Commission for Case Manager Certification Study: Leap in demand and rewards for board-certified case managers

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New evidence from a study of nearly 8,000 case managers shows these professionals are more in demand than ever, and more employers are rewarding certification in case management. That's one key finding of the Commission for Case Manager Certification's 2014 Role and Function Study, a rigorous assessment of the current knowledge and skills needed for competent, effective case management performance.

Every five years, the Commission administers a study to gather data about how the field of case management is changing and the knowledge, skills and activities required in today's case management practice. The robust, statistically significant findings inform the knowledge tested by the Certified Case Manager(®) (CCM(®)) credential exam. The study underscores the relevance of board certification to case managers and employers by assuring that the board-certified case manager has a mastery of key knowledge domains needed to support competent, effective case management.

"Demonstrating the knowledge component through a rigorous exam has been part of the CCM credential since the Commission's inception," said Patrice Sminkey, the Commission's CEO. "As we've matured as a certification body, the CCM consistently rises to the top as the most recognized and respected credential for case managers."

As health care organizations adjust to meet market and regulatory demands for value and measurable outcomes in health care, case managers are at the center of crucial activities--care coordination, care management and care transitions--to improve care for the most complex patients.

Board certification validates a high level of expertise and is increasingly used as a benchmark for case managers seeking leadership and career advancement. The 2014 study indicated a far greater percentage of employers--40.2 percent--now require certification, a 14.7 percent increase from 2009. This rapid rise is clear evidence of an increased need and desire among employers for board-certified case managers, and the need underscored by additional study results showing the percentage of employers who offer a monetary reward for certification has also grown by nearly 10 percent since the 2009 study.

Other key findings:

    --  A strong emphasis on care management and care coordination. About 60
        percent of the participants indicated that these terms are included in
        their job titles, underscoring their significance.
    --  Increasing prominence of quality measurement and evaluation functions,
        likely because of new care models based on value rather than volume.
        Value-based payment models require quality measures to quantify and
        reward efficient, effective care delivery.
    --  Significant increase in emphasis on ethics and quality measurement as
        core competencies for professional case managers. This represents a
        major shift in importance assigned to these activities--well beyond
        previous studies.
    --  A more sophisticated case management department includes specialized,
        defined roles for an educator and a quality evaluation professional to
        support the case management team.

"Today's case management practice demands a range of knowledge areas: care delivery and reimbursement methods; psychosocial concepts and support systems; quality and outcomes evaluation and measurements; rehabilitation concepts and strategies; and ethical, legal and practice standards," Sminkey said. "The level of high-functioning scrutiny and analysis required is significant to address the complexity of the matters case managers deal with every day.

"Board-certified case managers must also know, and commit to adhere to, the ethical standards of the Commission's Case Management Code of Professional Conduct as they advocate for clients and protect the public interest," Sminkey added. "The Commission's work to prepare a ready and knowledgeable case manager workforce relies on both our research-based exam and continued commitment to ethical practice standards."

To learn more about the Commission's 2014 Role and Function Study, read the issue brief and the frequently asked questions.

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification
The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 37,000 professional case managers. The Commission is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM(®) credential. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management. For more information, visit www.ccmcertification.org, connect with the Commission on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.

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SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification