Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital Care Managers, Julie Roslund and Gary Osborn, recently earned national certification. Certification determines that care managers possess the education, skills, knowledge and experience required to provide needed and appropriate services to patients. Knowledge of healthcare reimbursement, case management concepts, ethical and moral standards, as well as local support systems are crucial to earning case management certification.
"This represents the gold standard in case management services," states Colleen Sinon, Vice President of Quality Management Programs at NVRH. "They’ve been doing a terrific job on behalf of our patients for years, and national certification is impressive because it demonstrates the commitment to excellence they use each day in providing services to our community members."
Case management is a collaborative process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors, and evaluates the options and services required to meet the client’s health and human service needs. It is characterized by advocacy, communication, and resource management that promotes quality and cost-effective interventions and outcomes.
For instance, if a patient is in the hospital, and is well enough to transition home, Osborn and Roslund will make sure that they have everything from appropriate equipment (i.e. commode, walkers, etc.) to home nursing assistance to rides to physical therapy. This kind of networking demands communication with various payer sources, knowledge of services in the area, communication with healthcare providers as to a patient’s ability, as well as communication with family members. Case management services allow direct communication among the case manager, client, payer, primary care providers and other service delivery professionals.
"We’re proud of our CCM credential," state Roslund and Osborne. "Our goal is to provide a smooth transition for patients in the hospital to the next level of care, whether it’s home or to another facility. We stay in touch with them even after they leave the hospital, to make sure they have everything they need."
Osborn and Roslund love to help people, which is obvious when talking to them. They’ve even been contacted by out-of-town visitors with chronic health issues, planning to visit the Northeast Kingdom. "We can make sure they have the support services needed when they arrive to visit friends or families."
Roslund has been working in case management at NVRH for the past 27 years, while Osborne came to the hospital 4 years ago with 20 years of experience. The comprehensive services now provided by the NVRH Care Management Department include functions historically managed by social work, discharge planning and utilization review departments.
To learn more about NVRH and its many services, visit www.nrvh.org.
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