Definition and Philosophy of Case Management

Definition of case management.

Case Management is a dynamic process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors, and evaluates to improve outcomes, experiences, and value.

The practice of case management is professional and collaborative, occurring in a variety of settings where medical care, mental health care, and social supports are delivered. Services are facilitated by diverse disciplines in conjunction with the care recipient and their support system.

In pursuit of health equity, priorities include identifying needs, ensuring appropriate access to resources/services, addressing social determinants of health, and facilitating safe care transitions. Professional case managers help navigate complex systems to achieve mutual goals, advocate for those they serve, and recognize personal dignity, autonomy, and the right to self-determination.

(ACMA/CCMC, September 2022)

Philosophy of Case Management

Case management is an area of specialty practice within the health and human services professions. Its underlying premise is that everyone benefits when clients(1) reach their optimum level of wellness, self-management, and functional capability. The stakeholders include the clients being served; their support systems; the health care delivery systems, including the providers of care; the employers; and the various payer sources.

Case management facilitates the achievement of client wellness and autonomy through advocacy, assessment, planning, communication, education, resource management, and service facilitation. Based on the needs and values of the client, and in collaboration with all service providers, the case manager link s clients with appropriate providers and resources throughout the continuum of health and human services and care settings, while ensuring that the care provided is safe, effective, client-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. This approach achieves optimum value and desirable outcomes for all stakeholders.

Case management services are optimized best if offered in a climate that allows direct communication among the case manager, the client, the payer, the primary care provider, and other service delivery professionals. The case manager is able to enhance these services by maintaining the client's privacy, confidentiality, health, and safety through advocacy and adherence to ethical, legal, accreditation, certification, and regulatory standards or guidelines.

Certification demonstrates that the case manager possesses the education, skills, knowledge, and experience required to render appropriate services delivered according to sound principles of practice.

(1) Client refers to the recipient of case management services. It includes, but is not limited to, consumers, clients, or patients.

Scope of practice overview 

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Care Coordination versus Case Management: What’s the Difference?

While both aim to improve healthcare outcomes, care coordination is broader, emphasizing continuous, integrated care, whereas case management is more focused and structured around specific health issues.

Care coordination organizes patient care activities and information sharing among all participants to achieve safer, more effective care. It focuses on communication of the patient’s needs and preferences, ensuring a patient-centered approach across various health services.

Case management, on the other hand, is a collaborative process involving assessment, planning, facilitation, and advocacy to meet an individual’s comprehensive health needs. It often targets specific diseases or conditions, using a structured care plan, and is more clinical in nature.

The Evolution of Care Coordination and Case Management

The health care system has multiple players, including employees, insurance companies, managed care companies, health service professionals, health service organizations, and the government. All members perform specific tasks but collaborate to meet the patient health care needs .

Over the years, the healthcare delivery system has experienced rapid and dramatic changes from acute care to outpatient and community settings. Many factors have facilitated this change, most of which aim to reduce costs, such as developing new technology .

In addition, changes have been aimed at improving healthcare quality and access, such as care coordination and case management. This is an attempt to compare the two systems to understand the role each has played in the healthcare space.

Case management and care coordination are terms that pose confusion not only among the patients but also among healthcare providers. According to the Case Management Society of America , case management ‘is a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s and family comprehensive health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality and cost-effective outcomes.’

It is not a new development because it dates to the 1980s when managed care was started with an emphasis on welfare, health promotion, and illness prevention. The early movements to contain health care costs led to the formation of Health Maintenance Organizations and the Preferred Provider Organizations that provided managed care using case management.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) describes care coordination as “deliberately organizing patient care activities and sharing information among all of the participants concerned with a patient’s care to achieve safer and more effective care.” Key among the components of care coordination is the communication of the patient’s needs and preferences.

Client-Centric Approach to Care Coordination

What stands out in the care coordination process is its client-centric approach . The coordinator’s role is to ensure that all the other participants are duly involved and informed of the client’s preferences .

There are some differences and similarities between the two. From the service provider’s point of view, in most cases, it is the same cadre of healthcare providers, called a case manager or a care coordinator, who provides the services. Most additionally hold physicians, nurses, or social worker’s licenses.

