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What Case Managers Should Know About Their Roles and Functions: A National Study From the Commission for Case Manager
Hussein M Tahan1, Annette C Watson, Patrice V Sminkey
1Hussein M. Tahan, PhD, RN, is the corporate VP of nursing professional development and workforce planning at MedStar Health, Columbia, MD. Hussein has more than 25 years of experience in health care and is an expert in case management. He is a past commissioner and chair of the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC), and a member of the editorial board of Professional Case Management. Dr Hussein is widely published, including being a coauthor of four case management textbooks, one of which is Case Management: A Practical Guide for Education and Practice, 3rd Edition. Hussein is the knowledge editor for CCMC's Case Management Body of Knowledge online portal. Annette C. Watson, RN-BC, CCM, MBA, is national expert and thought leader in case management and health and human services delivery systems. She is also a past-chair of the CCMC, a current member of its executive committee, and was chair of the Program and Services at the time of this study. She is President of Watson International Consulting, LLC, the consulting firm she founded to assist organizations with innovation and transformation activities that focus on achieving the Triple Aim-better care, better health, and better costs. Patrice V. Sminkey, RN, is CEO of the CCMC, the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies case managers. Nearly 60,000 case managers have earned board certification with the CCM credential since 1992. There are more than 35,000 board-certified case managers in practice today.
Purpose:
The purpose of this national role and function study was to identify the essential activities and necessary knowledge areas for effective case manager practice from the perspective of those currently functioning in various care settings and across diverse professional disciplines.
Primary Practice Setting(S):
The national study covered all case management practices and/or work settings across the full continuum of health care.
Methodology And Sample:
This cross-sectional descriptive study used the practice analysis method and online survey research design. It employed a purposive sample of case managers, in which 52,370 individuals received an invitation to participate. Data collection completed over a 4-week period, resulting in 7,668 useable survey responses (nearly a 15% response rate).
Results:
The study identified the common activities and knowledge areas necessary for competent and effective performance of case managers, as is highlighted in this article, which is the first of a 2-part series on the role and function study. The results informed the needed update of the test specifications for the Certified Case Manager (CCM) certification examination, as will be delineated in Part 2 of the article series, to ensure that it continues to be substantiated in current practice. Of special note are the emergence of specific activity and knowledge domains in the area of case management ethical, legal, and practice standards, and an increase in the number of employers requiring certified case managers to fill vacant positions and compensating them financially for such qualifications.
Implications For Case Management Practice:
This study helps keep the CCM credentialing examination evidence-based and maintain its validity for evaluating competency of case managers. Specifically, the study identified essential activities and knowledge domains that define competent case management practice. Findings can be used for developing programs and curricula for the training and development of case managers. The study instrument also can be used for further research of case management practice.
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