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 for today’s professional case manager. If you would you 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.

    Same ethics, new context: Case managers must understand the new world of medical cannabis

    October 2019 —

    “When I first started my career, medical marijuana was never even discussed. Today, I work with a lot of clients from all walks of life who are using it or thinking about it and weighing the pros and cons,” says Jared Young, PsyD, CAC, LCSW, CCM, chair-elect, Commission for Case Manager Certification®. If you aren’t encountering these patients, you soon will. Case managers, he says, have an ethical obligation to stay on top of the issue. That sometimes proves challenging. “The landscape is constantly changing. But with medical marijuana becoming more mainstream, we’re only going to be addressing these issues more and more.” 

    When everything is rarely enough: Palliative care and the power of asking the right questions

    April 2019 —

    Palliative care is not curative; the goal is to improve quality of life. However—and this is what often gets missed—palliative care can occur alongside the most aggressive disease treatment. It provides a powerful opportunity for relief and even healing, but many clients, families and even health care professionals don’t fully grasp its full meaning. 

    Amplifying the client’s voice: For case managers, advocacy means empowerment

    February 2019 —

    What stands between individuals and the health care services they need? The long list includes poorly designed regulations, unfriendly consumer insurance practices, lack of actionable information, a sense of powerlessness that can result in inertia—and so much more. Liz Helms, president and CEO of the California Chronic Care Coalition (CCCC), understands this well.

    In the transition to value, case management builds the bridge to whole-person health

    December 2018 —

    Research backed by real-life experience demonstrates that spending to improve management of social health factors for at-risk populations results in lower resource utilization and reduced overall costs.1 When health care organizations help vulnerable clients address the social determinants of health—factors such as economic stability, physical environment, education, food and housing security—they can positively affect health outcomes.

    Act with integrity and fidelity: Know the SCORe when ethical stakes are high

    October 2018 —

    Even when everyone agrees on the path forward, making end-of-life decisions can be agonizing, especially when the client cannot participate. Disagreements among and between family members and the health care team make these situations even more distressing and raise difficult ethical questions. In the midst of this, case managers are ethically required to stand up for their client’s best interest—not just in the abstract, but in the all-too-painful reality.