Ontologically, all case management involves an element of care coordination, but not all care coordination merits being called case management. In case management, one looks at the disease from a pathological perspective and a human perspective. With care coordination, there is a particular emphasis on linking healthcare components from various sources and supporting information sharing across providers, patients, types and levels of service, sites, and time frames.

In some population health systems, a case manager, who usually has a degree in nursing or social work, oversees the care coordinator, who may not have a Bachelor’s degree.

Single Illness Versus Patient-Centered Care

The other difference is that case management is often directed towards a single illness, while care coordination is a patient-centered, consistent care approach across multiple illnesses. Take the example of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners to reduce death, frequency, the severity of illness and disability, and to contribute to improved growth and development.

The IMCI case management process is presented in a series of charts that show all the procedures and information for performing them. It looks very efficient and empirical, but it tends to reduce healthcare into medical algorithms.

On the contrary, care coordination envisions individually tailored care for the patient, which can be very useful for those with chronic conditions, which sometimes lead them to visit different healthcare providers. Through care coordination, the care plan formulated looks at their medical conditions and considers other factors like their support system.

It is a more comprehensive approach that looks at the clinical and non-clinical components as an interwoven thread. The goal of care coordination is to help link patients and families to services that optimize outcomes articulated in a patient-centered care plan. In addition, care coordination may address patients’ and families’ social, developmental, educational, and financial needs.

It often includes activities that may or may not be covered by defined benefits.  

Models of Case Management and Care Coordination

The models used to implement case management and care coordination also differentiate them. Care coordination attempts to provide a longitudinal or holistic approach, making in-person meetings almost inevitable.

On the contrary, with the advent of telehealth, case management has the option of being purely online. Of course, telehealth also presupposes an initial in-person contact, but the availability of the telehealth option during case management marks the difference.

For example, in what qualifies as a complete visit in case management, the healthcare team can call the patients after discharge from a hospital to ensure that the treatment plan is being followed by asking specific questions, addressing any early symptoms, and offering health education.

Data Collection

Case management and care coordination also differ in the type of information each generates. Case management is case-specific and is guided by a care plan ‘developed collaboratively by the patient and the care providers, which is designed and executed to optimize the patient’s health status and quality of life. ‘

In care coordination, there are different participants, including the patient, and it involves marshaling personnel and other resources needed to carry out all the required patient-care activities.

The difference in the data allocated also has implications for the type of health technology that can be applied. For example, care management is primarily clinical. As a result, most models are centered in a hospital or a community health center.

The tools significantly depend on the access to clinical data to ensure that providers can make informed, proactive decisions about an individual’s acute needs. On the contrary, care coordination takes place in a myriad of settings. Therefore, it requires enhanced access to data about a patient’s social determinants of health and their clinical status.

Its holistic approach demands that the health technology communicates with other stakeholders while maintaining fundamental patient rights like privacy and confidentiality. Luckily, the push toward managed care and value-based payments has stimulated significant investment in care coordination to facilitate tech-enabled care coordination between patients, providers, and their care teams.

Care Coordination Technology

One of the most promising care coordination platforms on the market is Julota. Julota transforms the disconnected patchwork of local service providers into a well-coordinated network that can proactively manage and support individuals, saving each community millions of dollars in healthcare and operational expenditures

For several stakeholders in the health sector, the issue of costs is always elusive. Many people are always keen to see how a healthcare system alleviates the costs—concluding that case management or care coordination, owing to the complexity of processes involved, is more expensive and looks more of rustic simplicity.

This is one of the benefits that link them.

Individuals who receive case management typically require services likely to result in high costs and have complex medical needs. However, several studies have shown the cost-effectiveness of case management.

For example, a study to quantify the benefits in terms of health effects [quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)] and costs when heart failure patients receive case management at home compared with outpatient cardiology clinic follow-up showed that case management is cost-effective in 83.3% of the probabilistic simulations and has a tendency towards reducing costs and increasing QALYs. 

