Commission for Case Manager Certification Introduces Expert Advisory Board for New Education Tool, CM Body of Knowledge

Subject matter experts from across health care continuum will inform trends and keep online resource evergreen

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) announced the launch of its Case Management Body of Knowledge™ (CMBOK™). The online education tool is the first comprehensive, Web-based, peer-reviewed, online case management knowledge resource. To underscore its evergreen value to case managers, the Commission also announced the members of its CMBOK Editorial Advisory Board today. This panel of subject matter experts will inform trends and promote the addition of vital new materials to the CMBOK as the profession advances in today's rapidly evolving health care landscape.

CMBOK offers the foundational knowledge a professional case manager must possess to work independently and effectively. The CMBOK was written by leading case management experts in an effort to embody both the science and art of case management. Its two years in development represent the Commission's commitment to excellence and realize the Commission's vision for the advancement and evolution of case management.

"The CMBOK Editorial Advisory Board represents the diverse health care community, with membership across the health care continuum," said Patrice Sminkey, RN, the Commission's chief executive officer. "These dedicated individuals are in touch with the trends and nuances in health care delivery, and will provide the Commission with needed input to help the CMBOK stay in front of the educational needs of case manager with regard to topics such as care coordination, new models of care, health reform and team-based care delivery."

Members of the CMBOK Editorial Advisory Board named today are

• Christine Bechtel, vice president, National Partnership for Women and Families;
• Jennifer Covich-Bordenick, chief executive officer, eHealth Initiative;
• Laurel Pickering, MPH, executive director, New York Business Group on Health;
• Marissa Schlaifer, R.Ph., MS, pharmacy affairs director, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy;
• Joanne M. Shear MS, FNP-BC, VACO primary care clinical program manager, Office of Patient Care Services, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and
• Carrie Valiant, member of the Washington, DC-based firm Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.

To see biographical information about members of the CMBOK Editorial Advisory Board, click here.

The CMBOK is structured along the parameters of the Case Management Knowledge Framework, developed by the Commission to assist all partners in health care quality to identify training needs of professional case managers as they take expanded roles in new models of care. It is the Commission's belief that the Knowledge Framework, offered to be freely used by the public in April, and the CMBOK itself will inform community health programs, medical practices, hospital programs, and health plans as they develop new products and services designed to effectively coordinate care in a meaningful way. The Knowledge Framework educates the case manager in seven knowledge domains. Within those domains the CMBOK fleshes out 38 sub-domains, more than 350 specific knowledge topics, and nine major phases in the case management process.

Subscribers to the CMBOK who are also board-certified will be able to obtain continuing education credit through the CMBOK and automatically update their personal education records through the Commission's online CM Dashboard. To find out more, go to http://www.cmbodyofknowledge.com/.

Click here to read the issue brief, "Current, evolving and always available: The Case Management Body of Knowledge."

For FAQs about the CMBOK, click here.

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification

The Commission for Case Manager Certification is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 30,000 professional case managers. The Commission is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM® credential. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management. For more information, visit www.ccmcertification.org, connect with CCMC on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.

SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification