Managing your health, at times, can be difficult. During catastrophic or complex points in your care, the nurse case manager is a member of the Womack Army Medical Center team who collaborates with the patient/Family and, when appropriate, the assigned unit to assist in the navigation of the healthcare system.
WAMC nurse case managers are located throughout the hospital and clinic areas, to include specialty care areas. At any point in a patient's medical experience, the goal is to smooth the trip through the healthcare maze, while giving patients the tools to manage their care.
WAMC has strategically embedded case management at the point of care to optimize and work through the barriers and challenges facing the healthcare delivery system.
Case managers are located at significant touch points in the health system to assist with facilitation, coordination, advocacy and evaluation of allowable options and services to meet an individual/Family's comprehensive health needs.
Knowledge of the system and expertise in available resources, partnered with strong communication skills and tenacity, makes the nurse case manager a resource to the care team as much as to the patient.
So, where to find a case manager if one is needed? There are nurse case managers at the Warrior Transition Battalion to facilitate recovery or transition of the Soldier. There are nurse case managers and care facilitators at the Department of Deployment Health to identify and assist in the recovery and or transition of those Soldiers who may not need to be in warrior transition care, yet are not medically ready to deploy.
In the Behavioral Health Clinic, there are also nurse case managers to assist Soldiers navigate both on and off post resources.
In the Department of Neurology, there are nurse case managers who keep Soldiers focused on the individualized plan associated with their care.
WAMC has dedicated nurse case managers in the patient-centered medical home care teams to support Soldiers, Family members and retirees enrolled there.
The Obstetrics/Gynecology Clinic and Internal Medicine Clinic also have nurse case managers facilitating care for patients with the most complicated care scenarios. Additionally, the Emergency Department and inpatient care areas have nurse case managers available to provide resources, and to best manage patient care after their stay.
The nurse case manager in each of these practice settings focuses on coordinating the complex, ongoing care needed by patients, as well as enhancing communication and empowerment during transitions, such as hospitalizations, permanent changes of station or end term of service.
History of case management
Early 1900s -- Care coordinated by public health nurses and social workers
1920s -- Psychiatry and social work focused on long term and chronic illnesses in outpatients
1930s -- Community- based case management
1943 -- Case management means cost-management measure for workers' compensation
1980's -- Health insurers developed case management programs targeted at the catastrophically injured and ill populations
1990s to 2006 -- Number of case managers increased to over 100,000. Quality care became primary driver. Source: Core Curriculum for Case Management, Second Edition 2008, Philadelphia Powell et al.
2003 to 2004 -- Dedicated case management for demobilizing Reserve personnel and the formation of medical hold-over structure
2005 -- Development of the Warrior Transition Unit
2007 -- Increasing number of medically, not-ready Soldiers leads to the development of medical management center
2009 -- Military Health System implements patient-centered, home model with case management role
2014 -- Case managers continue to build steps to a brighter future
There may be times when independently navigating the system of health becomes challenging and complex. During these times a tool available to patients and their providers is the nurse case manager.
Whether inside the inpatient care areas, the medical home, specialty care, Warrior Transition or Deployment Health, they are there to assist the patient and Family in managing their complex, catastrophic and or transitional self-care management.
Nurse case managers are part of the WAMC team building steps for patients to a brighter future.
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