Each year at CMSA’s Annual Conference & Expo, case managers are recognized for their excellence in the industry. This year, let your story be heard by submitting for a CMSA National Award for yourself or on behalf of a colleague!

This summer's Annual Conference & Expo will encourage case managers to use the power of storytelling as tools for more effective patient engagement. One facet of this focus on storytelling is expressing the journeys of the excellent case managers in our community. During a series of conference main sessions, case managers will be recognized for their distinguished service to the practice of case management.

Award categories include:

• Case Manager of the Year (CMOY) – Deadline Extended: March 1
• Award of Service Excellence (AOSE) – Deadline Extended: March 1
• Case Management Research Award (CMRA) – Deadline: March 15
• Case Management Practice Improvement Award (CMPI) – Deadline: March 15

This year, let your story be heard! Click here to learn more about the categories. Don't miss your chance to be named the best in the industry, or to nominate a colleague. Enter today at cmsa.org/awards!

Launched earlier this year, CMSA’s Career & Knowledge Pathways (CKP) educational program was developed to fill a longstanding gap in case management education. Theoretical content has been available for many years, but practical instruction of basic concepts of case management, as well as skills opportunities, have been left to the individual case manager and employers to determine and deliver. These circumstances have led to great variation in educational quality, content, and case management skill sets across the health care continuum.

The debut CKP course, CMSA Standards of Practice: The Foundation for Professional Excellence in Coordination of Care Across the Continuum, was developed by thought leaders and your fellow CMSA colleagues to contribute to the basic understanding of the standards that govern our practice.

Based on CMSA’s Standards of Practice for Case Management, this tool is a contextual learning program that covers each of the standards and gives you the opportunity to learn at your own pace. Where traditional educational programs are limited in content, structure, mode of delivery, or timing, CKP uses multiple delivery methods including video, simulations, and case studies to encourage a collaborative and flexible learning experience.

CKP is made up 16 modules, providing 60 hours of continuing education for nurses, social workers, and case management certification. The relative cost for groups of 20 or more case managers is less than one academic college course in an undergraduate program.

Learn more at cmsa.org/ckp.

Join CMSA and your colleagues for a live webinar providing skill-building information on medication management and engagement.

Improving medication reconciliation and management are key interventions for providers to enhance patient transitions, adherence, and reduce hospital readmissions. This webinar will review various models, tools, and resources available to providers, patients, and family caregivers addressing the issues of medication therapy management.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the evolution of medication reconciliation and identify best practices of medication management and coordination
2. Assess the need for strong provider engagement and evaluate upcoming payment and legislative initiatives supporting collaborative care coordination

Cast your ballot by March 15

If you are a current member of CMSA, you have the unique and important opportunity to elect the future leaders who will determine the direction and strategic initiatives of your association!

CMSA Voting is a privilege to all members. On Monday, Feb. 16, an email was sent out to all CMSA members from elections@vote-now.com with the subject line: CMSA's 2015 Board of Directors Ballot. This is your opportunity to have a voice in CMSA’s future by voting for the candidates that will represent you and your association over the next three years. Please take the time to vote. If you missed this email, there will be additional notices mailed out between now and the closing of voting on March 15.

If you have any questions, please contact CMSA National at 800-216-2672 or cmsa@cmsa.org. The voting deadline is March 15 — cast your ballot today!

View candidates and vote at www.cmsa.org/vote. 

As we prepared to serve consumers for 2015 Open Enrollment, we focused on what we could do to improve the consumer experience. This has included making it easier for consumers to get covered, increasing the speed and stability of HealthCare.gov, and making the site more secure. To do this, we listened to consumers, to stakeholders, and to experts from the public and private sectors. We learned about best practices, the improvements that were needed to make the user experience smoother, and what more we could do to protect consumers’ privacy. And we committed to making improvements along the way.

Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Registration is now open for CMSA’s 25^th Annual Conference & Expo on June 23–26, 2015, in Orlando, FL! Join CMSA for an epic celebration in June 2015, as case managers from around the globe descend upon Orlando to celebrate 25 years of case management growth and advancement as an essential health care practice.

CMSA’s 25th Annual Conference & Expo will take you on a transformative journey of education and inspiration, empowering you to craft your most evolved case management practice. Your experience during the event’s educational sessions, symposia, forums, and renowned expo will enable you to break down organizational silos, build energetic, interdisciplinary teams, and use the power of storytelling as tools for more effective patient engagement.

Are you ready to change the world? View more information at www.cmsa.org/conference.