Unlocking the Complexity of the Health Care System: Kentucky’s Health Navigators Unlocking the Complexity of the Health Care System: Kentucky’s Health Navigators BY Michael T. Childress RESEARCH SUPPORTED BY The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky OCTOBER 2012 College of Communication and Information 308B Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506‐0224 Center for Business and Economic Research 335AV Gatton College of Business and Economics University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506‐0034 859.257.2912 office 859.257.7671 fax
[email protected] Page | i Page | ii PREFACE ealth navigation comes in many forms. Sometimes it takes the form of helping an individual find the treat‐ ment, medication, or health services they need. Other times navigation takes the form of helping a patient H overcome barriers of child care, finances, or transportation so they can see a doctor. In other cases naviga‐ tion means working with patients to enhance health literacy so they comply with medical instructions and are not readmitted to a hospital. And sometimes health navigation entails lending an empathetic hand to patients under‐ going the rigors of cancer treatment. Here we adopt a fairly broad definition of what constitutes “health navigation.” We include individuals, groups, and agencies that most would agree are health navigators. At the same time, in the course of this research we came across many individuals who view themselves as health navigators—even if the purists do not. In general we err on the side of inclusion and encourage readers to make their own judgments. We also estimate the under‐ lying demand for navigation services across Kentucky and conclude that the need for navigation is likely greater than the existing capacity.