Local Navigators Steer Patients Toward Better Health

Joseph's medical history, coupled with his lack of insurance, prompted Tiffany Simon Loncon, a patient care navigator, to follow up with him three days after his Oct. 17 heart attack. SmartHealth is designed to follow up with high-risk, regular emergency room patients who have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease or pulmonary disease. The navigators make sure all their patients' transportation needs are met and assist them in finding low-cost or free health resources they might qualify for in the community. The navigators sometimes make calls to patients who don't even come into the clinic, she said. Because their job crosses realms equivalent to social work, a nurse navigator's level of education varies from a master's degree in social work to an associate's degree in nursing.