What is the importance of case management in
healthcare?
Case management is critical to achieving positive medical outcomes for
patients. It accomplishes this through advocacy, collaboration, analysis,
planning, resource management, communication, and patient education.
Case managers serve as liaisons between the medical establishment and
patients.
Case management assists patients in fully understanding their health
plans and conditions, as well as communicating effectively with providers.
Furthermore, it coordinates healthcare activities such as admissions,
discharge, and everything else. This is especially beneficial for patients
suffering from serious illnesses who require extensive care. In a nutshell,
healthcare case management streamlines medical activities and helps to
reduce inefficiencies in order to ensure positive patient outcomes.
What are the steps in case management?
1. Screening
The case management system process begins with this step. As the name
implies, it entails determining the nature of the case and whether it
requires case management expertise. In other words, it looks for
genuineness or authenticity.
2. Assessment
A professional will assess a case in greater depth after it has been
screened as genuinely requiring expertise. The goal is to determine the
scope of the problem so that an appropriate solution can be developed.
3. Risk Evaluation
This step is critical for determining the level of risk involved in a specific
risk. Knowing this allows case officers or managers to decide whether or
not to prioritise it. Urgent cases must be addressed immediately, while
less serious cases can wait.
4. Planning
As the name implies, this step entails developing a strategy for dealing
with a case and coordinating the activities of the patient and providers. It
entails setting goals and developing a plan of action to achieve them.
5. Implementation
This step entails putting the plan into action and carrying out the tasks.
Setting up appointments, doing the necessary legwork, meeting with
providers, elaborating on the case, and so on are all part of it.
6. Follow-up
Following up entails evaluating the plan's implementation and the
outcomes it produces. Case managers will typically gather relevant
information in order to assess the effectiveness of their plan.
7. Evaluation of Outcomes
This is the final step. It entails reviewing the outcomes and gathering
feedback on the entire case and how it was handled. It includes metrics
such as time spent, health outcomes, cost, workflow efficiency, patient
experience, and so on. This assists case managers in determining their
performance and identifying areas for improvement.