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Rural Health Information Hub

Care Managers

Care managers work as part of a clinical team to educate and empower patients — often those with chronic disease — to reach their self-management goals. Care managers may be registered nurses, social workers, and gerontologists, or have training in other health fields and disciplines. The following are examples of the services that care managers may provide:

  • Coordinate patients' hospital discharge plans
  • Support the transition from an acute care setting to the home
  • Communicate with patients through visits and phone calls after discharge
  • Identify and link patients to appropriate support and services in the community
  • Help patients and their families to cope with complicated health issues

RHIhub's Chronic Disease Topic Guide provides information and answers to frequently asked questions on the rural impact of chronic disease.

Resources to Learn More

Care Management: Implications for Medical Practice, Health Policy, and Health Services Research
Document
This issue brief describes care management as a population health tool, defines care management, and presents various strategies and recommendations.
Organization(s): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Date: 4/2015

Care Management for Medicaid Enrollees through Community Health Teams
Document
An overview of community health team programs in eight states that provide an array of targeted services, from care coordination to self-management coaching.
Organization(s): The Commonwealth Fund
Author(s): Takach, M. & Buxbaum, J.
Date: 5/2013

Commission for Case Manager Certification Issue Briefs
Website
The Commission for Case Manager Certification is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies case managers. This site contains links to issue briefs that CCMC has conducted on the role of case managers in care coordination.
Organization(s): Commission for Case Manager Certification

Designing the Role of the Embedded Care Manager
Document
This report provides a comprehensive review of incorporating an Embedded Care Manager into a care plan.
Citation: Professional Case Management, 18 (4): 182-187
Author(s): Hines, P. & Mercury, M.
Date: 2013