Organizations Release Converging Pathways - a Journey Toward Quality Case Management at Case Management Society of Americas Conference and Expo - Orlando, Florida
URAC and CMSA Release Issue Brief on the History of Case Management- Converging Pathways to Quality Orlando, FL (PRWEB via HRmarketer) June 22, 2005 -- URAC and the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) celebrate 15 years shared history at CMSAs annual Conference and Expo. Some 2500 case management practitioners are expected to attend the conference which begins today through June 25 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando.
To commemorate their 15 year history URAC and CMSA have jointly published an issue brief entitled Converging Pathways- a Journey Toward Quality Case Management, that will premier at the conference. The brief outlines the history of case management and its role in ensuring health care quality and efficiency.
While CMSA has focused its efforts on the standards of practice for the individual case manager, URAC focused its efforts on standards of practice for organizations providing case management services, Annette Watson, RN, CCM, MBA, a vice president at URAC said. Because of those two tandem activities developed in an atmosphere of collaborative communication and with a common goal, together we have achieved the transformation of case management into an integral part of the total health care delivery system.
Individual professional case managers can be expertly prepared, but if theyre working in an organization that is not committed to case management quality, they will not be able to achieve the outcomes they are capable of, said Jeanne Boling, MSN, CRRN, CDMS, CCM, executive director of CMSA and member of URACs Board of Directors. URAC accreditation serves the critical function of establishing the organizations policies, procedures and structure needed for optimal case management performance.
During the meeting in Orlando, URACs Watson and Garry Carneal will present An Overview of Trends and Challenges Impacting CM Practice. The presentation will include a discussion of the paths that URAC and CMSA have taken to assure quality in case management since both organizations were established in 1990, and harmonizes with the conference theme, Past Success Future Significance: A Strategic Forecast for Quality Healthcare. As part of the session URAC will also present preliminary findings from its Trends and Practices in Medical Management: 2005 Industry Profile survey. As the nations leading accrediting body for medical management services, URAC tracks and trends medical management issues through research, focus groups and its relationships with the hundreds of health plans and medical management organizations that hold one or more of the seventeen different accreditations that URAC offers.
CMSA was established as a professional organization to support and develop the profession of case management through educational forums, networking opportunities and legislative involvement. Over the years, as CMSA developed educational tools and Standards of Practice for individual case managers, URAC set quality standards for organizations using case management, said Watson.