Please read the full program description before purchasing ACS LION.

Overview

A core value of the American Cancer Society is that everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, find, treat, and survive cancer. This includes access to high quality navigation for all across the cancer continuum. 

 

The 2024 Physician Fee Schedule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes reimbursement for professional, non-clinical patient navigation services for patients with a “Principal Illness,” including cancer and other high-risk conditions. These services include social determinants of health risk assessment, community health integration services, and principal illness navigation (PIN) services.  Training and/or certification of navigators is required under the Final Rule for PIN services.

 

The ACS Leadership in Oncology Navigation (ACS LION^TM) program is a voluntary training and credentialing program for any individual or organization seeking recognition for providing professional non-clinical navigation, including but not limited to: 

• Patient Navigator/Oncology Patient Navigator 
• Professional Navigator 
• Social Worker 
• Nurse Navigator 
• Community Health Worker 
• Promotores/Promotoras de salud 
• Financial Navigator 
• Clinical Trial Navigator 
• Patient Care Coordinator 
• Registered Nurse 
• Licensed Practical Nurse 

The program consists of 10 modules, aligned to CMS competencies and professional oncology navigation (PONT) standards, and a summative program assessment.  

Once enrolled, the learner will go through the 10-module training and be granted up to two (2) attempts to take the program assessment. Program access and participation are granted for 90 days from the date of enrollment.  Learners must complete the program (including the program assessment) within 90 days of enrollment, or their enrollment will expire, and all fees will be forfeited.  No extensions to the 90 day time limit will be granted. 

The learner handbook can be found here.

Program Costs

Program enrollment

The fee for individual enrollment access in the ACS LION program is $495. This price is inclusive of applicable sales and use taxes. The program cost must be paid online with a credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, & Discover). Health systems or organizations purchasing multiple seats (bulk purchases) can either purchase online with a credit card or via a separate purchase order.  These options are available upon check-out.

Once enrollment access to the ACS LION program is purchased, either by the learner or by an organization on behalf of the learner, the individual learner must enroll in the program with their unique information. Individual learners enroll at the time of purchase. For bulk purchases, individual learners will enroll separately. Each organization is responsible for connecting with its identified team members with the preliminary information regarding this payment coverage process.  It is the responsibility of the learner to connect with their organization for questions regarding organization-paid multi-seat access. Enrollment in the program is considered the date on which the program was purchased; or, in the case of bulk purchases, the date on which the learner first logged into the program platform.

Enrollment provides each learner with access to the training and credentialing program and up to two (2) attempts to take the program assessment. Program access and participation is granted for a period of 90 days from the date of enrollment (which may or may not be the date of purchase).

Learners must successfully complete the program (including the program assessment) within 90 days of enrollment, or their enrollment will expire, and all fees are forfeited. No extensions to the 90 day time limit will be granted.

Program assessment scheduling fees

The program assessment requires remote, real-time proctoring (administered by ProctorU) and must be scheduled.  Learners are encouraged to schedule the program assessment in advance to avoid fees. Additional fees will be incurred by the learner if the program assessment is scheduled within 48-72 hours of the exam start time. Program assessments cannot be scheduled less than 48 hours in advance.

If learners choose to schedule their program assessment within 48-72 hours of the exam start time, they are responsible for the payment of the additional fees:

• If scheduled within 48-72 hours of the exam start time, the learner will incur an $8.00 fee.

These fees must be paid with a credit or debit card at the time of scheduling. Learners will be required to enter payment information on a secure page connected to a third-party payment processor. The page is encrypted and secure, and neither ACS nor ProctorU see or store any credit card data. Learners are required to re-enter payment information each time new charges are incurred.

 

If learners schedule the program assessment more than 72 hours in advance, no additional fees are incurred.

 

Refund Policy

 

When a learner enrolls in the ACS LION program, the learner is granted access to the training and credentialing program for 90 days, and up to two (2) attempts to take the program assessment. No extensions to the 90 day time limit will be granted.

 

Provided the person enrolling in the ACS LION program meets eligibility criteria (at least 18 years old, presence in the United States), enrollment in the program is non-refundable and non-transferable. This includes instances when:  

• a learner does not access the program,   
• does not successfully complete the program,
• does not complete the program within the 90 day time limit,   
• does not take the program assessment, or   
• is not successful on the program assessment (two attempts allowed). 

 It also includes instances when: 

• a health system or organization completes a bulk purchase and seats are unassigned. 

