Care Management

By Terri Hibbs, BSN, RN, CCCTM



The healthcare system has a large population of elderly patients, many with multiple healthcare issues or chronic conditions. Taking part in a care management program can help these patients become healthier by educating them about their disease processes and the importance of medication compliance, regular blood work, annual tests, and preventative measures such as flu and pneumonia shots and mammograms, and colonoscopies. 

Care management services provide patients with contact to inform them of their conditions in terms they understand and to involve them in personal healthcare goals. In this way, patients are more likely to want to be involved in reaching their goals and becoming healthier. The intent is to keep these patients out of the emergency room and hospital as much as possible. 

What is Care Management?

“Care Management programs apply systems, science, incentives, and information to improve medical practice and assist consumers and their support system to become engaged in a collaborative process designed to manage medical, social, and mental health conditions more effectively. The goal of care management is to achieve an optimal level of wellness and improve coordination of care while providing cost effective, non-duplicative services.” (“Care Management Definition and Framework,” Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc., 2007.)

Two Types of Care Management

1. Transitional Care Management is a Medicare service that became effective Jan. 1, 2013, per cms.gov. The care management team or nurse navigator will call a patient or caregiver within two days of inpatient discharge to discuss medication, a new diagnosis, or important follow up appointments with the purpose of reducing and preventing readmissions and medical errors. 

2. Chronic Care Management (CCM), according to The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a chronic care management services, which are a critical component of primary care that contributes to better health and care for individuals. The goal is to provide the patient and family with the best care possible to keep them out of the hospital and emergency room and to minimize overall medical cost. The program is used to help patients achieve a better quality of life through continuous care and management of their chronic conditions. Patients collaborate with healthcare providers to set healthcare goals, thus making it more likely they will accomplish those objectives.

Case Study

One patient I worked with is a successful participant in the CCM program. He initially visited the emergency department because of unstable vital signs, weakness, dizziness, and uncontrolled hypertension. He had been out of his medication for three months, was admitted for congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation, and spent four days in the hospital. He also had uncontrolled diabetes with a Hemoglobin A1C of 10.7 percent and his average fasting blood sugars at home were running in the 300s. 

The patient consented to the CCM program for his chronic conditions of atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. He was very eager and willing to learn about his disease processes and to take his medication on a regular basis. He was given information on Medicaid services to help with medication expenses and was educated on Metformin titration and use of his insulin. 

I also regularly contacted him for a report on his blood sugar and blood pressure readings. In just two short months the patient has stopped smoking and his fasting blood sugars are now running in the low 130s. He has a better relationship with his son and granddaughter, is more physically active, and is making better food choices. He is due for a repeat Hemoglobin A1C level next month. 

This is just one of many examples of what care management can do for a patient. As a nurse navigator, my patients become like a part of my family. I am blessed to be able to educate and support our patients and their families and to help them to make better healthcare choices that can potentially save their lives. 

Terri Hibbs, BSN, RN, CCCTM is a care navigator for Baptist Health Hardin Family Medicine.