Credentialling the Patient Navigator Workforce in Louisiana
June 26, 2026
Dr. Peggy Honoré and Ms. Dana Smith presented at the Inaugural Patient Navigator Summit
held at Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) in Lacombe, LA on June 4th, 2026. The summit was hosted by Northshore Healthscape – an economic and workforce
development initiative in St. Tammany Parish, LA. The event was a celebration and
introduction of the Patient Navigator education programs at NTCC.
program-YnIIYcWEJxBKUnSlm6fb.pdf
The curriculums include a mix of patient and health navigation topics and culminate with the choice of a Patient Navigator technical diploma or an Associate Degree. Graduates are eligible to sit for a certifying exam. The coursework was developed at NTCC over a three-year period of collaboration with LSU Health Sciences Center School of Public Health, the KY-based Patient-Centered Education & Research Center – the certifying organization, Northshore Healthscape industry partners, and Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center where the model was tested during the design phase.
The patient/health navigator education model was created with goals of being responsive to evolving health workforce needs with particular attention given to credentialing requirements for service reimbursement. Specific aims are to enhance achievement of population health improvements, reduce costs while improving quality, ensure clinical and population health workforce efficiencies, and meet state education goals by creating meaningful health career pathways. A sample of evidence-based impacts of utilizing patient/health navigators include reductions in hospital length of stay, improved chronic disease outcomes, increase in cancer screening rates, 90% increase in HIV viral suppression, and $10 in health care savings for every $1 invested in navigation. The NTCC educational model also meets CMS reimbursement rules that require workforce credentialing. A presentation before the LA Health Workforce Commission is scheduled for Oct 2026 to encourage statewide replication of the model.
