Case Management Assessment and Course Development

Abstract

As health care costs skyrocket, a system of financially responsible health care with a high standard of quality is needed. Case management is a concept conceived over 100 years ago to coordinate care with effective use of services, excellent outcomes and patient satisfaction. This study looked at a needs assessment for a case management/care coordination course at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) by interviewing 10 key informants in the Anchorage area who are actively involved in case management/care coordination or supervision. The participants were enrolled via the snowball method. Assessments of current UAA and online offerings were also conducted looking at present university level offerings in case management/care coordination both at UAA and at universities in the United States. Questions posed to the interviewed participants included the need for a case management/care coordination course, suggested format: graduate school, undergraduate or continuing education and the suggested course content. All participants felt UAA needed a specific course on case management/care coordination. Sixty percent of the participants felt the course should offer continuing education credits, 1 % felt the course would be most effective in graduate school and 4 % felt it would be best utilized as an undergraduate arena. Analysis also found 18 universities with online programs ranging from master degrees to certificates. All participants strongly voiced a need for ongoing information on statewide resources and a need for connections with other case managers/care coordinators.