Posted on 11/21/2017 - 9:55 AM by MaryBeth Kurland
The healthcare landscape is always changing. Cutting-edge, technological advances like artificial intelligence and telemedicine offer a glimpse of incredible possibilities for more efficient health care. There is an aging population as Baby Boomers are moving into their retirement years, including some of our board-certified case managers, creating a need for a well-prepared workforce to fill roles.
It is time to commit ourselves to the future of case-management because Case Managers are the center of this complex landscape. Regardless of technological advancements, clients and organizations need the knowledge, expertise and ethical commitment that case managers bring to the table.
As the next-generation of case managers come up the ranks, it is important to reach out and mentor them. Take the time to share your expertise and lessons with them, because the need for qualified case managers with a proven ability to interface with culturally diverse populations will only continue to grow.
Now, more than ever, we must work together to develop the next generation of certified case managers while striving to keep qualified case managers active, energized, and evolving in their careers while taking the lead in the changing healthcare environment.
By emphasizing patient-centered care, case managers are fueling an information- and engagement-centered evolution in healthcare. Although client-engagement is not a new role for case managers, research and payment structures prove its power. More engagement makes for reduced rates of hospitalization, lower ER use, and shorter stays. Engaging the patient and their family in care is also connected to improvements in staff experience and retention, as well as greater job satisfaction and lower burnout rates.
The Board of Commissioners and my executive team know that certification is the means to prepare and validate an ethics-driven, qualified workforce; it’s the onramp to the lifelong learning and professional development. The commission strives to promote, advance and advocate for quality case management practice.
Since late 2010 the number of board-certified case managers has grown from 27,000 to nearly 45,000. It is our goal to draw a straight line for employers and other healthcare leaders so they can connect the case manager competency with the CCM credit. Those three little letters behind a board-certified manager’s signature represent preparedness to meet today’s challenges and leverage tomorrow’s breakthroughs for better health, better patient care, lower costs and greater professional satisfaction.