The Commission for Case Manager Certification announced that its recently selected 2018–2019 officers will focus on the professional development of case managers and disability specialists.
Case management is a tactical and strategic profession governed by ever-changing regulations. Staying current with regulations is not something a case management leader can do casually or occasionally. The process requires thoughtfulness, broad thinking, and the ability to educate staff and to implement and audit process changes as they relate to new regulations.
CMS began rolling out new cards to Medicare beneficiaries in April and recently announced that wave one of the mailing has been completed. The new cards are intended to help protect beneficiaries’ Social Security Numbers.
Two recent high-profile celebrity suicides and news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that suicide rates are on the rise across the country have prompted some healthcare professionals to look more closely at suicide prevention and whether more can be done to help individuals struggling with mental illness.
Health literacy can have a major impact on patient outcomes. If a patient doesn’t understand his or her condition, the reasons for treatment, and how to properly take medication, the patient could experience a relapse or adverse reaction.
Ms. P arrives on a medical unit at a major medical center escorted by two armed police guards from the local jail. The social worker, Ann, asks about the reason for the guards and the length of time that they will be on the unit, but the officers tell her they can’t share this information.
Case managers are a valuable component of any healthcare facility’s care team, whether they are in discharge planning or utilization management roles. As healthcare evolves, so too do the roles and expectations for the facility’s staff, making it critical for case managers and other team members to periodically evaluate whether their career goals align with their current work.
Social determinants of health are social factors, such as homelessness, illiteracy, a history of childhood trauma, and joblessness or underemployment, that can affect a person’s health. Coding for these factors is important because CMS officials now use some of them to adjust quality measures for patients who are dual-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and coding these factors may help shape future health policy.
