Three EHR Tweaks to Support Patient Navigation
Modern healthcare is a team effort, with patient navigators pivotal in ensuring smooth care coordination. While electronic health records (EHRs) excel at managing clinical tasks, they often fall short of supporting the complex needs of patient navigators. Most also rely on manual methods like spreadsheets and sticky notes, leading to inefficiency. However, EHRs can better serve these vital team members with the right tweaks.
Improved Communication and Coordination
Patient navigators are the bridge between patients and their care teams. While phone calls and EHR messaging are standard, short, team-oriented messages—similar to those in other industries—are lacking in most EHR systems. By implementing tools that support quick, in-context communication (think notes like "MRI scheduled" or "confirm meds with her sister tomorrow"), teams can streamline coordination and reduce back-and-forth.
2. Task and Workflow Management
Navigators juggle countless tasks, often using static checklists that don’t adapt to the complexity of real-life cases. Dynamic task lists are editable without IT support and allow navigators to share and assign tasks, set alerts, create new tasks “on-the-fly” and make real-time changes. This flexibility ensures nothing falls through the cracks, even as patient needs evolve… and sticky notes can disappear.
3. Reminders and Situational Awareness
Most navigation teams rely on color-coded spreadsheets for reminders and task tracking. A more efficient solution is the shared Kanban board, a visual workflow tool that groups tasks by stage. This system provides a clear overview of where each patient stands in their care journey, highlighting any delays or issues. By moving a patient’s card from one stage to another, teams can trigger alerts and other automation, update tasks, and ensure the next steps are clear to everyone involved.
By optimizing these three areas—communication, task management, and situational awareness—you can empower your navigation team, improve patient outcomes, and streamline care coordination. With NAVIGATE, we’re here to help you get there with implementations measured in days, not months.
Ready to streamline your patient navigation workflows?
Contact us today to learn how NAVIGATE can help you improve coordination, reduce admin time, and enhance patient outcomes. Our team is here to support your success!
