Product details

External cost pressures are motivating the adoption of case management at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), but several of the organization''s key professional groups are working against it. President and CEO David Dolins must decide whether case management is needed, and whether it is compatible with the employee and patient-centered culture upon which BIDMC has built its success. Case management has been touted in the health care industry as a way to coordinate the complex, multidisciplinary process of patient care, in hopes of controlling costs without reducing quality. It is akin to the role of project manager of cross-functional liaison in other settings. Case management creates a new role that stands above the established disciplines - physicians, nurses, and social workers - to coordinate their activities and oversee their performance. The case describes the threat posed by case management to the professional status of physicians, social workers, and nurses. Also explores the coordination mechanisms already in place - care paths (process standardization), primary nursing (dedicated staff assignments), care management teams, and information systems - and questions whether case management is needed.