What is care coordination?
The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality describes care coordination as deliberately organizing a patient's care activities and sharing information among everyone involved in that care. The aim is that the patient's needs and preferences are known and passed on, at the right time, to the right people.1
What does a care navigator do?
A national patient-navigation group convened by the American Cancer Society defines navigation as individualized help for patients, families and caregivers in getting past the barriers of the health care system and reaching care in time.2 For a family, that usually starts at a turning point: a discharge date, a fall, a new diagnosis, or a parent who can no longer manage at home.
In our work, navigation means:
- Listening first: what happened, what the person wants, what the family can manage, and what coverage the person has.
- Explaining the kinds of care that may fit, in plain words (see Care Settings, Explained).
- Checking a provider's license at the issuing agency's own registry before it is suggested (see How to Check a License).
- Organizing the options so the family can compare them and knows who to call next.
- Leaving every decision with the person, the family and their licensed care team.
Care navigator, patient navigator, patient advocate: what's the difference?
The names overlap, and different organizations use them in different ways. Some navigators and advocates work for a hospital, clinic or health plan; others are independent. More than the title, what matters is what the person actually does for you, who they work for, and who pays them.
What is a geriatric care manager (Aging Life Care professional)?
The Aging Life Care Association describes an Aging Life Care professional as a health and human services specialist who acts as a guide and advocate for families caring for older relatives or disabled adults. Their backgrounds include counseling, gerontology, mental health, nursing, occupational or physical therapy, psychology or social work, and their work covers assessment and monitoring, planning and problem-solving, education and advocacy, and family caregiver coaching.3 The association began in 1985 as the National Association of Private Geriatric Care Managers,4 and many people still use the older name. Ask about fees before you start.
Questions to ask any care navigator or referral service
- Who pays you? Do any of the providers you suggest pay you, now or later?
- Do you, or your owners, have a financial interest in any provider you recommend?
- How do you check that a provider is licensed, and where?
- Who makes the final decision about care?
- What happens to the information I share with you?
How Prime Care Link works
Our navigation support is offered at no cost to families and the professionals who refer them, and providers pay nothing to be included or recommended. We never include, or refer anyone to, a provider our owner has an ownership or financial interest in. We check licenses at the issuing agency's own registry, and final care decisions stay with the person, the family and their licensed care team. The full disclosure is on How We're Paid, and what we do with your information is in our Privacy Policy.