By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

Accenture will team with the Highmark Foundation will team  to establish and implement a patient navigation pilot program at two Western Pennsylvania hospitals: St. Vincent Health System in Erie and Allegheny Valley in Pittsburgh. Accenture and the Highmark Foundation will work with the hospitals to create an infrastructure for patient navigation – both locally and within the individual hospitals. As a part of the effort, six patient navigators will be trained, hired and placed within the hospitals, while an additional 10 navigators will be trained, so they can assist when necessary.

Allegheny and Erie counties were selected for the program partially based on county health rankings; each county had specific factors suggesting a high demand for patient navigation, including limited access to care, quality of care, health disparities, low income, geographic location and racial or ethnic diversity.

Jean-Pierre Stephan, who leads health consumer and services strategy for Accenture comments:

“Patient navigation not only creates a one-on-one connection for the patient, it serves as a low-cost investment that delivers significant value to care delivery,” he said. “The Highmark Foundation is uniquely positioned to help hospitals and patients navigate various barriers within the health system while freeing up time for clinicians to do what they do best – provide care.”

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 259,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.