Scheduled in D.C. for April 10, 2012

What is the latest information and activity on and around the Hill? CMSA members and case management professionals will find the answer to that question when they converge on D.C. from all parts of the country on April 10, 2012.

Attendees will receive important updates on legislative and policy related to case management and concerning national issues in health care reform. They will learn how to interact at the national level and how to apply this knowledge at the local level for greater impact. On the second day of the event, attendees will visit The Hill, where they will spend time with members of Congress, representatives from federal agencies, CMSA leaders, and other experts who will address attendees with the latest information.

This public policy summit was created to give CM professionals much needed tools and resources to advocate effectively for policies that impact case management, the effective delivery of health care, and – ultimately – that improve patients’ health and wellbeing.

Be sure to save the date: April 10, 2012 for CMSA in D.C.!

 

The Case Management Foundation (CMF) thanks you for a successful 2011! This year, CMF has raised over $30,000 dollars from our generous donors, helping us to move forward with programs that contribute to the case management field and the people it serves.

The Case Management Foundation (CMF) is the nation’s only charitable organization created to support education, research, and professional development for case managers. The Foundation represents all case management organizations, and information on the CMF website is free to the public.

Please visit the CMF website at http://www.supportcmf.org/ for more information on projects, programs, and to donate online.

 

Select Sessions from the Annual Conference Now Available for Online Learning & CEs

In today’s world, we understand not everyone can join us for CMSA’s Annual Conference and Expo. Likewise, not everyone that attended this week-long event can visit every intriguing session offered. So, we are pleased to offer you the CMSA Extended Learning Conference, a convenient online learning environment offering 47 recorded sessions from CMSA's 21 Annual Conference in San Antonio! View all sessions and you could earn up to 84.0 Nursing and 70.0 CCM continuing education hours!

Don't Need CEs?
Consider Holding Educational In-Services for Your Team
Purchase packages of 5, 15, 25, or all 47 courses and use the online presentations to conduct a series of educational in-services, providing professional development opportunities that can enhance the knowledge and skills of staff working in the multidisciplinary setting.

 

CMSA is pleased to announce the launch of the Case Load Capacity Calculator (CLCC). This software, developed by Consulting Management Innovators, Inc. (CMI), builds on both the Caseload Concept Paper and Matrix published by CMSA and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in 2008 as well as a 2011 survey of CMSA & NASW members. From that foundation, a team of clinicians and analysts developed software that provides comparison data between case managers in similar settings.

The Case Load Capacity Calculator is available, free of charge, to all case managers through December 31, 2011. Thereafter, it will remain free only to CMSA and NASW members.

This first version of the CLCC is designed for health plan and inpatient acute settings. However, during the public access period, case managers of any setting may try the tool by selecting one of three test settings during setup. CMI hopes to develop calculator software for case managers in other settings in the future.

 

PRIME welcomes the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) as the most recent national professional society to link to a continuing education (CE) website supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) providing CE in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), also known as comparative effectiveness research (CER).

Through a contract with AHRQ, PRIME is providing multimedia online CE modules for a wide audience of health care professionals across the health care continuum, including nurses in all practice settings and roles. The program is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. PRIME’s responsibility is to translate research findings, disseminate the content, and evaluate the effectiveness of the education through federally approved survey instruments.

 

As the holiday season approaches, CMSA would like to remind its members that the National office will be closed the following dates.

• Thanksgiving: November 24 & 25, resuming normal business hours on November 28.
• Christmas: December 26-30, resuming normal business hours on January 2, 2012.

Our goal is to ensure all of your service requirements are met through the Holiday Season. If you need a CMSA Continuing Education certificate reissued before the end of the year, please download the request form and submit by December 15. If you have immediate or urgent needs during this time, please send an email to cmsa@cmsa.org.

 

Recorded Wednesday, November 9, 2011

If you were unable to attend the most recent All Member Webinar earlier this month, you can now listen to the recording online.  CMSA President Mary Beth Newman, along with CMSA Executive Director Cheri A. Lattimer, discussed the current CMSA activities and member benefits. Participating during these regularly schedule webinars is a great way to stay connected to your association and understand how your association is supporting you.

 

Who do you know that is an outstanding case manager, or who is an outstanding leader in advancing case management?

