Timely access to cancer care remains a significant challenge for underserved populations, including Medicaid patients and other vulnerable groups. Delays after abnormal screenings or diagnoses contribute to poorer outcomes and widen health disparities. To address these issues, the National Cancer Institute recommends comprehensive patient navigation as a standard of care to mitigate social barriers that affect treatment access.

In May 2022, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LA Health Services), the nation’s second-largest public health system, launched its Cancer Navigation Program. Serving over half a million patients annually, LA Health Services adapted nationally validated patient navigation models to the unique needs of its safety-net population. Since launch, the program has supported over 3,000 patients across breast, colorectal, gynecologic, and urologic cancers, spanning four acute medical centers and two dozen outpatient facilities.

The Cancer Navigation Program has reshaped cancer care delivery at LA Health Services, establishing a scalable model for managing complex conditions such as diabetes complications and kidney disease. Plans are underway to expand the program to cover all new cancer diagnoses, further advancing equitable access and high-quality care.

Learn How To:

• Apply evidence-based guidelines and multidisciplinary teamwork to address clinical, logistical and social barriers to improve patient satisfaction and reduce delays.
• Leverage EHR tools and dashboards to track progress, monitor system performance and drive improvements.
• Deliver equity-focused care by integrating culturally and linguistically aligned navigators to help patients overcome challenges like housing, food insecurity and depression.
• Learn how LA Health Services achieved measurable impacts: reducing time from diagnosis to first visit by 20 days, cutting treatment initiation time by over half, increasing social work referrals by 175% and applying this model to manage other complex conditions.