Many thanks to those of you who joined us for a fantastic week in Austin last month! We hope you had a wonderful time and took away new information and resources which you can use immediately in your practice. Be sure to keep sharing those pictures, videos, and memories on our Facebook page and Twitter hashtag, #CMSA2017.

In case you didn't find time to complete your CEs or evaluations onsite, you can now access them right from your computer! Be sure to print or save the certificate so that you can access it later. Access to the online CE Manager will end on August 31st.

Are you ready for 2018? So are we! Registration for our 2018 conference in Chicago is open! In case you haven't heard yet, each paid registrant will receive a FREE one year individual membership with CMSA! Follow the link below to learn more and register. We can't wait to see you there!

Learn More & Register

 

"Professional Case Managers Add Value to the Health Care System and Health Care Consumers" On September 13-14, 2017, come to Capitol Hill with fellow CMSA members, CMSA’s Public Policy Committee and Board of Directors to play a direct role in the legislative process by meeting with your House and Senate representatives. You’ll be able to highlight the critical role that case managers play in healthcare delivery, explore how to utilize your local networks for grassroots legislative success and ensure that case managers are speaking for case managers. Attendance for the 2017 Day on the Hill is open to all current CMSA members. If you are a CMSA member who is passionate about association issues and wants to make a difference by advocating with fellow healthcare professionals from across the country, you won’t want to miss this event!

 

Download CMSA's Standards of Practice for Case Management, 2016 revision, which provides practice guidelines for the case management industry and its diverse stakeholders.The impetus for the 2016 revision of the Standards is the need to emphasize the professional nature of the practice and role of the case manager.

The 2016 Standards contain information about case management including an updated definition, practice settings, roles and responsibilities, case management process, philosophy and guiding principles, as well as the standards and how they are demonstrated.

Download Your Copy

 

Professional Case Management is a peer-reviewed, contemporary journal that crosses all case management settings. The Journal features best practices, industry benchmarks and hands-on information for both the professional case manager and those newer to the specialty. Additionally, PCM provides continuing education opportunities and cutting-edge research, as reflected in the tagline, Leading Evidence Based Practice Across Transitions of Care.

Professional Case Management Print Upgrade

All members receive complimentary online access to Professional Case Management, the official journal of CMSA, as a benefit of membership. A print subscription to Professional Case Management is now available to all members for an additional $35.00 fee (per year). To add the print version to your subscription, please call Lippincott Williams & Wilkins' Member Services at 1-866-489-0443 and reference promotion code MGK296ZZ. Learn More

Discounted CEs from Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins

As part of your CMSA member benefits, you have access to discounted continuing education opportunities through our journal publishing partner, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Content is based on peer-reviewed Lippincott journals, trusted by nurses globally to provide current, evidence-based and authoritative content critical to everyday practice. All CE activities in Professional Case Management are discounted 25 percent.

This includes CCMC, ANCC, NAHQ, and NASW contact hours. To access activities, take these steps:
1. Go to http://nursing.ceconnection.com/default. Log in using your NursingCenter.com user ID and password.
2. Visit http://nursing.ceconnection.com/browse/sources/28 and enter the offer code "CMSA" into the coupon field upon check out.
3. Complete check out and enjoy.

 

 

Chronic Care Management, Advanced Care Planning, Transitional Care Management, and Behavioral Health Integration Pat Stricker, RN, MEd Senior Vice President, TCS Healthcare Technologies The incidence of chronic conditions in the U.S. is astounding: • One-half of all adult Americans (117 million) have a chronic condition • One in four Americans (25 percent) have two or more chronic conditions • Two of three Medicare beneficiaries (66 percent) have two or more chronic conditions • One in three Medicare beneficiaries (33 percent) have four or more chronic conditions • Seven of the top 10 causes of death in 2014 were due to chronic diseases • 84 percent of our national health care spending is for chronic conditions; 99 percent of Medicare spending is for chronic conditions • Medicare payments for chronic care totaled $597 billion in 2014 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recognizes Chronic Care Management (CCM) as a critical component of primary care that contributes to better care, improved health outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and smarter spending. CCM is person-centered and requires extensive care coordination among practitioners and providers and centralized management of patient needs. Therefore CMS has been enlarging the number and types of CCM services that are included in the Medicare Physicians Fee Schedule (MPFS). In December 2014, I wrote an article in the CMSA newsletter entitled "New Medicare Payment Policy Opens the Door for Case Managers" describing the new Chronic Care Management billing codes and pointing out how encouraging it was to see CMS acknowledge the need to pay for care management services. It was truly a validation of the importance and value that care management brings to patients and the entire healthcare industry. At the time, CMS had plans to enlarge the CCM program, so I thought it might be time to take a look at the progress that has been made in the past 2 ½ years.

 

by Sally Darlin, PT, ATC, LAT, CEAS and Sherri Eisenstein, BSN, RN, CCM The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is in the process of transitioning from traditional fee-for service reimbursement to a value-based care (VBC) model, providing payment to providers based upon quality care and outcomes for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries receiving medical services. As the baby boomers continue to age, there will be an increase in the number of total joint replacements due to a history of an active population as well as the increase in obesity rates. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), by the year 2030, there will be a projected increase of 673 percent in total knee arthroplasties (TKA) and a 174-percent increase in total hip arthroplasties (THA). As part of this process, Medicare developed the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement program (BPCI) in 2015 for provider groups or hospitals that volunteered to participate. In the BPCI program, the participants receive financial incentive reimbursement based upon a target price that is set by the provider’s historical claims data for various DRGs. The current BPCI program runs through the end of the third quarter of 2018. BPCI includes all medical costs incurred during the time period ranging from 30, 60 or 90 days (as selected by the provider) after the episode is initiated.

 

Proposed rule & Request for Information provide flexibility, support strong patient-doctor relationships The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 13 issued a proposed rule that would update Medicare payment and policies for doctors and other clinicians who treat Medicare patients in calendar year (CY) 2018. The proposed rule is one of several Medicare payment rules for CY 2018 that reflect a broader strategy to relieve regulatory burdens for providers; support the patient-doctor relationship in healthcare; and promote transparency, flexibility, and innovation in the delivery of care. "Doctors want to spend less time on burdensome regulations from Washington, D.C., and more time with their patients," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "We believe this new approach will improve quality of care and result in better health outcomes. CMS is committed to giving providers and beneficiaries alike more flexibility and choice in healthcare and is eager to hear comments on our proposed rule. We look forward to addressing the feedback we receive in our final rule later this year." Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

 

CMSA Today™—the official magazine of the Case Management Society of America—is the magazine for case managers. We are committed to providing case management knowledge, perspectives and news to case managers in all sectors of the profession. To facilitate that mission, we accept and consider:

• Original articles written by case managers of all healthcare backgrounds;
• Expertly prepared articles from professional writers—whether medical writers or experienced generalists—on case management topics;
  
• Feature articles, column material, and news about case management trends and issues, as well as about CMSA chapters and their activities;
  
• and personal, member-generated items considered nontraditional for a professional-association publication as poems, remembrances and similar sorts of content.
  

Consider sharing your knowledge by writing and submitting an article! Click below to learn more.
Learn More  

 

We have a few months before National Case Management Week arrives, but now is the perfect time to begin planning your celebrations! Activities during the week include banquets and recognition dinners, state and city proclamations, continuing education seminars, and other community events. Case managers are often honored with gifts, dinners, and flowers by friends and family members, coworkers such as doctors and administrators, and patients who want to show their appreciation. We have history, communications and product resources available now; click on the link below to begin planning your week with your colleagues!