#SystemsofCare

Referral technologies are a rapidly increasing and adapting addition to care operations in the United States. Not only are present technologies constantly updating and adapting their practices, but new platforms are implemented into the care continuum on an ongoing and rolling basis. In 2019, Yuri Cartier, Caroline Fichtenberg, and Laura Gottlieb produced a comprehensive review of the present nine primary community resource referral platforms in their publication, “Community Resource Referral

Our last two blogs discussed the current state of referral metrics and the changes needed to optimize these metrics going forward. Now we will discuss the necessary data requirements for further improving the quality of care. While navigation systems track a breadth of data metrics, several untracked variables remain integral to the improvement of care. This blog advocates for three groups of outcome measures needed to assess the efficacy of

By Brett Mayfield Health disparities in the United States continue to be an area of focus for many nonprofits. In 2021, NNSI Founder and Director Michelle Shumate focused on this area herself, partnering with leading researchers from renowned medical institutions, namely NNSI’s neighbor organization Northwestern Medicine. Following research1-3 that found that Hispanic medical patients “receive disproportionately fewer living donor kidney transplants (LDKTs) than non-Hispanic Whites” (Gordon et al., 2021), these

Our previous blog, “Referral data metrics: what they are, what exists, and why they are important,” outlined the five data metrics that inform navigation systems: quality control metrics, demand metrics, supply metrics, referral metrics, and system impact metrics. If you haven’t read the previous entry, check it out first because this article extends this discussion of referral metrics.  In this article, we describe essential improvements to metrics that are not

Navigation systems are increasingly utilizing data to improve their practices. From the microcosmic measurement of client demand in each zip code to the macrocosmic measurement of whether navigation systems improve the environment around them: data can drive the growth, improvement, and success of care. Still, navigation systems are far from fully utilizing the potential of the data all around them. This blog will demonstrate the critical role of data and

As shown in our previous blog, “Understanding and navigating saturated referral landscapes,” the number of navigation systems is exploding. But, not all navigation systems are created equal. In this blog, we evaluate four common navigation designs and inspect the implications of each respective design. Recall from our last blog: Navigation systems are organizational arrangements designed to support individuals in locating and obtaining valuable benefits, programs, and services. These Navigation systems