125 Background: Patients with a suspicious scan or confirmed cancer diagnosis are anxious to be seen by an oncology provider. It’s important that patients are scheduled to see the most appropriate providers in the right order and timing for their clinical needs. At one large academic medical center, where patient volumes are high, the system is complex, and patients often travel. It was identified that patients were being scheduled out of order, had incomplete information, or could have been scheduled with improved timing and with additional support. This occurred in multiple disease sites. Methods: Based on this assessment, a process has been initiated to where the intake forms completed on each new patient scheduled are routed to the oncology nurse navigators via the electronic medical record. The nurse navigators then reach out to the patient prior to their appointment to further triage their needs, identify barriers and provide education and additional resources. Results: This intervention, while in early stages, has improved nurse navigator involvement with the new oncology patients to ensure they are set up appropriately, with accurate information, and has decreased providers scrambling to add patients on the same day. Outcomes from the navigator’s assessment can include any of the following: leave the appointment as is, reschedule it with the same or different provider, coordinate with another provider, or add additional information to the chart as the patient’s story evolves. Regardless, the patient receives an introduction to the nurse navigator, education, and support prior to being seen. Conclusions: By identifying an area where nurse navigators can improve patient care processes, patients are now able to get personalized assessment and appropriate appointments, no matter how they present to the cancer center. Not only are patients able to be seen by the most appropriate provider at correct timing, but the assessment for clinical needs and barriers to care can be addressed proactively. This wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration of staff and providers, willing and eager to improve the process for patient care.
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