Info on being a home health case manager

Monica RN,BSN · Nov 4, 2004

If you are not experianced in teaching you should not be the one to do this inservice, your management team / supervisor should be the one to do this. There are a few good books available, but maybe you could be the one the nurse rides along with to see first hand how to do the job and case manage, since you can do that already. This would be a hands on and watch what I do type of teaching, rather than an inservice puts you on the spot.

shammy · Nov 6, 2004

There are a few good books available,

I'm new to HH and case managing. :uhoh3: What are the books? :stone I feel a little, ok a lot overwhelmed with CM, the care I understand and can do for the most part.

Thanks.

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Nov 7, 2004

Honestly, I haven't seen any good books on case managing in home care. Maybe a few books have chapters, but I have never seen a whole book dedictaed to case management.

I see no problem with any experienced nurse doing an inservice, so long as they have that experience themselves. How many managers have you seen case managing lately?? Some agencies have managers who do, but not mine! Anyway, how does one ever get teaching experience without ever trying it, asnd getting feedback. Maybe the manager asked you to do it because she thinks you are an exemplary case manager.

I think the key to case managing in homecare is organization. So that is what I would focus on. Tell them how you stay organized.

Personally, for me, it was getting a little credit card sized date book. On the inside covers and some of the needless pages like map pages or time zones for other countries, I put all my important phone numbers, like meals on wheels for each town, pharmcies, DME supppliers, and notes for referral agencies, like we have a Parish nursing agency we refer our Medicare prefills to, so when we discharge, they will pick up the case. I have their phone fax # contact name and how much notice they need. Same for the transpo services, most important is how much notice is needed.

For all of my cases, I made copies of the completed typed referral forms, where I had names EC names #'s, addresses, diagnoses, doc's names #'s and faxes, and I would jot down important stuff like who was the HHA and what was their schedule. Disciplines and who they were w ext #'s. So, if I got called while on the road, I had a CM "Chart" of sorts with all the info I needed to contact the pt, make visit, notify contacts, etc...

In the little planner, I mapped out visits, like my q 2 week HHA sup's, went in there under the dates the aide was there, and approx time frames. Oasis recerts were logged in 5 days before last day of cert period. Foley changes went in there, all tube changes when due, so then I worked all the other visits around that.

What do you do daily, weekly, monthly, etc... to stay on top of the caseload.

I would include Medicare's expectations of what Case management entails, and agencies P&P on CM role.

The n I would make an outline, and discuss it with your manager and some other case managers. Just to make sure it is comprehensive, and it is along the lines of what your manager was looking for. Technically, you should develop a few objectives for your program like

After participating in this inservice, the participant:

1. Discuss agency policy on role of the homehealth case manager

2. Identify 2 resources from whom a new case manager can obtain assistance

I am sure you would come up with one or two more, but you get the idea. Personally, I always right my objectives after I do my class, but it is better if you do the objectives, the outline, then the content.

It would be good to develop some kind of group activity, like having them each develop a schedule of your case load, and tell them how you would triage if you had to push patients to the next day to make room for agency needs as well.

Let us know how it works out. I am sure if you post your outline here we could give you feedback as well.

nursesearl, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2004

Hoolahan, Thanks so much. I am a new home health educator, and have much experience with doing case management, but not teaching it. I just needed ideas. I have no qualms about giving an inservice. Your suggestions will help, and I will also tell them what I do (or used to). I do ride with staff quite often, but usually just one or two visits at a time. Monica, what are the books?