A case manager is a healthcare professional that can play an important role in a patient’s case. In this article, we’ll define the term “case manager” and explain how they relate to nursing home abuse.

Key Takeaways

• A case manager is a registered nurse who assesses a client’s needs and manages and facilitates their care
• There are many types of case managers including hospital case managers, health insurance case managers, and nursing home case managers
• As part of their job, case managers coordinate patient care, collaborate with medical and non-medical professionals, facilitate admissions and discharge, and ensure proper care
• Case managers can be hired to oversee nursing home patients’ care and keep an eye out for warning signs of nursing home abuse

What Is a Case Manager?

A case manager is a type of healthcare worker whose work involves assessing a client’s needs and helping connect the client to relevant services and resources. As such, a case manager is not a healthcare provider but rather a facilitator. 

There are many different types of case managers who work in different settings, including:

• Hospital case manager
• Home health case manager
• Health insurance case manager
• Nursing home case manager
• Hospice case manager

Case managers’ work includes:

• Coordinating all aspects of a patient’s care
• Ensuring proper utilization of services and resources
• Providing assistance between, within, and outside of facilities
• Facilitating outstanding patient care 
• Collaborating with social workers, physicians, nurses, and other medical and non-medical professionals
• Communicating with patients, families, and other professionals 
• Ensuring legality and ethics
• Facilitating admissions and discharge processes
• Ensuring that care and discharge meet the physical, social, and emotional needs of patients 
• Ensuring that available resources are being used in both a timely and cost-effective manner

Case Managers and Nursing Home Abuse

Case managers are often used to manage long-term care for patients in nursing homes. They can serve as these patients’ advocates, working with them and their loved ones to evaluate and come up with a plan to meet the patient’s needs. 

Nursing home case managers can also sometimes work in a social worker capacity, helping patients and families resolve financial issues and helping the patient receive the most cost-effective care possible. They may also be responsible for managing medication, scheduling medical testing, and making sure that a patient receives the necessary follow-up. 

One more possible function of a case manager is to help monitor a patient for potential warning signs of nursing home abuse. Because case managers see patients often and are specifically intended to watch out for their well-being, they are in a unique position to notice and address nursing home abuse. 

This can provide much-needed peace of mind to the loved ones of nursing home residents who are not as informed about nursing home abuse or cannot monitor it as closely. As such, people close to nursing home patients should know that hiring a private case manager is one way to try and safeguard against nursing home abuse. 

If you or a loved one have been a victim of nursing home abuse, it is important to contact the relevant authorities immediately. It’s also recommended to speak to an experienced lawyer to see if you may have grounds to take legal action and recover compensation for your injuries and suffering.