Role and function of case managers subject of Commission for Case Manager Certification's research

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New models of care delivery demand better coordinated, patient-centered care. Professional case managers often tasked with providing those services are the subject of current research designed to offer in-depth information about the knowledge, skills and abilities required by this in-demand workforce segment.

The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission), accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, is fielding its Role and Function survey to the broad professional case manager community, including its 35,000 board-certified case managers. The results of this research, conducted every five years, will inform the Commission's Certified Case Manager (CCM®) exam. The CCM is the only research-based certification available to case managers.

Data from the survey is analyzed to select the most important case management knowledge areas and job tasks to determine the weight and selection of knowledge tested on the exam. The Commission's exam is a requirement for board certification, which validates a high level of expertise and is often considered a benchmark for professional career advancement and organizational leadership. The CCM is the oldest and largest case manager credential.

"The Commission has a long tradition of using science-based research to enrich education for board-certified case managers and to inform the CCM exam," said Patrice Sminkey, the Commission's CEO. The Commission has partnered with International Credentialing Associates, LLC, a research organization specializing in certification, to design and implement the survey and to analyze the results. The survey asks case managers in the field—both board-certified and professional case managers—to carefully consider their current work in order to accurately benchmark the many facets of case management as it evolves as a discipline.

Case managers are active players in new models of care, including the patient-centered medical home, and in rapidly changing areas of health care delivery such as care transitions and care coordination. They work in a variety of settings and come to case management from a range of backgrounds such as social work, pharmacy and nursing. Periodic research enables the Commission to stay at the forefront of education and workforce development, and to support its commitment to case manager ethics in a changing environment.

Noted case management researcher Hussein Tahan, DNSc, RN, leads the study's technical team. Tahan is a health care executive and assistant professor of clinical nursing at Columbia University School of Nursing. He has served as executive director of International Health Services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the University Hospital of Columbia, and Cornell. His research is focused primarily on service delivery and the roles and functions of case managers. Tahan has published more than 85 articles and book chapters on the topic and is co-author of four textbooks on case management.

The survey will remain open to case managers through the end of June. Sminkey said all case managers are encouraged to complete the survey. To learn more about the Commission's Role and Function study, visit http://ccmcertification.org/node/974.

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification
The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 35,000 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 the Commission on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.

SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification