Care Management

Care Management Career Overview

Care mangers are employed in community-based care programs, public nursing homes, clinics, and may also work for business employers or insurance carriers. Wherever they work, their focus is on developing treatment plans for patients to ensure their healthcare needs are met on a day-to-day and long-term basis. Care managers work with many different types of people, including:

• Clients
• Clients' families
• Other healthcare workers

Care managers should have a strong interest in and focus on client welfare, and have excellent interpersonal skills. They should have good problem-solving skills, work well independently, and also be able to work collaboratively with other healthcare workers to solve problems and develop effective treatment plans for their patients.

Care Management Training & Education

Geriatric care management is a relatively new field, and as such one can enter the field in different ways. In general, someone interested in this career should hold at least a bachelor's degree in a relevant subject, such as social work, or hold a nursing license.

Other types of case managers and care managers are typically registered nurses, and often require two or more years experience as a registered nurse before entering the case or care management field. Care managers and case managers can also obtain certification from organizations such as the National Academy of Certified Care Managers and the Commission for Case Management Certification.

Care Management Career & Salary Outlook

The outlook for care management careers is good, particularly as public and private healthcare services continue to increase their focus on preventative and coordinated treatment plans to reduce the costs of healthcare.

Certified care managers with experience or training in specialized fields such as gerontology, chronic disease management, or complex condition management will find their career opportunities to be particularly good.

Care managers and case managers may earn between $35,000 and $65,000 per year depending on their level of experience, geographic location, and the type of facility in which they work.

Career Fields/Specializations

Geriatric Care Manager Career

Geriatric care managers work privately with senior individuals. Their work involves assessing their clients' needs, arranging care services, and providing ongoing monitoring and assessment of their clients' care plan.

The priority of a geriatric care manager is ensuring that his or her clients receive the support and services they need to live as independently as possible. Such support and services may include assistance from paid service providers and assistance from family members. Geriatric care managers must determine the most effective combination of service providers that will meet their clients' needs in both the short and long term. This may also include providing the families of clients with access to training to help them care for their senior family member.

Geriatric care managers should have excellent interpersonal skills, and be skilled at developing good relationships with their clients and clients' families. They should have excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as good organizational, problem-solving and decision-making skills. They should also be able to work well independently, and have a strong commitment to geriatric advocacy.

Clinical Care Manager Career

Clinical care managers may work in nursing homes, hospices, other healthcare facilities, or insurance carriers. Wherever they work, their focus is typically on developing treatment plans to meet the healthcare needs of their patients. In some cases, a clinical care manager may also supervise teams of other healthcare workers, such as hospice nurses or social workers.

The primary role of a clinical care manager lies in coordinating healthcare and treatment plans for their patients. Often their focus is on helping their clients live as independently as possible, by arranging access to medical treatment and healthcare services. Their responsibilities include assessing the needs of their patients, developing individualized treatment plans, and coordinating healthcare services that meet the short and long term needs of their clients. To do this they work with clients, clients' family members, physicians, caregivers, and healthcare service providers.

Clinical care managers must have excellent interpersonal skills, and should be able to develop effective relationships with clients, family members, and other healthcare workers. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are also important, and clinical care managers should also have good organizational and problem-solving skills.

Complex Care Manager Career

Complex care managers develop care and treatment programs for clients who are affected by serious illnesses or complicated injuries that require specialized or long term treatment. The primary role of the complex care manager is to assess patient needs and develop a personalized treatment program to meet those needs, and also to ensure that patients carry out physician instructions and recommendations to improve their health status.

Complex care managers often work for insurance carriers. Patients with complex health conditions have complicated and expensive healthcare needs, so the complex care manager has an important role in ensuring that patients receive the healthcare they need while keeping the cost of that healthcare to a minimum.

Because complex care managers work with clients and their families, as well as with other healthcare service providers, they should have excellent interpersonal skills, and written and verbal communication skills. In addition, they should have good organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

Medical Case Manager Career

Medical case managers work with individual clients, and work collaboratively with other professionals to develop and implement treatment plans for their clients, who are typically ill, injured or otherwise disabled. The primary goal of a medical case manager is full or partial rehabilitation of their clients.

Medical case managers assess the needs of their clients, and work with other health care professionals to coordinate care and treatment plans that are effective and cost-efficient. They are also responsible for ensuring their clients understand their medical and treatment plans. Medical case managers are typically registered nurses, and most often work for employers or insurance companies.

Medical case managers must have excellent interpersonal skills, and be able to develop good relationships with clients and other healthcare workers. They must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as good problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills. They should also be able to work both independently and as part of a team of healthcare workers.

Medicaid Case Manager Career

Medicaid case managers work within Medicaid managed-care programs to help Medicaid members access appropriate health care. They work with Medicaid members and collaborate with other healthcare workers to ensure that their clients receive appropriate preventative and maintenance healthcare.

Medicaid case managers evaluate their clients' healthcare needs, including their ability to safely live independently at home. They will develop a plan of treatment and medical care services that may include arranging for at-home care and services, providing necessary medical equipment and supplies, and arranging for other services (such as transportation) as needed.

Medicaid case managers should have very good interpersonal skills, and be able to develop good relationships with clients, their families, and with other healthcare workers. They should also have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and good problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills. In addition, they should be able to work effectively both alone and in a team.

Registered Nurse Case Manager Career

Registered nurse case managers work with clients to identify their healthcare needs, and coordinate care plans to meet those needs effectively. They act as advocates for their clients, helping them understand treatment options, evaluating their ability to live independently, and helping them access healthcare and treatment. They provide at-home services, or arrange for transportation to medical facilities.

Registered nurse case managers should have excellent interpersonal skills, and be able to develop and maintain good relationships with their clients and families. They should have:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good organizational skills
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills
• The Ability to work effectively alone and in a team with other healthcare workers