Hospital case managers- question for you

[changeofpaceRN]

I work as a case manager for a state program (first case management job so other "types" of case managers are new to me). In this state program, we follow those with disabilities so anytime one of our consumers is admitted to a hospital, we get involved to ensure appropriate services are in place upon discharge. Anyway, I have run into a case manager at a local hospital that refuses to discuss the patient with me and will not send any type of records over (regardless of parent permission, id codes). She has referred me to medical records which is a battle in itself. Any suggestions on other avenues I can try? Perhaps I didn't explain it well enough? What sort of info do you need in order to discuss the patient- I thought the patient's code number was enough?

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

OP: I do not understand your confusion regarding this case manager completely, but I am glad you are asking questions because I think I can give you some insight. A little background: I have worked in hospitals for a number of years and I have worked with case managers from companies outside of my organizations for a number of years too. With that said I do not give report to other case managers unless he/she is taking my patients or assisting me with a complicated discharge because I do not have the time!

In other words, CMs from outside organizations that share my patients, but in no way shape or form are assisting me with a complicated discharge so I can discharge the patient in a timely manner and keep him/her out of the hospital setting, are a waste of my time! There are so many of them and one of me, the unhelpful ones can suck up a lot of time I do not have to give.

An example of unhelpful CMs are those who say they cannot do anything for the patient while he/she is in the hospital setting, but they just need to update his/her notes while they are in the hospital setting and they will talk to the patient after he/she returns home. As an aside, I love Worker's Comp CMs and Community CMs in general!! I have found them to be very helpful and hard working! :)

Also, I too refer other case managers to medical records because we are not in the Medical Records department. Even patients who request their own medical records must go through the Medical Records department. We, hospital based CMs, are only allowed to provide medical information to other organizations that is necessary for a safe transfer of a patient to another facility or to provide a patient with needed equipment or medications that supports a safe medical discharge. The information I am referring to are provided in referral packets. Anything else, must go through Medical Records. So, you need to go through the proper channels to receive the information you seek because it sounds like you are not looking for infomation that is in a referral packet.

By the way, if other CMs are being-nice to you and giving you information that is only intended to be given by the Medical Records department, which excludes information that would be provided in a referral packet to initiate or restart your services, then he/she will have to answer to the powers-that-be at some point when those hospitals choose to crack down. The hospitals I work for do not play games and will suspend or fire a nurse for providing information that was supposed to go through Medical Records. Good luck!