Patient navigation programs backed by technology hold significant potential to improve cancer care, and a new White House report outlines policy priorities to support this effort.
The Biden administration's Cancer Moonshot hosted several meetings in late 2023 to discuss ways that navigation for cancer patients could be improved. Thursday's report includes four priorities that the team argues will support the technology necessary to enhance patient navigation.
For one, the paper says it's necessary to develop tools that can facilitate more coordinated cancer care. These platforms also need to make it easy for navigators to connect patients with resources in their local communities.
And, patients must be able to readily find information that's relevant to their specific diagnosis, treatment plans and other individual concerns, according to the report.
Making this work effectively, and equitably, will require collaboration and input from a wide array of stakeholders, experts said.
“While new technology can lead to exciting applications for patient navigation, it should supplement, not replace, the personalized care that patients with cancer need,” said Elizabeth M. Jaffee, M.D., chair of the President’s Cancer Panel, in a statement. “Using technology effectively and responsibly is complex and will require collaboration across many sectors.”
The report calls out the need to account for equitable access as priority No. 2. Recommendations in this area include federal funding programs that can support broadband access and the use of private sites to facilitate connections to telehealth and virtual care for people who may lack necessary devices.
The panel also recommends that developers put a focus on "responsible" technology development, build on a framework that centers high-quality data, transparency, privacy and interoperability. Developers should routinely conduct assessments and improve where needed, according to the report.
And as these tech platforms are built, how best to use them must be baked into the training protocols for navigators and care coordinators.
The final priority spotlights the need for privacy and security in building a tech stack that supports patient navigation. These platforms need to safely and securely support interoperability, and regulators should consider legal frameworks that incentivize development while setting security guardrails for patient navigation tech, according to the report.
"Effective use of technology to support cancer patient navigation requires cross-sector commitment and action," according to the report. "The Panel urges all stakeholders in the National Cancer Program—federal, state, and local governments; healthcare organizations; healthcare providers; EHR vendors and health IT developers; insurance companies; patients, families, and caregivers; and others—to work together to find the best ways to incorporate technology into cancer navigation to ensure that everyone facing a diagnosis of cancer has access to the best possible treatment and support."