Case Management and Healthcare Blog

Self-Care a Necessity for Care Managers

Coordinating care for vulnerable patients is rewarding and meaningful work, but it can also be incredibly stressful. Increased caseloads, expanding responsibilities, and greater complexity of patient needs are some of the major stressors affecting care managers, according to a 2016 article in Professional Case Management.

Excessive and extended stress can lead to burnout, a state of exhaustion that impacts a person’s emotional, mental and physical wellbeing, as well as their behavior and productivity. A care manager experiencing burnout might feel empty, hopeless, and cynical – as if nothing they do is making a difference.

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In her Last Days, Beloved Former First Lady showed Why Healthcare Decision-Making is Personal, Powerful

Family literacy is the cause that perhaps most defined Barbara Bush during and after her husband’s presidency, but in the days before her death Tuesday at age 92 the feisty former first lady helped draw attention to another vital movement in America: the importance of person-centered care.

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By Melanie Marshall

Lots of wise people have weighed in on what makes a great leader, but this quote from American clergyman John C. Maxwell sums it up pretty well: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Research indicates this walk-the-talk approach motivates and inspires employees to do their best, achieving optimal outcomes for clients, organizations, and the community. (Simons, 2015).

In the field of case management, leaders must “walk the talk” along a particularly challenging route: navigating care for complex patient populations impacted by social determinants of health, guiding staff through the continuing shift from fee-for-service toward value-based healthcare, and building a culture of self-care and resilience among front-line case managers – all while working to enhance care and control costs.

It’s a Herculean task, but the good news is that truly impressive leaders aren’t just born that way – they’re developed! Here are five qualities found in great case management leaders (and how you can instill them in your own organization):

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Survey good news for case managers skilled in working with complex populations

Addressing social determinants of health is viewed as a key way to improve population health programs by 80 percent of payers, the website HealthPayer Intelligence is reporting, citing a new Change Healthcare survey.

The online magazine says “the findings in the 8th Annual Industry Pulse Report, commissioned by the HealthCare Executive Group, indicate that payers are taking action to address (social determinants of health) through community programs and screenings as a way to support value-based care initiatives.”

The survey says “the overwhelming majority of … respondents report their organizations have started integrating social determinants of health. The results show a variety of strategies being employed, with 42% including community programs and resources; 33.7% integrating medical data with financial, census, and geographic data to better understand their patient populations; and 33.1% offering social assessments with health risk assessments.”

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Case Managers Share Ideas, Skills and Strategies to Advance the Field

Inspiring messages, interesting data and important themes were highlighted last month at the Commission for Case Manager’s New World Symposium in the beautiful city of Nashville, Tenn. – and Care Excellence was thrilled to be a part of it.

As an exhibitor supporting the event, Care Excellence Relationship Manager Brandon McDonald said it was exciting to hear experts speak on the challenges, victories and opportunities emerging in the field, and to share conversations with so many care managers committed to growing in their careers and better serving vulnerable patients.

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Latest research projects are good news for growing field

Two new studies on care management show encouraging results regarding the effectiveness of case managers in improving patient outcomes and/or reducing costs.

The first study, released by elder-care solutions company Seniorlink and reported Oct. 26 in Healthcare Finance News, analyzed the data of nearly 2,000 Seniorlink patients in Massachusetts and Indiana, and compared it the national benchmark Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey.

The study found patients with complex conditions who were supported by engaged family members and technology-enabled care managers “had significantly lower rates of inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and falls, resulting in healthcare costs savings,” the magazine said.

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Why Staff Training Now More Than Ever Makes Sense for Managed Healthcare Plans

What are managed healthcare leaders talking about? Certainly at the top of the list is caution and concern about legislative changes in the existing Affordable Care Act, and how Medicaid funding to states may change. Runaway drug costs are also prompting calls from legislators, health plans, and the citizenry, for more pricing transparency and accountability. Change is a certainty, the degree of change is still unfolding.

Medicaid – Shrink or Grow?

Health plans face a future filled with even more demands to do more with less. In a recent NPR interview, a California-based health plan CEO expressed an opinion that states may turn to health plans even more to help them as they manage with less with the remainder of their Medicaid population. Short-term growth in contracts with states might be in store for health plans if this holds true.

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Case Management Training Built on Real-World Experience

With more than 25 years in case management, Rebecca Montano, Ph.D., MBA, CRC, CCM, CMC has dedicated her life to helping others, and now she is helping train the next generation of care managers.

“I’m all about learning and teaching all the time,” she said. “I learn so much from teaching.”

Montano wants to see care management grow and thrive, in an effort to improve patient care and reduce the need for medical services by helping patients and caregivers more effectively manage health conditions. One way to do that is to train the next generation of care managers.

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