Author Archives: Anne

Renewing your Professional License or Certifications

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I am a procrastinator; I admit it. To address this, here are some things I do for renewing your professional license or certifications.

In general, I make a lot of to-do lists. I write down when I need to accomplish a task and usually schedule it a week in advance to complete it on time. This helps me stay organized and meet deadlines.

In the area of my professional license and national certifications, I pay special attention to when my nursing license and case management/patient advocate certifications need to be renewed.

Time flies, and it is easy to overlook these dates. You will usually get a notice from the Licensing agency or certification organization when it is time to renew. Still, if you miss it, you could lose your license and certification. To avoid this, I list which certifications and licenses I must renew each year and then review what they require for this cycle.

Breaking News: CMSA Releases Four Important Papers for All Case Management Professionals

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The Case Management Society of America held its annual conference on June 4-7 in Providence, Rhode Island, to learn, network, and share information to improve their practice and the healthcare system. At the Conference, they released Four Important Papers for All Case Management Professionals

Several papers were introduced that will help CMSA, and all case managers, share the vital work case managers do in every sector of the healthcare system. 

A Revolution in Healthcare – Health Information Technology

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Health Information Technology is a force that will touch every healthcare organization and professional.
Health systems, payers, and providers must include patients and their families as health information technologies are introduced. Their impact and voices will be one way to determine which systems are right and whether they are making the expected difference.
We will need to continue to use data better to address issues and identify areas of improvement.

There is no I in Team

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Case Management is a team sport, and like in all sports, there is no I in team, and the team members have to respect each other and work together. In this article, I would like to discuss the benefits and strategies of incorporating multidisciplinary perspectives, such as social workers, pharmacists, physicians, therapists, psychologists, and the other disciplines that comprise the multidisciplinary healthcare workforce.

Effective Communication Strategies with Clients

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Effective communication strategies for case managers is to maintain clear and open lines of effective communication between patients and families, providers, payers, and others with whom they interact according to their role and function. Each takes a different skill that needs to be honed continuously. 

Case Managers must foster an environment where all stakeholders feel comfortable sharing information, expressing concerns, and asking questions. This type of transparent communication builds trust among team members and helps prevent miscommunication that can lead to poor outcomes. 

Questions and Tips to Improve Your Documentation!

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The importance of documentation cannot be overemphasized. In this post, I wanted to share some questions and tips to improve your documentation. As nurse case managers, we learned about documentation during our training, but with technology taking over healthcare, our documentation is more important than ever. 

Take some time to think about how you document. Is it clear? Does it help the healthcare team coordinate care and ensure streamlined communication? Could a colleague pick up your cases if you had to take time off?  Here are some points to review and see how you can improve your documentation. 

Benefits of Belonging to Your Professional Organization

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Case Managers are professionals from various disciplines. As professionals, we have a responsibility to be a cut above. We must adhere to a code of conduct and ethical standards, and participate in professional development activities, including Belonging to Your Professional Organization

To meet each of these responsibilities, belonging to a professional organization is critical as professional organizations have the responsibility of keeping the workforce up to date as the industry changes.

In the area of case management, we have several professional organizations that case managers can belong to. Most people decide on which organization they will belong to by the sector they are in. Here are a few that you can consider:

The ONE tool that will help pass the CCM Exam

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Recently, I was emailed a question from a case manager who was preparing to sit for the CCMC Exam for the 2nd time. I decided to write this article as it is a common question. his questions from a case manager who is preparing to take the CCM Exam for the 2nd time. She is searching for the ONE tool that will help her pass. In my answer, I try to tell her that there is no magic tool. She has purchased a number of tools. Now she has to do the work to understand the material so that she can answer the questions on the exam by critically thinking.