Issue Briefs

    The role of the professional case manager is changing rapidly.  Health reform has called upon the industry to ensure that care delivered is efficient, effective, high quality and low cost.  Never in our history has the role and the function of the professional case manager been more important.  The expectations of today’s case manager are evolving and the experts in policy, research and industry are talking with the Commission about changes affecting case management practice.

    The Commission’s Issue Briefs are offered as part of the CMLearning Network®. Each publication covers topics that are timely and relevant to today’s professional case manager. If you would like a hard copy of an Issue Brief for your staff, or for use at a meeting, we can send you a limited amount at no charge. Simply make your request by filling out the form in the sidebar, and we'll be happy to send them to you.

    The Issue Briefs displayed below are the most recent.

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    Certified Case Managers® and client connections: Virtual care demands real presence

    February 2021 —

    February 2021 — A year into the pandemic and we are still practicing social distancing both in our personal and professional lives. Virtual visits and meetings, once a novelty, are woven into our lives. Don’t expect that to change. “CCMs have done an amazing job coming up to speed quickly and adapting to the needs of their clients,” Michelle Baker, BS, RN, CRRN, CCM, 2020-2021 Chair of the Commission for Case Manager Certification says. “However, we’ve learned that telehealth is no longer a stop-gap measure limited to the pandemic. That’s why we’re working so hard to make sure all our clients have the tools and guidance they need to adapt. Because telehealth is here to stay.”

    A call to action: Case managers can help build healthy, equitable communities

    December 2020 —

    Our nation seems more divided than ever. But in many ways, the fissures we are now seeing have been there all along. But it’s not simply political. The divide is socioeconomic, and much of it comes back to health. Case managers, as an “unanticipated messenger,” can bring an essential voice to conversations related to societal needs. “Case managers likely witness social aspects that impact client care and outcomes. The social workers, nurses and disability management specialists who are board-certified see firsthand how clients are burdened by poor living situations, lack of affordable food and polluted communities,” says MaryBeth Kurland, CAE, CEO, Commission for Case Manager Certification.

    Build Resilience Personally and Professionally: Seven Strategies for Case Managers

    October 2020 —

    It’s not getting any easier. Case managers have been persevering throughout this epidemic, supporting clients, clients’ families and of course, their own friends and families. We’ve discussed the profound impact of COVID-19 before. In this issue brief, educator and resilience expert Chantrise Sims-Holliman, EdD, shares that perspective and provides seven strategies for case managers to build resilience.

    The Epidemic Inside the Pandemic: We're dying from despair. Case managers can help.

    July 2020 —

    COVID-19 has laid bare the failings of American health care, public health and public policy. Without immediate and meaningful action, it will do the same thing to America’s fragile mental health system. As we move forward, case managers must fully understand just how much COVID-19 has affected mental health—theirs, their colleagues' and their clients'. This issue brief puts it in context, provides resources and gives tips on how to be an advocate during this difficult time.

    Advocacy in the age of COVID-19: The ethical principles remain constant, but how do you apply them in this strange new world?

    June 2020 —

    What does advocacy look like today? What are its ethical underpinnings? We all know that case managers who carry the CCM credential are ethically bound to advocate for their clients. This issue brief looks at advocacy through a COVID-19 lens touching on case examples, overall safety concerns and medication safety. “Always, in every instance, think about doing no harm.”— Nancy Freeborne, DrPH, MPH, PA-C, Chief Executive Officer, Freeborne Health Advising