 In the case of bulk purchase made by an employer, the employer may change assignment of the program from one employee to another, as long as the first employee has not enrolled. Once a learner has enrolled, the employer may not transfer that employee’s registration. 

Program access and participation is granted for a period of 90 days from the date of enrollment. Learners must successfully complete the program (including the program assessment) within 90 days of enrollment, or their enrollment will expire, and all fees are forfeited. No extensions to the 90 day time limit will be granted.

Technology Requirements

Learners should use a desktop or laptop computer to complete all ACS LION program requirements. Tablets and cell phones are not supported.

 

Additional technology requirements must be met for the proctored program assessment, including but not limited to:

• a webcam
• a functioning microphone (headphones are not permitted)
• Guardian browser (secure internet browser that connects learners to their ProctorU proctoring sessions; must be downloaded in advance)
• a strong and stable internet connection to support screen sharing and remote proctoring software. Too check your speed, please visit https://www.speedtest.net/

Minimum and recommended requirements for a learner’s camera, operating system, RAM, microphones, and browsers are detailed on the ProctorU website.

 

It is also strongly suggested that learners use a personal desktop or laptop (not a work computer) for the program assessment. Work computers may have stringent security settings and/or firewalls that prevent compliance with proctoring requirements.

 

Program Assessment

 

When learners purchase the ACS LION program, they are allowed up to two attempts to pass the program assessment. These attempts must be made within 90 days of program enrollment. No extensions to the 90 day time limit will be granted.

The program assessment is a comprehensive exam that covers all program content presented in the ACS LION training and credentialing program. It is proctored remotely by a live proctor and must be completed in one sitting (with a break). Learners are allowed up to 120 minutes to complete the program assessment.

Learners are strongly encouraged to use a personal desktop or laptop to complete the program assessment (not a work computer). Work computers may have stringent security settings and/or firewalls that prevent compliance with proctoring requirements. The computer must have a webcam and microphone.

Administering the ACS LION program assessment with a live proctor helps to ensure the integrity of the assessment process and the results. Proctoring services are provided by ProctorU.

If learners need support with using the ProctorU platform, the ProctorU website has helpful articles on getting starting, troubleshooting, scheduling, and equipment requirements.

 

Learners are responsible for scheduling the date/time for their program assessment. It is recommended that the program assessment be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance. Exams cannot be scheduled less than 48 hours in advance.

 

If learners choose to schedule their program assessment within 48-72 hours of the exam start time, they are responsible for the payment of additional fees:

• If an exam is scheduled within 72 hours of the exam start time, the learner will incur an $8.00 fee.

These charges must be paid with a credit or debit card at the time of scheduling. Learners will be required to enter payment information on a secure page connected to a third-party payment processor. The page is encrypted and secure, and neither ACS nor ProctorU see or store any credit card data. Learners are required to re-enter payment information each time new charges are incurred.

 

If learners schedule the program assessment more than 72 hours in advance, they are not charged any additional fees.

 

The link to schedule the program assessment is provided in the online training content in Canvas, which is available after purchasing the program.

 

ACS LION Credential

 

Learners who successfully complete the program (including the program assessment) will receive the ACS LION credential. By earning this credential, learners are joining other dedicated health care professionals in improving access to care through patient-centered support. Program benefits include:

• Greater credibility with the formal endorsement of your patient navigation expertise 
• Improved knowledge and skills of the complex cancer care system 
• Enhanced understanding of how to tailor support by patient needs  
• Preparation for greater responsibility and professional development 

Once credentialed, learners will need to recredential every 3 years in addition to annual refresher content to maintain their status, thus assuring their employers and the patients and caregivers they serve that they are dedicated to staying current in the field. 

To qualify to earn the ACS LION credential, learners must meet the following criteria:

1.    be at least 18 years of age, and

2.    be located in the United States or its territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) while participating in the ACS LION program and associated assessments, and

3.    agree to terms of use and privacy notice for the program; and

4.    complete all ten (10) modules of the program; and

5.    complete each module quiz with a score of at least 80%; and

6.    complete the program assessment with a score of at least 80%; and

7.    complete all above requirements within 90 days of program enrollment.

The ACS reserves the right to verify any and all enrollment and eligibility criteria. If a learner is found to have falsified or misrepresented their enrollment or eligibility, it is grounds for revocation of eligibility and/or certification status.