Why Use Pathways?

Pathways of Care

• Clinical pathways focus on providing patients with consistent up to date education throughout their treatment.
• They help patients and providers communicate and ensure that expectations are met.
• The pathways also help coordinate appropriate care and ensure that outcomes are being followed.
• Throughout medicine, evidence-based guidelines are being used to improve care. There are published guidelines for OAB, BPH, advanced Prostate Cancer and multiple other conditions in urology

Patient Navigators

• Patient navigation involves using a dedicated person to ensure that you are receiving appropriate care on a clinical pathway.  
• Navigators help you move to the next step of therapy in an efficient, timely manner by improving communication between you and your provider.
• The educational material can be given through your computer or smartphone.  This is called electronic navigation which uses the Doctella application. Advantages include:
  • Ability to access information at any time
  • More frequent check-ins
  • An easier way to communicate
• If you do not have access to a computer or smartphone you can take advantage of clinical navigation with a nurse over the phone.

Benefits of Using Clinical Pathways and Navigation

Improvement in patient education. Pathway navigation provides education about your condition and all of the available treatment therapies.    This creates awareness of your condition and keeps you engaged in your care. With this knowledge, you can make informed decisions.  

Improved utility of appointments. Routine follow-up visits may be omitted if we know you are doing well.  If you need help, there is no need to “wait” for your next appointment in order to move onto the next step.  

Improved communication with provider and staff.  Using navigation will offer access to clinical staff significantly earlier and easier than traditional methods.  With electronic navigation, there is an option to “ask the navigator a question” and with human navigation, there is generally a phone number available to ask a question.
Up-to-Date Treatment. Our pathways provide current evidenced-based treatment of your condition.

Better Outcomes.  As you navigate through your medical condition over time, it is possible to get “lost”.    If you are not doing well or are unsure of the plan, you may feel like you are failing treatment.   Continued interaction and the ability to communicate are keys to keeping you engaged in your care and remain on track for treatment.
Educating patients about future therapies that they will likely need.  For certain conditions such as advanced cancer, the navigation will provide pathways, clinical guidelines, and education about appropriate next therapies. This helps patients prepare for what options are available and streamlines care so that they receive treatment as soon as possible.