer navigator at your treatment site. Those tend to be associated with diagnoses where they treat large numbers of patients. So you can ask at your site as well, if they have a navigator for your disease type or just general navigation.

A lot of times the navigators are the sort of the first person you're talking to. Also, when you're trying to get appointments and get into that treatment center, there is an organization called AONN, which is the Association of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators. And they are very, very involved and have a great listing of resources and can help you get linked with navigators in your local area as well.

While they may not all be professional navigators, the Myeloma Coach program offers coaching from trained coaches who have experience with myeloma, and many do specialize in certain areas, such as the financial aspects of myeloma.

Getting help with navigating your myeloma journey is a crucial part of getting optimal care. Coaches can help you answer questions about appointments, doctors, medications, side effects, finances, travel, keeping track of your disease, and much, much more.

Get a coach today at myelomacoach.org.