Care managers are responsible for developing care plans for people who need assistance to live at home or who need specialized care plans in a care facility. They work in a wide variety of settings.
Care managers work in a wide variety of places, including community care clinics, nursing homes, insurance carriers, and hospitals. Their primary role is to develop individualized care plans for patients that meet their personal short and long term needs. They work with families and other healthcare workers as well as with patients.
Clinical Care
Clinical care managers usually work in health care facilities such as nursing homes and hospices, and may also work in hospitals or for insurance carriers. Their focus is generally on developing care plans for individual cases, or supervising teams of healthcare workers. Typically care plans involve arranging care and services that allow individuals to live independently, and may include providing training or help for family members who are caregivers.
Complex Care
For people with serious or chronic illnesses, complex care managers focus on arranging long term as well as short term care. Additionally they focus on ensuring that their clients comply with physician instructions, as compliance is often an issue in long term care. Insurance carriers often employ complex care managers to reduce their expenses when they insure patients who develop chronic health conditions.
Geriatric Care
Geriatric care managers work with seniors, typically on a private consultancy basis. They assess the needs of their clients and then develop a plan of care that ensures they have access to all the care services they need to live as independently as possible. Additional focus is often placed on solving accessibility issues for seniors with limited mobility.
Skills and Education Requirements
The most important trait for care managers is a very strong interest in the welfare of their patients. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are also essential. Care managers should be able to work effectively with people from all economic, social, and cultural backgrounds. They should have good judgement and be able to make decisions independently, but should also have excellent team-work skills.
Most care managers begin their careers as registered nurses, and must have several years’ experience as a nurse before becoming a manager. When entering the field certification can be obtained from the Commission for Case Management Certification and the National Academy of Certified Care Managers.
Resources