Pat Stricker, RN, MEd
Senior Vice President
TCS Healthcare Technologies

I know I just missed National Case Management Week, but I would like to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations to all case managers for the important contribution you make to our health care system. Your dedication, commitment, and passion for working with patients and their families to educate, empower, and enable them to make informed decisions makes a tremendous difference in their lives. It is also invaluable to the health care delivery system by improving the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of care. Case managers act as advocates, educators, coordinators, facilitators, navigators, and resource managers to help patients understand and manage their condition, find and gain access to services, and obtain high quality, cost-effective care. I would also like to recognize and congratulate all the staff members who support the case managers in their endeavors, because it would not be possible for them to carry out their work without your assistance.

History of Case Management

Case management began in the early 1900s, when case managers (nurses and social workers) provided care and contained healthcare costs by coordinating public health services. This was followed in the 1920s with managing chronic illnesses in psychiatry and social work. Following World War II nurses were employed as case managers to care for wounded veterans and help with their rehabilitation (a precursor to today’s Wounded Warrior Project). Then in the mid-1980s health insurers began to develop case management programs for catastrophically injured and chronically ill patients. During this time there were no distinct standards of practice for case management. As case management grew, organizations devoted to its needs began to be developed. The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) was one of those organizations. Founded in 1990, its goal was to further the role of case management by supporting professionals that "assess, plan, facilitate, and advocate for a patient’s individual health needs". In 1995, CMSA became the first organization to develop Standards of Practice that specifically defined the foundational knowledge and skills of the case manager, as well as a range of core functions, roles, responsibilities, and relationships that are integral to the practice of case management. As it continued to grow, case managers began working in other settings, such as wellness programs, traditional Disease Management programs (now known as Population Health programs), provider practices and clinics, and other family and community-oriented programs.

History of National Case Management Week

The first Case Management Week was held in October, 1999 by CMSA to honor the association’s founding date of October 10, 1990. The goal of Case Management Week was to recognize role of case management in improving the health care outcomes for patients and to educate payers, providers, lawmakers, and consumers about the important contributions that case managers make. The idea quickly spread to other organizations and CMSA collaborated with those organizations to unify the event into the National Case Management Week, which would be celebrated during the second full week of October each year. In 2000, Nancy Skinner, CMSA’s Past President and Board Member, was instrumental in creating an officially recognized National Case Management Week when her request to the Tennessee State Legislature for a proclamation declaring a National CM Week was approved. Since then 42 other states have also approved such proclamations. (Check to see if your state has a proclamation and if not, think about trying to get them to approve a proclamation. It would be nice to have proclamations from all 50 states). In 2011, the federal government recognized the value of case management when the Administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration at the US Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to CMSA citing the "vital contribution of case managers in coordinating quality, cost-effective patient services in collaboration with providers and insurers".Then in 2013, the U.S. Congress recognized National Case Management Week when Arkansas Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman co-sponsored a Senate Resolution "designating the week of October 13, 2013, through October 19, 2013, as National Case Management Week to recognize the value of case management in improving healthcare outcomes for patients". That resolution has been repeated each year since with unanimous approval. Click here to read the entire 2016 resolution that recognizes case managers for the essential link they play in helping patients receive quality health care.

Case management has been around for more than 115 years, but it continues to take on more significance all the time. It has become a foundation in the health care delivery system and is being used in more and more settings and types of programs. I came across an interesting e-book that showcases case management and case managers. Profiles in Case Management provides in-depth interviews from six case managers working in different settings. It outlines their background, skills, choices they made, and their successes. It also touches on trends in case management and some of the challenges that lay ahead. I highly recommend this uplifting article. It’s perfect for Case Management Week (or the week after CM Week). I’m sure you will be able to relate to their experiences.

Thank you all again for the wonderful work you do. Keep it up and CONGRATULATIONS!

Pat Stricker, RN, MEd, is senior vice president of Clinical Services at TCS Healthcare Technologies. She can be reached at pstricker@tcshealthcare.com.