In a study to evaluate a care coordination program to provide combined “whole-person care,” integrating medical, behavioral, and social support for high-cost, high-need Medicaid beneficiaries, the results showed that such a system resulted in fewer ED visits and hospitalizations for patients with diabetes . The study also shows varying results among different Medicare providers since some are not structured to deliver such coordinated services.

A different study that compared two other models of care coordination , the public-private collaboration model vs. traditional management, showed that the former is more efficient in chronic illness care coordination because of its collaborative nature.

The benefits of care coordination are not limited to the costs. Other benefits attributed to care coordination include ‘decreasing duplicate services, lowering the overuse of more intense procedures, decreasing preventable hospital admissions and re-admissions, improving overall patient experiences, and offering more comprehensive, interdisciplinary care.

Despite the attempt to pin the differences between case management and care coordination, there is much interdependence between the two models of care. Powerful and effective case management is essential to establishing lasting care coordination. Focusing on one element alone might not be the best solution. The demonstrated benefits undoubtedly call for improvement in the design and implementation.   

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Class Action Lawsuits: Deciding Whether to Consolidate or Coordinate

Sometimes parties to a lawsuit will find themselves in a situation in which multiple Plaintiffs are suing a particular Defendant for the same cause of action and/or based on the same facts. This most often occurs in a class action lawsuit, however it is possible for this to occur without a class action lawsuit when a class is denied certification. When this occurs the parties have the option to either consolidate or coordinate their case. Simply put, when a lawsuit is consolidated or coordinated the court will combine the pleadings, judgments, and findings in order to keep the cases more organized and to avoid conflicting judgments. CCP § 1048.

So, what is the Difference Between Consolidation and Coordination?

The main difference between case consolidation and case coordination lies in the court’s discretion to describe the case as being complex or non-complex. In deciding whether to deem a case as being complex versus non-complex courts will use 5 factors to come to a determination. These factors can be found in CRC 3.400(a):

1. Numerous pre-trial motions raising difficult or novel issues that will be time consuming to resolve; 2. Management of a large number of witnesses or substantial documentary evidence; 3. Management of a large number of separately represented parties; 4. Coordination with related actions pending in one or more courts in other counties, states, or countries, or in federal court; and/or 5. Substantial post judgment judicial supervision.

Essentially if there are a large number of complicated issues or a large number of parties that would cause the court to have to spend additional time on an individual plaintiff’s case then the court would more likely deem the case to be complex. Once a court has come to a decision on whether to deem a case complex or non-complex it will play a key role in whether a lawsuit can or cannot be consolidated.

If the court determines that a particular lawsuit is complex the only way the lawsuits can be consolidated is if all cases seeking consolidation are filed and pending in the same court. If they are filed in the same court the fact that the cases are deemed complex will not make a difference and the judge has the discretion to allow the cases to be consolidated. If however, the cases wishing to be consolidated are filed and pending in separate courts the only option available to the parties is case coordination.

In the alternative if two or more lawsuits involving similar circumstances are considered non-complex are filed and pending in different courts then the judge has discretion to transfer one or more of the cases to one court and then consolidate the cases thereby combining them. All of the aforementioned information then leads to the simple conclusion that if two or more lawsuits involving similar facts and situations are non-complex and are filed and pending in the same court then they can be consolidated with little difficulty.

What is Case Coordination?

Case Coordination is similar to case consolidation, however unlike case consolidation where two or more cases are literally combined together case coordination merely causes two or more cases involving similar issues or facts to be tried together. It is also a more cumbersome method. CCP § 403.

What is Case Consolidation?

Case Consolidation, like stated above, occurs when two or more cases with similar facts, circumstances, issues, and/or parties filed and pending in the same court, or when transferred from a different court and non-complex are combined together in order to increase judicial efficiency and avoid contradicting judgments. Consolidation can be further broken down into two categories: Complete Consolidation and Consolidation for Trial Only.

Complete consolidation is simple, all pleadings, findings of fact, and judgments are combined, meaning that when the judge makes a final ruling on one issue; that ruling applies to all plaintiffs, and/or defendants.

