Case management is perhaps the most un-healthcare sounding career in healthcare. However, case managers perform one of the most important roles.

Around in one form or another for decades, case management involves providing patients the best care in the most efficient way possible. It’s challenging and rewarding. It also takes a very special kind of person to do it well.

Thankfully, for those with the right skills, a large and growing number of jobs are available around the country. The demand is such that Samstaff focuses on this area in recruitment.

Why are case managers important? They provide a critical service at the heart of healthcare.

What Case Managers Do

Case managers are registered nurses (RN) who coordinate all aspects of a patient’s medical care. While quality patient care is the main goal, nurses assigned to case management also work to ensure that resources and medical services are used in the most efficient way possible.

In the course of their jobs, case managers work with patients, families and other healthcare professionals. Communication skills are vital. They also need a great deal of creativity in dealing with often-changing circumstances as well as a high level of organization.

Collaboration is at the heart of case management. Nurses in this role communicate daily with people in many different areas. They also often work with social workers, getting the proper long-term care for patients who need it.

As healthcare grows and becomes increasingly complex and sophisticated, case managers fill a key role in making a patient’s experience go as smoothly as possible.

The Demand For Case Managers

It’s easy to see why case management positions are in demand. Medical operations face an increasingly complex web of government and industry regulations. They also have financial pressures and a focus on improving patient outcomes.

Case management is a key component in addressing these challenges.

Medical operations need case managers in many areas. They include:

  • Meeting the often-complex needs of patients
  • Assessing and providing for both the present day and expected future needs of patients
  • Ensuring that legal and ethical issues in patient care are addressed
  • Providing expertise in the details of both government reimbursements (involving Medicare and Medicaid) and private insurance

Given that, leaders in medical operations are always on the lookout for qualified case managers.

Job Prospects

A shortage in the supply of case managers is expected in the coming years as older employees retire from the field, according to the Nurses Journal. Growth in employment in healthcare also is expected to drive the need for more qualified case managers.

While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), considered the primary source for employment statistics in the United States, does not track case managers specifically, they forecast an explosion in jobs for both health managers and RNs.

The number of managers is expected to grow 20 percent in the period between 2016 and 2026, according to the BLS. The number of nurses is projected for 15 percent growth in the same period.

All of this adds up to a wealth of opportunity for those looking for work as a case manager. With the help of a good recruiter, the chances of finding an excellent job in case management are better than ever before.