ACMA Releases New Standards of Practice and Scope of Services for Health Care Delivery System Case Management and Transitions of Care Professionals

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Oct. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Case Management Association (ACMA) today released its new Standards of Practice and Scope of Services for Health Care Delivery System Case Management and Transitions of Care (TOC) Professionals. Developed in 2004, ACMA's Standards of Practice for Hospital/Health System Case Management created the foundation for the practice of hospital/health system case management, and addressed the key tenets of the practice. In 2007, ACMA added to the Standards of Practice the Scope of Services for Hospital/Health System Case Management. This combined resource is widely recognized in case management practice as an essential reference guide for practitioners. 

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has transformed health care in the United States. The ACMA National Board of Directors recognizes that as the representative body of health care delivery system case management and transitions of care professionals, our Standards of Practice and Scope of Services should reflect the changing health care environment and define the current minimum standards by which others benchmark the practice.

The new Standards of Practice and Scope of Services include some notable revisions and additions designed to address recent developments in health care and ensure practitioners are well-positioned to respond to those changes yet-to-come. Among these changes are ACMA's revised definition of an acceptable assessment and the introduction of the organization's case management certification position statement.

"Times change, care needs change, and the role of a case manager is to be prepared to help the patients and organizations we serve respond to the changes," said ACMA Standards of Practice and Scope of Services Taskforce member, Pat Metzger, BSN, MHA, ACM, FABC. "It is the Standards and Scope that define our roles and formalize the key elements of the work we do. The Standard and Scope as defined by ACMA, demonstrate a clear direction and understanding of the future of case management. They support the pivotal role that case managers play across the continuum by articulating essential elements of practice, the multidisciplinary nature of the work we do, and obligation we have to maintain a level of expertise and professionalism." 

The Standards and Scope are also available online in electronic format, free of charge to all health care professionals. To learn more, go to www.acmaweb.org/standards. 

SOURCE American Case Management Association