Consolidation by Trial is a little more complex, when two or more cases are consolidated by trial only the pleadings, findings, and judgments are kept separate; the actions are simply tied together for the sake of convenience. A good example of lawsuits that could be consolidated for trial only would be multiple personal injury lawsuits filed against a single defendant. For example, imagine multiple lawsuits brought by plaintiffs against a single defendant in the business of providing tours to tourists when one of the defendant’s tour buses crashed and injured many of the passengers.

While all the plaintiffs’ causes of action would be the same their injuries and damages would be extremely different. Some plaintiffs would be suing for something as simple as a bruised hand, whereas others would be suing for broken bones and other severe injuries. Not only that but the damages in that particular case would be extremely different with some plaintiffs suing for thousands of dollars and others suing for tens and hundreds of thousands. In that situation it would make little to no sense to completely consolidate the case because one judgment for damages would not be sufficient for all plaintiffs. Instead the court would make a judgment as to whether the defendant was liable for the accident, and then calculate individual plaintiffs’ damage reward.

For more information on how Webb Bordson, APC can help you with your case please contact us at:

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What does a Case Coordinator do?

A case coordinator is responsible for assisting patients and families in receiving high-quality health care services, coordinating with medical institutions and professionals for medications and residential care resources. Case coordinators must have excellent communication and organizational skills , especially in reviewing patients' documents and insurance details for hospital admissions. For case coordinators employed in the community office, they also facilitate planning health care programs and activities to educate people about health awareness and management.

  • Responsibilities
  • Skills And Traits
  • Comparisions
  • Types of Case Coordinator

Resume

Case coordinator responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real case coordinator resumes:

  • Manage quality control record keeping by coordinating the QA retains system to maintain documentation on all complete production jobs.
  • Maintain national staffing Microsoft SharePoint site in order to manage staffing requisitions and available resources for business needs
  • Direct clients to resources need to transition into HUD home ownership program.
  • Craft a``problem and solution"PowerPoint that allows the department to pull directly from as slides are need.
  • Work effectively with HUD representatives to provide supervision, assessment and reporting for enhance voucher assistance, FEMA /DHAP client.
  • Comply with HIPAA regulations to ensure patient confidentiality.
  • Maintain customer/patient confidentiality according to HIPPA and company standards
  • Utilize InterQual criteria for concurrent medical record review.
  • Support case management, specializing in vocational and rehabilitation services.
  • Collaborate with CPT medical staff to develop safety recommendations for children and adolescents.
  • Provide program requirements and guidelines and educate customers on approval process using HIPPA guidelines.
  • Facilitate appropriate rehabilitation treatment and follow-up care for chemically dependent children and family members.
  • Monitor Medicaid documentation and charting to ensure appropriate care are provided and maximum reimbursement obtain.
  • Initiate requirement for daily clinical updates from non-VA facilities and complete appropriate reviews using InterQual criteria.
  • Review patients medical records and tab pertinent information for physician to review prior to veterans medical examination.

Case coordinator skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18 % of Case Coordinators are proficient in Patients , Social Work , and Customer Service . They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion , Time-management skills , and Communication skills .

We break down the percentage of Case Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Interviewed patients to obtain medical information pertaining to imminent cardiovascular surgery, weight and height measurements and vital signs.

Provided social work/home based services to senior citizens enrolled in a comprehensive care management program.

Provided excellent customer service to veterans seeking the assignment of disability benefits related to their service in the military.

Assisted the Human Resources Department in recruitment of Home Attendants, Home Health Aides and Personal Care Aides for the Agency.

Performed identification assessment, referral, follow-up, advocacy, monitoring of outcomes and collaboration with military and civilian community resources.

Facilitated requests from carrier/injured worker; communicating with assigned physician as well as insurance carriers for best patient care.

