Care Coordination in the Spotlight: Commission for Case Manager Certification Introduces Issue Brief, Webinar

Experts David Meyers of AHRQ and Annette C. Watson of Taconic IPA featured

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Care coordination is at the center of emerging models of care designed to improve the quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of health care delivery. A new issue brief and Webinar from the Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) provide much-needed guidance to the industry on the topic, offering not only tools and resources but also insight into how case managers are breaking new ground in the advanced primary care setting as clinical partners in the new coordinated, team-based care setting.

Care coordination has long been a function of the professional case manager's role, but as new models in advanced primary care take shape, case managers are preparing to take on new leadership roles. The science and research supporting care coordination is growing, and the Commission is offering two complimentary educational resources to enhance understanding.

"Professional case managers have historically delivered care coordination services and are uniquely qualified to lead in this role, whether the setting is a hospital, a rehabilitation center, an accountable care organization, a patient-centered medical home or any other health care organization or facility," said Patrice Sminkey, the Commission's chief executive officer. "The renewed emphasis on care coordination brings added scrutiny of its ability to both enhance health outcomes and reduce costs. The Commission realizes the implications for workforce readiness in both the private sector and in the military sector, where care coordination is expanding rapidly. We are delighted to offer the latest information about measurement criteria and resources to both the professional and board-certified case manager."

The issue brief, "Renewed emphasis on team-based, coordinated care places the professional case manager center stage," features the expert voices of David Meyers, MD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Center for Primary Care, Prevention and Clinical Partnerships; Annette C. Watson, RN-BC, CCM, MBA, the Commission's immediate past-chair and senior vice president, Community Transformation, Taconic IPA; and Janice L. Genevro, Ph.D., MSW, senior dissemination and implementation scientist and member, Prevention/Care Management Portfolio at AHRQ's Center for Primary Care, Prevention and Clinical Partnerships. The brief identifies six functions of care coordination and explores the role of care coordination in new team-based care models as the nexus for communication, smooth care transitions and accountability. The issue brief is available as a complimentary download here.

The Webinar, "Care Coordination: Tools and Resources for the Professional Case Manager," also features Meyer and Watson and expands on the pivotal role case managers will play in the medical home, accountable care organizations and advanced primary care-based delivery models. It offers an example of a pilot program based in New York's Hudson Valley, exploring the structure of the pilot, and special training and recruitment of board-certified case managers to fulfill this important role. The Webinar introduces case managers to tools and resources for measuring the value of care coordination, as well as its role in prevention, patient safety, and as the bedrock for team-based care models. The webinar is available as a complimentary download here.

The issue brief and Webinar are part of the continuing CMLearning Network series offered by the Commission to help educate and inform case managers. Previous issue briefs in the series may be downloaded here :

• From "Turf" to "Team": Case Management Interfaces with Team-based Care Models;
• Center Stage in the Revolution: A Health Care Reform Action Guide for the Professional Case Manager; and
• Current, Evolving and Always Available: The Case Management Body of Knowledge
  

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification

The Commission for Case Manager Certification is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 30,000 professional case managers. The Commission is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM® credential. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management. For more information, visit www.ccmcertification.org, connect with CCMC on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.

SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification

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