Welcome!
To improve cancer outcomes for patients and reduce health care costs overall, ACS CAN has launched a campaign to expand access to patient navigation services in New York State. Patient navigators have been shown to help increase cancer screenings rates, help patients better understand treatment options after diagnosis and help ensure patients receive the post treatment care they need in survivorship. Improving access to patient navigation services will improve cancer outcomes for patients and reduce health care costs overall.
What is patient navigation?
- Patient navigation can help eliminate health disparities and reduce costs across the cancer care continuum by addressing the needs of people who have been historically marginalized and excluded as well as those living in under resourced communities.
- Navigating the health care system can be confusing and complicated. Making decisions after receiving a complex medical diagnosis such as cancer is challenging for anyone, but particularly for populations that have been historically marginalized.
- Patient navigation is the individualized assistance that helps a patient overcome health care system barriers from prevention and early detection of disease to accessing necessary access to quality health and psychosocial care.
- Patient navigators have been shown to help increase cancer screenings rates, help patients better understand treatment options after diagnosis and help ensure patients receive the post treatment care they need in survivorship. Patient navigation offers tailored patient-centered cancer care and the opportunity to prioritize unique patient needs. Patient navigation also has a proven return on investment and can help identify diagnosis at earlier stages when less invasive and less costly treatment options are available to patients, often resulting in better outcomes and reduced overall costs. Patient navigators have been shown to increase patient retention and reduce provider administrative burdens.
Gaps in Patient Navigation Coverage
- Yet to date, patient navigation services are still absent or limited in many cancer programs and hospital settings due to cost concerns and lack of clinical reimbursement. Throughout the U.S., a patchwork of coverage exists depending on the where patients live and the type of insurance coverage they have and is not continuous throughout the cancer care continuum. Ensuring access to patient navigation services will only be achieved by ensuring payment for patient navigation services is available across both public and private payers.
- Learn more about the need for sustainable funding for patient navigation here.
New York State Patient Navigation Sustainability Act (S.5565 / A.6586)
State Senator Jamaal Bailey and State Assembly member David Weprin have introduced legislation to require that all state regulated health plans in New York State, including Medicaid, begin reimbursing for patient navigation services, similar to the way Medicare did so in 2024.
Ask your state lawmakers to co-sponsor the patient patient navigation legislation today.
Sponsors as of 3.18.25
Senate Bill 5565: Bailey, Addabbo
Assembly Bill A6586: Weprin
New York Patient Navigation Coalition as of 3.18.25
- American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
- American Lung Association
- End preeclampsia.org
- GO2 for Lung Cancer
- Stony Brook University
- The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Join The Statewide Coalition Today
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Share your Story
A patients story is the most impactful way to convey the importance of biomarker testing. Do you have a story to share? If you are a patient or survivor battling a disease or chronic illness like cancer who has had biomarker testing and benefitted from a targeted therapy because of that testing, please fill out this survey form and share your story with us.
Resources for the New York Patient Navigation Campaign
Join the Patient Navigation Campaign Here To Be Kept Informed About The Campaign
Read the ACS CAN support memo.
Download the NY patient navigation campaign legislative packet
Sample patient navigation NYC budget appropriation sign-on Letter
Sample patient navigation state insurance mandate sign-on Letter
Additional Information:
We will once again gather in person on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Albany, New York on the 3rd Floor Terrace of the Legislative Office Building to advocate on behalf of cancer patients. We will have bus transportation to Albany available from across New York State. All details will be...