The Ultimate Guide to Oncology Navigation Software

Oncology navigation software is the category of digital tools cancer programs use to track patients from diagnosis through survivorship, document barriers to care, and connect patients to the resources that remove those barriers. Four different kinds of product are sold under that one name, and most cancer programs end up using more than one.

What does oncology navigation software do?

Oncology navigation software does seven jobs. Most products do some of them well and leave the rest to another system.

Patient Tracking

Patient tracking covers the clinical side of navigation: when the patient’s next appointment is, which imaging, labs, and procedures are still outstanding, how much navigator time has been logged for the patient, and which of the patient’s needs are open or resolved. It flags anyone who falls out of the expected timeline. This is the coordination work that Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship authors from Sarah Cannon describe as part of the oncology nurse navigator role, such as lining up central line placement and dental evaluation before treatment.

Acuity Scoring

Acuity scoring rates how much navigation each patient needs. So a program can balance caseloads by workload instead of by headcount. The Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+) has built a standardized National Oncology Navigation Acuity Tool for this. The tool scores each patient from 0 to 10 based on the barriers identified and how many there are. In an evaluation published in JONS in March 2025, 69 navigators at 5 cancer programs completed 576 acuity assessments and reported that each took under 3 minutes.

Distress Screening

Distress screening records whether each patient was screened for psychological, social, financial, and behavioral concerns that could interfere with treatment. The Commission on Cancer requires accredited programs to screen patients at least once during their first course of treatment under Standard 5.2, Psychosocial Distress Screening. The most widely used validated instrument is the NCCN Distress Thermometer and Problem List, a free one-page tool that rates distress from 0 to 10 and is available in more than 70 languages.

Barrier Documentation.

Barrier documentation is social determinants of health (SDOH) documentation: a record of the financial, transportation, housing, food, caregiving, and emotional barriers a patient reports and the follow-up on each. Commission on Cancer Standard 8.1, Addressing Barriers to Care, requires accredited programs to identify these barriers and act on them. We Are Here’s cancer navigation platform for health systems records each barrier a patient reports and whether the matched resource actually reached the patient.

Resource Matching and Referral

Resource matching finds the financial grant, ride, lodging, or support group that addresses a documented barrier, sends the referral, and records whether the patient received the help. Most navigation programs use manual means to search and maintain resources from various non-profits and community services. We Are Here’s navigation software uses AI to gather, validate and recommend over 20,000 resources to oncology patients across 50 states of the U.S. and DC.

Program Reporting

Program reporting turns navigation activity into metrics an administrator, a surveyor, or a budget committee will recognize. AONN+ has published 35 evidence-based navigation metrics across patient experience, clinical outcomes, and return on investment. They include psychosocial distress screening rates and social support referrals. Its 2020 Navigation Metrics Toolkit explains how to select, implement, and report them, so that numbers mean the same thing from one program to the next.

Billing Capture

Billing capture documents the time, consent, and activities required for Medicare’s Principal Illness Navigation codes. G0023 covers the first 60 minutes of navigation in a month, and G0024 covers each additional 30 minutes. CMS introduced both in the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule. The CMS Principal Illness Navigation FAQ sets out the rules: patient consent, training for auxiliary personnel, and one billing practitioner per patient per month.

What kinds of oncology navigation software are there?

Oncology navigation tools fall into four distinct categories that serve different primary functions, making direct comparisons confusing for buyers. Built-in EHR modules seamlessly leverage clinical context without extra logins but lack visibility outside the health system. Standalone platforms provide purpose-built caseload management and accreditation reporting for navigation teams. Resource and referral platforms match patients with community support, though their effectiveness depends on how well they validate listings and close referral loops. Finally, patient-facing apps and messaging services maintain connection between clinical visits, provided there is human support behind them.

Is oncology navigation software the same as patient navigation software?

Oncology navigation software is a subset of patient navigation software. General patient navigation and healthcare navigation software covers many conditions and often focuses on scheduling, care coordination, or benefits navigation for employers and health plans. Oncology tools add cancer-specific pathways, acuity scales, distress screening, and Commission on Cancer reporting.

Frequently asked questions