Most case coordinators use their skills in "patients," "social work," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential case coordinator responsibilities here:

  • Compassion. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a case coordinator to have is compassion. Their role and responsibilities require that "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Case coordinators often use compassion in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided compassionate rapport with clients and a strong working relationship with social workers and case managers. "
  • Time-management skills. Many case coordinator duties rely on time-management skills. "social and human service assistants often work with many clients," so a case coordinator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways case coordinator responsibilities rely on time-management skills: "maintained heavy patient caseload in often stressful circumstances, meeting tight deadlines when necessary for patient care. "
  • Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of case coordinators is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday case coordinator duties, as "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "maintain open communication with medicaid field office, department of health and senior services state liaisons and home health agencies"
  • Interpersonal skills. case coordinator responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill is shown by the fact that "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example shows what case coordinators do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "provide superior customer service and interpersonal skills. "
  • Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in case coordinator job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what case coordinators do. Case coordinator responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." You can also see how case coordinator duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "included were oif/oef veterans interfaced with veterans, providers, and organizational clients monitored the exam process"
  • Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to case coordinator responsibilities. Much of what a case coordinator does relies on this skill, seeing as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of case coordinators: "screen victims of domestic violence and evaluate their needs while providing information for their safety and reporting solutions. "

Most common case coordinator skills

The three companies that hire the most case coordinators are:

  • St. Coletta of Wisconsin 27 case coordinators jobs
  • SAFY 20 case coordinators jobs
  • Sedgwick LLP 9 case coordinators jobs

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Case coordinator vs. volunteer program coordinator.

A volunteer program coordinator usually works for non-profit organizations where they are primarily in charge of managing and coordinating all volunteer related aspects of events and programs. It is their responsibility to oversee recruitment and training processes from planning to execution, supervise all volunteers, set schedules and objectives, and ensure operations adhere to guidelines and policies. Moreover, as a volunteer program coordinator, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach goals, resolving issues should any arise.

We looked at the average case coordinator salary and compared it with the wages of a volunteer program coordinator. Generally speaking, volunteer program coordinators are paid $31 higher than case coordinators per year.

While their salaries may differ, the common ground between case coordinators and volunteer program coordinators are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like community resources, patient care, and developmental disabilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a case coordinator are more likely to require skills like "patients," "social work," "customer service," and "home health." On the other hand, a job as a volunteer program coordinator requires skills like "public speaking," "community outreach," "child care," and "community services." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

The education levels that volunteer program coordinators earn slightly differ from case coordinators. In particular, volunteer program coordinators are 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a case coordinator. Additionally, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Case coordinator vs. Support services coordinator

Support Services Coordinators are responsible for leading the administrative and deployment of a staff team. Their duties include preparing presentation documents, preparing and processing expense and budget reports, answering phone and emails, and arranging meetings. They also provide direction in the learning and development needs of staff. A Support Service Coordinator will work to ensure quality assurance is met within services and ensure the inclusion and support of employees within an organization.

On average, support services coordinators earn a $1,739 lower salary than case coordinators a year.

Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Case coordinators and support services coordinators both require similar skills like "patients," "social work," and "customer service" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, case coordinator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "home health," "discharge planning," "child abuse," and "medicaid." Meanwhile, a support services coordinator has duties that require skills in areas such as "basic math," "windows," "cleanliness," and "taking care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, support services coordinators earn a lower salary than case coordinators. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, support services coordinators earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $48,629. Whereas case coordinators have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $41,850.

In general, support services coordinators achieve similar levels of education than case coordinators. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Case coordinator vs. Children's program coordinator

A children's program coordinator is someone who develops programs for children and toddlers. The children's program coordinator creates child-centered programs to educate and entertain children and infants. The children's program coordinator evaluates children's participation in such programs, provides support, and works with parents to look after their children. The children's program coordinator also ensures the health and safety of the participants, and connects the kids and parents to various support organizations to resolve issues and problems that may be encountered.

On average scale, children's program coordinators bring in lower salaries than case coordinators. In fact, they earn a $354 lower salary per year.

By looking over several case coordinators and children's program coordinators resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "patients," "social work," and "community resources." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, case coordinators are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "home health," "patient care," and "data entry." But a children's program coordinator is more likely to have skills like "public health," "community outreach," "cpr," and "childhood."

Children's program coordinators make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $41,009. On the other hand, case coordinators are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $41,850.