Here is your opportunity to nominate them for the recognition they deserve. Watch for more details in November, or visit www.cmsa.org/awards to begin creating your nomination today

 

CMSA members — your winning slogan is needed for National Case Management Week 2012. You are encouraged to exercise your creativity to come up with next year's CM Week theme.

This contest is your opportunity to have a say in a meaningful national campaign honoring the contributions of case managers in all settings and areas of expertise all around the United States.

 

Did you know the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) has more than 112,000 resumes in its Career Center database? The year is coming to an end but you probably still have hiring needs. Don’t miss the chance to get in front of CMSA’s highly qualified case management professionals.

For a limited time CMSA is offering a 25% DISCOUNT to post your job openings on the CMSA Career Center. Click below to read more reasons you should post your jobs with CMSA today.

 

by Pat Stricker, RN, MEd
Senior Vice President, Clinical Services
TCS Healthcare Technologies

Last month, CMSA launched a new tool for case managers – the Case Load Capacity Calculator (CLCC)! For many of us, this represents an exciting opportunity to begin laying the foundation for evidence-based case loads for a variety of clinical settings.

 

Accountable Care Organizations provide coordinated care and chronic disease management while lowering costs. CMS Administrator Don Berwick, M.D., explains ACOs in plain language.

 

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) will start accountable care organization (ACO) accreditation this month, looking at seven critical areas that, if they pass the smell test, will allow hospitals, physicians, and other providers to qualify for ACOs.

As NCQA notes, not every group of providers that calls itself an ACO actually has what it takes to accomplish an ACO's vital mission, according to a NCQA white paper.

 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Medicare is adding coverage for a number of preventive services to reduce cardiovascular disease. This new coverage policy will add to the existing portfolio of free preventive services that are now available for people with Medicare, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. It contributes to the Million Hearts initiative led jointly by CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with other HHS agencies, communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, and private sector partners across the country to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the next five years.

"Access to preventive services helps Medicare beneficiaries identify health risk factors and disease early to provide greater opportunities for early treatment," said CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, M.D. "CMS continues to carefully and systematically review the best available medical evidence to identify those preventive services that can keep Medicare beneficiaries as healthy as possible for as long as possible."

 

With coordinated care at the heart of accountable care organizations (ACO), nurses are applauding the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) final rule released last month, anticipating more opportunity to improve care.

Expanding the role of nurses will be beneficial to ACO success, as nurses are proficient in wellness, teamwork, and health education, according to American Nurses Association's (ANA) senior policy fellow Cynthia Haney, in a McKnight's Long-term Care News & Assisted Living article.

 

Health care professionals are a cynical lot. We joke about the "fad or buzz word of the month"...usually some vague concept heralded by the powers on high. Our job is to promote the idea...knowing full well that the "next big thing" is probably right around the corner.

Take "patient-centered"...it sure feels like a buzz word. I suspect most hospital and physician executives, and their ad agency partners, would agree. But this time things are very different.

Read more of this article by Stephen Wilkins, MPH, to learn why hospitals and physicians should recognize the need for patient-centered care.

 

In 2009, six Premature Infant Health Summits were conducted to address and discuss the many issues facing premature infants. Since that time many stakeholders have developed programs and initiatives, all with the goal of improving the care of premature infants.

This year we will talk about the many small steps that have been taken and, with everyone’s involvement, can lead to big changes in the lives of premature infants.

Topics will include:

• Born too soon...why it matters. The latest on prematurity rates and research
• Engaging national and community stakeholders to make a difference
• Review and discussion of new premature infant resources
• Current policy landscape and the impact on premature infant care

To register please email MedImmunePrematuritySummits@gmail.com.

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Allegheny Center Alliance Church, Union Place Chapel
801 Union Place, Pittsburgh, PA

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Philadelphia Regional Office, is pleased to present this information on health care reform.

 

Thursday, January 26, 2012
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EST

This is a "Virtual Meeting." Attendees will need a computer, Internet access, and a phone line to participate. The National Medicare Education Program (NMEP) Partnership Alliance began as an educational effort because of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which expanded Medicare's health plan options by creating the Medicare+Choice program. A partnership soon developed between public and private organizations and CMS around a common goal: educating people with Medicare to make informed choices about their health care. NMEP continues its work under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and the Affordable Care Act of 2010.