The Health Care Professional You Didn’t Know You Needed
When it comes to a serious health concern or crisis, there is an important professional who plays a critical role in helping individuals and families navigate the difficult and unforeseen circumstances that they are faced with. This professional is called a Case Manager. Most people are familiar with the job of a Case Manager in a hospital setting; however, independent Case Managers are able to provide their diverse expertise in many different health care situations.
At Feinberg Consulting, our experienced Case Managers serve as critical guides and advocates. They have a vast pool of knowledge and resources to support their clients when they need it most. Whether someone is struggling with an addiction or mental health condition (and doesn’t know how/where to seek treatment), faced with managing the care of an aging loved one, recovering from an auto or work-related injury, or dealing with a different complex medical illness or diagnosis, our Case Managers connect clients with the proper treatment and resources. They guide clients throughout their care and recovery.
Still have questions? Let’s take a deeper look into the three key areas of support that a Case Manager provides.
Assess
Case Managers begin working with a client by conducting an initial assessment. This takes a comprehensive and holistic look at the client’s past, and current, health concerns or injuries. This can include:
- Medical history
- Past or current injuries
- Psychosocial analysis
- Family history
- Medications
The assessment is conducted by a trained clinician and is thoroughly reviewed by our team of experienced professionals to best determine the next steps in treatment care.
Plan
Based on the findings of the assessment, the Case Manager develops a detailed Care Plan. The Care Plan consists of recommendations for medical, rehabilitation, and/or recovery treatment and care. Some examples of this include:
- For individuals or families faced with addiction and/or mental health concerns, the Care Plan could include a list of recommended outpatient treatment facilities that would support a client’s needs.
- For senior services, the Care Plan might recommend that professional caregiving is needed for the client’s well-being and safety. It could also recommend specific doctors to see or treatments to pursue depending on the client’s health needs.
- For individuals who have sustained auto or workplace injuries, Case Managers develop a Care Plan that consists of the medical and rehabilitation treatment needed to help the client recover from their injuries. It could also include their professional recommendations for which specialty doctor they should see, medical equipment that is needed, or recommendations for physical therapists or vocational counselors to support their recovery.
Another key piece of the Care Plan is the client’s short-term and long-term recovery and/or care goals, which are consistently monitored and updated by the Case Manager on a regular basis.
Guide
Once the Care Plan has been established and agreed upon by the client and their family, Case Managers work with them to implement the plan and guide them every step of the way. This includes:
- Scheduling and attending doctors’ appointments, keeping detailed records and reports of each appointment, providing medication management, addressing concerns or questions, and more.
- Advocating on behalf of the client to make sure they are receiving the proper treatment, procedures, or medical equipment that will improve their quality of life.
- Serving as a liaison between the client’s providers, family members, and other people involved in their care, to ensure everyone is up-to-date on the client’s progress or changes in their care.
- Communicating with insurance companies to make sure that the client’s medical expenses are being properly covered and paid for.
- Connecting clients with community resources, or other supportive resources, that aid in their care and overall well-being.
- Serving as a trusted resource to answer any questions or concerns along the way.
In short, there are many facets to the role of a Case Manager. As you can see, this includes critical responsibilities that have a lasting, positive impact on our clients and their families. Consistent, compassionate care coordination is key in the treatment and recovery of our clients, in order to support a lifetime of healing.