When it comes to education, children's program coordinators tend to earn similar degree levels compared to case coordinators. In fact, they're 3.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Case coordinator vs. Youth program coordinator

A youth program coordinator is in charge of implementing, developing, and evaluating programs for the community youths. Youth program coordinators identify community youths' interests and requirements and find organizations or resources to help them. As a youth coordinator, you'll need to have basic computer knowledge and be a very organized person. Also, you need to have excellent expertise in time management and office administration as these are vital to this job's success.

Youth program coordinators average a lower salary than the annual salary of case coordinators. The difference is about $4,175 per year.

While their salaries may vary, case coordinators and youth program coordinators both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "social work," "community resources," and "crisis intervention. "

While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "patients," "customer service," "home health," and "patient care" are skills that commonly show up on case coordinator resumes. On the other hand, youth program coordinators use skills like youth program, youth development, community outreach, and program curriculum on their resumes.

The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for youth program coordinators, with average annual pay of $38,134. Comparatively, the highest case coordinator annual salary comes from the finance industry.

In general, youth program coordinators hold similar degree levels compared to case coordinators. Youth program coordinators are 1.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of case coordinator

  • Program Coordinator

How To Become a Program Coordinator

  • Service Coordinator

How To Become a Service Coordinator

Volunteer coordinator, how to become a volunteer coordinator.

  • Intake Coordinator

How To Become an Intake Coordinator

  • Outreach Coordinator

How To Become an Outreach Coordinator

Support coordinator, how to become a support coordinator.

Updated February 16, 2024

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

What Similar Roles Do

  • What an Admissions Coordinator Does
  • What an Assistance Coordinator Does
  • What a Case Management Coordinator Does
  • What a Children's Program Coordinator Does
  • What a Family Services Coordinator Does
  • What a Housing Coordinator Does
  • What an Intake Coordinator Does
  • What an Outreach Coordinator Does
  • What a Program Coordinator Does
  • What a Residence Coordinator Does
  • What a Residential Coordinator Does
  • What a Resource Coordinator Does
  • What a Service Coordinator Does
  • What a Social Service Coordinator Does
  • What a Support Coordinator Does

Case Coordinator Related Careers

  • Admissions Coordinator
  • Assistance Coordinator
  • Case Management Coordinator
  • Children's Program Coordinator
  • Client Care Coordinator
  • Family Services Coordinator
  • Housing Coordinator
  • Residence Coordinator
  • Residential Coordinator
  • Resource Coordinator
  • Social Service Coordinator

Case Coordinator Related Jobs

Resume for related jobs.

  • Admissions Coordinator Resume
  • Assistance Coordinator Resume
  • Case Management Coordinator Resume
  • Children's Program Coordinator Resume
  • Client Care Coordinator Resume
  • Family Services Coordinator Resume
  • Housing Coordinator Resume
  • Intake Coordinator Resume
  • Outreach Coordinator Resume
  • Program Coordinator Resume
  • Residence Coordinator Resume
  • Residential Coordinator Resume
  • Resource Coordinator Resume
  • Service Coordinator Resume
  • Social Service Coordinator Resume
  • Zippia Careers
  • Community and Social Services Industry
  • Case Coordinator
  • What Does A Case Coordinator Do

CLIMB

Case Coordinator vs. Case Manager: What Are the Differences?

Learn about the two careers and review some of the similarities and differences between them.

what is case coordination

A career in case management can be both rewarding and challenging. Two common positions in this field are that of a case coordinator and a case manager. Though these roles share some similarities, there are several key differences between them.

In this article, we discuss the differences between a case coordinator and a case manager, and we provide additional information about working in case management.

What is a Case Coordinator?

Case Coordinators work in a variety of settings to support patients and families as they navigate the healthcare system. They assess patient needs, connect them with resources and services, and coordinate care across multiple providers. Case Coordinators ensure that patients and families receive the information and support they need to make informed decisions about their care. They also advocate on behalf of patients and families to ensure that their rights and preferences are respected. Case Coordinators typically have a background in nursing, social work, or a related field.

What is a Case Manager?

Case Managers are responsible for coordinating and overseeing all aspects of patient care. They work with patients, families, doctors and other health care professionals to develop a plan of care that meets the patient’s specific needs. Case Managers also ensure that the plan of care is followed and that the patient receives the necessary services and treatments. In addition, Case Managers work to ensure that the patient’s health care costs are covered by insurance and that the patient has access to all of the resources they need.

