Case Management Is… Series: Part 5
What is care management? I work as a Transitions of Care CM for a Medicaid MCO in Kentucky, the 46th poorest state in the US. To me, care management is helping a member who has been beaten by a boyfriend after having a stroke find stable, safe housing. It is helping an infant who was […]
Case Management Is… Series: Part 4
What is Case Management? I have tried to answer this question many times over the span of my career. Due to the ever-changing healthcare environment in which we live, the answer seems to get more complex every year. How can something so complex with so many moving pieces be explained? If you are a leader […]
Case Management Is… Series: Part 3
Case management is the lighthouse in the night shining a path to protect patients from running aground in the dark. Case management is the eye of the hurricane, where an overwhelmed and exhausted patient or family can breathe for a moment, focus, and get support for a plan to confidently re-enter the storm. Case Management […]
Case Management Is… Series: Part 2
Case Management is…meeting a hiker on a mountain in the wilderness who has a sprained ankle, no flashlight, and is running out of water – and figuring out how to best get them back to safety using the skills and resources they already have — while also assessing the situation and finding additional supports and […]
Case Management Is… Series: Part 1
The Case Manager Written by Carolyn G Dunbar MSN RN Case Manager The Job of a case manager To others is sometimes hard to describe Because we can take care of our Clients With dignity, without actually standing by their side Because in the healthcare field If you’re not specifically hands on Others […]
Why Do Insurance Companies Lay Off Case Managers and How You Can Reduce the Risk
But first, you have to get the job!
Insurance companies hire based on the number of contracts they have. If they feel they will win new contracts and need more nurses for CM or UM or other positions, they will post for these positions.
If they get the contract they will hire. If they don’t get the contract they will stop the hiring process immediately. That is why many case managers get through the interview process thinking all went well, only to be told the position is not being filled.
Many of the very large companies that hire work from home case management positions all over the country have smaller “departments” or “lines of business”. So while one may be hiring, another may be laying off because they lost a contract. And while you would think they would just move people from one “department” to another. Often that is not the case, and those laid off will have to “reapply” for other positions.
Understanding the enemy: A curated list of COVID-19 resources for case managers!
Case managers are struggling. Preliminary results from over 5,900
CCMs in our recent “Checking in With Our CCMs” survey reveals some of the burdens
our case managers carry, and it’s eye-opening.
We’re not that surprised by the results on the professional side. Most case managers
are working remotely (57%) and have limited contact with clients and patients (55%).
Some, however, have been called upon to work on the frontlines. Regardless, many
(40%) are fielding more questions than ever from clients and patients.
Mentorship: Sharing the Knowledge, Supporting Each Other
Almost every case manager can point to at least one person who helped them along their professional development journey, and many have, in turn, developed others through mentorship.
Successful mentoring relationships are marked by mutual respect, clear expectations, personal connection, and shared values. In most cases, both mentor and mentee gain from the relationship, and many mentorships translate into lifelong friendships.
Our mentors support us and motivate us, even and especially when the going gets tough. But what if we could find a way to bottle up some of that important advice and those encouraging words and share it to help others? We can!
Case Management Mentor: Be One, Have One
Mentoring is more than orientation and preceptorship. These focus on processes and procedures and have their place within an organization, ensuring employees are trained to fulfill their job duties. But mentorship goes beyond policies, procedures, and the “job”. It focuses on the whole person, their “career” as well as work-life balance.
Mentorship is built on the relationship between the mentor and mentee and has the potential to create leaders. The best mentors see untapped potential in a colleague and help to develop that potential. They will challenge them to go outside of their comfort zone while providing encouragement, support, and direction that guides the mentee to grow into their full potential.
Commitment, Communication, & Support
Everyone wants to hire a case manager with experience. Experience is very valuable, but with a large number of case managers reaching retirement age and the demand for case managers increasing, organizations will be forced to hire people who lack previous case management experience. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bringing a fresh set of eyes into a department can have an incredible impact.
We are going to look at one new case manager who had a major impact on her patients, department, and organization. We will look at the keys to her success and discover how this can be replicated in other organizations.