Case Management Society of America

Established in 1990, the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) is an international non-profit 501(c)(6) multi-disciplinary professional association dedicated to the support and advancement of the case management profession through educational forums, networking opportunities, legislative advocacy, and establishing standards to advance the profession. According to the Standards of Practice for Case Management, the term "case management" is defined as: " ... A collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual's health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost-effective outcomes." CMSA is based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and serves more than 20,000 members/subscribers and 70 affiliate and pending chapters.

Definition of Case Management
Case management is a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual's health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality cost-effective outcomes.

Philosophy of Case Management
Case management is not a profession in itself, but an area of practice within one's profession. Its underlying premise is that when an individual reaches the optimum level of wellness and functional capability, everyone benefits: the individuals being served, their support systems, the health care delivery systems and the various reimbursement sources.

Case management serves as a means for achieving client wellness and autonomy through advocacy, communication, education, identification of service resources and service facilitation. The case manager helps identify appropriate providers and facilities throughout the continuum of services, while ensuring that available resources are being used in a timely and cost-effective manner in order to obtain optimum value for both the client and the reimbursement source.

Case management services are best offered in a climate that allows direct communication between the case manager, the client, and appropriate service personnel, in order to optimize the outcome for all concerned.

Certification determines that the case manager possesses the education, skills and experience required to render appropriate services based on sound principles of practice.

CMSA's Strategic Vision
"We envision case managers as pioneers of healthcare change...key initiators of and participants in the healthcare team who open up new areas of thought...research and development...leading the way toward the day when every American will know what a case/care manager does and will know how to access case and care management services."

CMSA's Mission Statement
The formal CMSA Mission Statement is as follows:

"To positively impact and improve patient wellbeing and healthcare outcomes."

To execute this mission, the Society will base its efforts on the following three ideologies:


 * To inform consumers about the services case and care managers provide
 * To educate physicians and other providers about improved patient outcomes through the services case and care managers provide
 * To educate payors and regulators about improved patient outcomes that case and care management services can provide

The principles upon which the CMSA mission is based are outlined in this value statement:

"Case/Care managers believe patients need an advocate...someone who helps clients understand what's wrong with them, what they need to do about it and why those treatments are important. In this way, case and care managers serve as catalysts. By participating in the equation, case and care managers enable their clients to achieve goals more effectively and efficiently."

Collaborative Activities

 * National Transitions of Care Coalition
 * Case Management Leadership Coalition