Case Coordinator vs. Case Manager

Here are the main differences between a case coordinator and a case manager.

Case coordinators often have a more managerial role than case managers. They may oversee entire programs or departments within an organization, such as a juvenile justice program. Case coordinators may also manage the scheduling of their team and make sure each member has the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.

Case managers typically have more direct client interaction than case coordinators. Case managers spend most of their time with clients, either in one-on-one meetings or accompanying them through treatment or other services. Because of this, case managers usually develop close relationships with their clients.

Job Requirements

Case coordinators and case managers typically need a bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology or another related field. Some employers may prefer candidates with a master’s degree as well. Additionally, many professionals in these fields pursue certification through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) or the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC). These organizations offer training programs that teach professionals how to use social work software and other tools they might need on the job.

Work Environment

Case coordinators and case managers work in different environments. Case coordinators typically work in an office setting, where they may spend their days sitting at a desk or table and typing on a computer. They also travel to visit clients in hospitals, nursing homes or other facilities.

Case managers often work in an office environment as well, but they may also travel to visit clients in the field. For example, if a case manager is working with a client who’s homeless, they may go out into the community to meet them and help them find housing.

Both case coordinators and case managers use similar skills in their jobs, such as active listening, critical thinking and problem solving. They also both need to be able to effectively communicate with clients, families, service providers and other professionals. However, there are some differences in the specific skills each position uses.

Case coordinators typically work within social service agencies and coordinate services for clients. This can involve making referrals to appropriate programs and services, monitoring client progress and advocating on behalf of clients. Because they often work with clients who have complex needs, they need to be able to assess needs and develop individualized service plans.

Case managers also work with clients who have complex needs, but they typically work within healthcare settings. Their job responsibilities can include coordinating care, providing education and support to clients and families, and connecting clients to community resources. They may also provide direct care, such as administering medication or wound care.

Case coordinators and case managers both work in the healthcare industry. Case coordinators earn an average salary of $51,673 per year, while case managers earn an average salary of $56,390 per year. Both of these salaries may vary depending on the type of healthcare facility you work in, your level of experience and your location.

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Care coordination vs case management: What’s the difference?

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Coordinating a patient’s care properly can mean the difference in that patient’s healthcare outcomes. The primary care physician, in particular, must be able to coordinate care for patients who are seeing multiple providers, undergoing tests, or staying in healthcare facilities for treatment of chronic or complex illnesses. This type of care coordination is not the same as case management.

The Case Management Society of America ( CMSA ) defines case management as “provided by healthcare professionals working with people to identify issues and barriers that may prevent them from getting better and uncovering mutually agreed upon solutions to achieve their healthcare goals.”

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ( AHRQ ) describes care coordination as “deliberately organizing patient care activities and sharing information among all of the participants concerned with a patient’s care to achieve safer and more effective care.” The AHRQ emphasizes that care coordination necessitates communicating the patient’s needs and preferences at “the right time to the right people.” The information must be shared and used in a secure manner and in a way that provides “effective care to the patient.”

Care coordination’s main goal, as the AHRQ defines it, “is to meet patients’ needs and preferences in the delivery of high-quality, high-value health care.” Given the shift toward value-based reimbursement structures, independent physicians are investing in tools that help them more effectively direct their efforts toward the specific and immediate needs of their patients.

Similar to and working with the primary care physician’s care coordination efforts, CMSA states that case management is “a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s and family’s comprehensive health needs through communication and available resources to promote patient safety, quality of care, and cost effective outcomes.”

Further, case management “helps identify appropriate providers and facilities throughout the continuum of services, while ensuring that available resources are being used in a timely and cost-effective manner in order to obtain optimum value” for patient, payer, and provider.

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Cover of Care Coordination Models and Tools: A Systematic Review and Key Informant Interviews

Care Coordination Models and Tools: A Systematic Review and Key Informant Interviews

Evidence Synthesis Program

Investigators: Wei Duan-Porter , MD, PhD, Kristen Ullman , MPH, Brittany Majeski , BA, Isomi Miake-Lye , PhD, Susan Diem , MD, and Timothy J. Wilt , MD, MPH.

