Oncology & Hematology Coding Alert

Lack of training puts counselors, patients in tough position.

It is not unusual for cancer patients to be more anxious about the cost of their treatment than their diagnosis. "Our patients are experiencing financial trauma because of this," says Dan Sherman, MA, LPC, founder and president of the NaVectis Group, which specializes in clinical financial navigation.

Unfortunately, many folks in financial counseling positions are ill-equipped to effectively help patients avoid that trauma. "These folks are put in situations where there are extremely complicated scenarios that have psychological effects, [and] complex health issues. It is not fair to put them in that position without proper training to address those issues more effectively," Sherman says.

Most financial counselors have little formal training. They are trained within their own system at their workplace, and they adapt on the spot and learn as they go, according to Sherman. Legally, you could go out on the street and hire the first person you see and that is fine - but it shouldn't be, he adds. "We don't allow that for nurses or anyone else who is treating a patient."

Insurance and patient assistance concepts and programs are an alphabet soup. Besides the familiar HMO, PPO, and COBRA, there's MSP, QMB, SLMB, LIS, MPAD, Medigap A, B, C, D, F ... and so on. A competent financial counselor needs "expert knowledge of these programs in order to apply them to the appropriate patient at the appropriate time," says Sherman.