The Case Management field requires experienced healthcare professionals to coordinate, communicate, and connect all aspects of a client’s experience. It can be a daunting task at times, which is why technology has become so important for effective Case Management. Today’s Case Management technology solutions can have a significant and positive impact on the success of individual cases, particularly in a few key areas.
More Efficient Casework
Case Management’s core mission is to ensure that all aspects of a client’s care are coordinated, well-understood by the relevant parties, communicated effectively, and followed up on. In particular, Case Managers are often asked to assist with the most complex, long-term, or heavily involved care plans. Keeping all of that information clear and useable can be challenging, but technology solutions have developed to make it a little easier on Case Managers, care providers, and clients alike.
These solutions often take the form of software designed specifically for use in a healthcare context. Software solutions can help to manage all parts of the Case Management approach, including:
- Sending and reviewing referrals
- Coordinating elements of care
- Ensuring there are no conflicts between care components
- Getting approvals for specific interventions
- Verifying information
- Reviewing costs
- Handling follow-up procedures
When all of these aspects are manageable through a single portal, the job of the Case Manager becomes easier. It also ties into the cost-saving component of Case Management. After all, it’s certainly more cost-effective to have a single source of information that can be easily and quickly accessed by all relevant parties. In contrast, dealing with multiple (possibly duplicate) sources — and having to pay staff for the time it takes to coordinate and check between them — is not an effective use of time or budget.
Improved Information Security
Case Management in the healthcare sector deals with large amounts of highly personal, sensitive information. To do the job effectively, Case Managers must have access to information that might otherwise be siloed, putting all that sensitive information in one place. It’s great for care planning, but it can be nerve-wracking for the security conscious.
Technology can help to reassure clients that their information is safe by providing the latest security solutions. Continually upgrading security protocols is vital to maintaining trust and adhering to confidentiality requirements. Improved security technology can also make it easier and safer to transmit confidential health information between different points of care or care providers, allowing these actions to be taken with both speed and security.
Many Case Management technology solutions use role-based access to further ensure that a client’s case is properly handled, with the right people having the right levels of access. Under these systems, it’s possible for multiple users to have access to the overall file, but only authorized personnel can access specific data, add or change information, and so on. This ensures that each provider’s “role” in the client’s case is matched with their access to the digital file and the information necessary to provide well-rounded, well-informed care.
The technology solutions in Case Management are constantly being reconsidered, redeveloped, and upgraded. When medical technology meets administrative technology, the results can be remarkably positive for practitioners and clients alike. With the right Case Managers and cutting-edge technology, healthcare systems can create a significantly better experience – and better outcomes – for the people they serve.
By Michelle Boeckmann
Michelle Boeckmann, Founder of Healthcare Recruitment Partners, has over twelve years of experience placing seasoned leadership Case Management candidates in acute care hospitals and healthcare systems. She and her team, along with a database of over 32,000 professionals and counting, can give you an advantage in a competitive market, whether you’re looking for highly specialized talent or a need for a placement for an open position quickly and discreetly.
Michelle is a member of the American Case Management Association (ACMA) and Case Management Society of America (CMSA).