CMSA Revises Industry Standards of Practice

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., March 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The CMSA 2009-2010 Board of Directors announced this week that the association's Standards of Practice for Case Management, first published 15 years ago in 1995, have been revised and are now available to CMSA members.

"We are excited to be able to provide our members and the industry with an updated version of this keystone of case management practice, which establishes formal written standards of practice from a variety of disciplines," said CMSA 2009-2010 President, Margaret (Peggy) Leonard, MS, RN-BC, FNP. "CMSA believes that these standards are in keeping with the industry today and a reflection of the practitioners and executives within the CM industry in the coming years."

CMSA's 1993-1994 President, Carrie Marion, RN, BSN, CCM, served as Chair of the Standards of Practice Committee. Under her direction, the Standards of Practice for Case Management, which had not been subjected to revision since 2002, underwent an extensive review. This process included input from key case management stakeholders, as well as the following:

• Modification of the structure of the Standards
• Identification of guiding principles
• Rework of the introduction
• Updated definition of case management
• Case management qualifications
• Enhanced glossary with definitions of terms that have been debated in the industry
• Rework of the standards

"The core committee was made up of representatives from various practice settings and disciplines in case management," Marion said. "At various junctures, the work of the core committee was reviewed by the reference committee, and the Standards were also then reviewed twice by the industry."

In addition, CMSA engaged the services of medical writer, Suzanne K. Powell, RN, BSN, MBA, CCM, CPHQ, who provided a style guide, synthesized the information, made the writing style consistent, and assisted each review group with their individual contributions. The Standards were also subjected to legal reviews several times during this process.

CMSA plans to engage in regular reviews of the Standards in the future, including public comment periods, to keep abreast of rapid changes in the health care industry that affect case management.

In coming weeks, more than 11,000 CMSA members will receive a complimentary copy of the printed booklet, Standards of Practice for Case Management ©2010. One free print copy will also be sent to each new CMSA member upon joining.

For the first time, CMSA has offered both members and non-members the opportunity to view and/or download the publication for free from the CMSA website at http://www.cmsa.org/SOP. A print version of the Standards may be purchased through the CMSA National office by downloading and completing the CMSA Product Order Form available at http://www.cmsa.org/store.

About Case Management Society of America

Established in 1990, the Case Management Society of America is an international non-profit 501(c)(6) multi-disciplinary professional association dedicated to the support and advancement of the case management profession through educational forums, networking opportunities, legislative advocacy, and establishing standards to advance the profession. It is based in Little Rock, Ark., and serves more than 20,000 members/subscribers and 70 affiliate and pending chapters. Since its inception, CMSA has been at the forefront of setting professional standards for the industry, which allows for the highest level of efficiency and integrity, as well as developing national and local leaders who are recognized for their practice and professional excellence. For more information on CMSA, call the National Office at (501) 225-2229 or go to http://www.cmsa.org.

SOURCE Case Management Society of America