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Complexity of health care services and care fragmentation contribute to adverse health outcomes and poor patient experiences of care. Over the past 20 years, there has been substantial interest in care coordination interventions, particularly to reduce utilization of acute care services. Care coordination models usually involve systematic strategies that aim to improve continuity and bridge transitions of care. Often, this takes the form of care or case management, in which a designated person or team helps patients manage their medical care and navigate interactions with the health care system(s). It remains unclear whether care coordination interventions can sufficiently address gaps in care and improve patient outcomes.

The VA Care Coordination and Integrated Case Management (CC&ICM) initiative was launched in 2016, as a collaboration between the VA Offices of Care Management and Social Work, and Nursing Services. The main goals of this initiative are to standardize and integrate care coordination services across all VA facilities and points of care for Veterans. To assist the CC&ICM initiative, the VA ESP was asked to review evidence on implementation and outcomes of various care coordination models.

We summarize evidence from eligible systematic reviews (SR) on key characteristics and effectiveness of care coordination interventions for diverse adult populations at high risk for adverse outcomes. Additionally, we present results from primary research studies of effective interventions (ie, those able to reduce hospitalizations and/or emergency department [ED] visits) regarding tools and approaches to assess patient trust and care team integration, and to improve communication between patients and providers. To better understand which results may be most applicable to VA, we also provide information about the settings in which effective care coordination models were implemented. Finally, we present results from key informant interviews to address remaining gaps in the published literature, particularly with regard to tools and approaches used by various interventions.

  • Collapse All
  • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  • INTRODUCTION
  • ABBREVIATIONS TABLE
  • TOPIC DEVELOPMENT
  • SEARCH STRATEGY
  • STUDY SELECTION
  • QUALITY RATING & DATA ABSTRACTION
  • DATA SYNTHESIS FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS & RELEVANT PRIMARY STUDIES
  • INTERVIEWS WITH KEY INFORMANTS WHO IMPLEMENTED CARE COORDINATION MODELS
  • PEER REVIEW
  • OVERVIEW OF ELIGIBLE SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
  • KQ1. WHAT ARE THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF CARE COORDINATION MODELS?
  • KQ2. WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF IMPLEMENTING CARE COORDINATION MODELS?
  • KQ3. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SETTINGS IN WHICH EFFECTIVE MODELS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED?
  • KQ4. WHAT ARE THE TOOLS AND APPROACHES USED BY EFFECTIVE MODELS?
  • KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS
  • SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
  • IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY
  • EVIDENCE GAPS AND FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS
  • LIMITATIONS
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • APPENDIX 1. SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
  • APPENDIX 2. SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR PRIMARY STUDIES
  • APPENDIX 3. STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA
  • APPENDIX 4. QUALITY ASSESSMENT
  • APPENDIX 5. KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEW GUIDE
  • APPENDIX 6. PEER REVIEW COMMENTS/AUTHOR RESPONSES
  • APPENDIX 7. DETAILED CHARACTERISTICS AND RESULTS FROM MEDIUM- AND HIGH-QUALITY SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS

Suggested citation:

Duan-Porter W, Ullman K, Majeski B, Miake-Lye I, Diem S, and Wilt TJ. Evidence review: care coordination models and tools. Washington, DC: Evidence Synthesis Program, Health Services Research and Development Service, Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs. VA ESP Project #09-009; 2020. Available at: https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/esp/reports.cfm .

This report is based on research conducted by the Evidence Synthesis Program (ESP) Center located at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN , funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Health Services Research and Development. The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government. Therefore, no statement in this article should be construed as an official position of the Department of Veterans Affairs. No investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement ( eg , employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties) that conflict with material presented in the report.

This publication is in the public domain and is therefore without copyright. All text from this work may be reprinted freely. Use of these materials should be acknowledged.

  • Cite this Page Duan-Porter W, Ullman K, Majeski B, et al. Care Coordination Models and Tools: A Systematic Review and Key Informant Interviews [Internet]. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs (US); 2020 Jun.
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