Little Rock, AR - The incoming Board of Directors of the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) ratified the Society's updated mission and vision statements at its 15th Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., in June.
As a member-based association, CMSA consistently strives to provide only the highest-quality member programs and services in response to the expressed needs of its members. To that end, the 2004-'05 Board met in October 2004 to revitalize CMSA's vision for the future. Once the ideas were finalized, the 2005-'06 Board officially confirmed them at the Conference Board meeting in Orlando by issuing a formal endorsement of both the CMSA mission and vision.
CMSA's 2005-'06 President, Susan A. Rogers, RN, BSN, CCM, stated, "With the adoption of these official statements, CMSA has a base from which to go forward in our endeavors to meet our goals. We've created a new paradigm for developing 'pathways' to successful case/care management, and CMSA believes that by building on this solid framework, the pathways plot the future of case/care management. We're excited about being set to lead industry transformation in the face of rapid changes in healthcare, economics, technology, and the world-at-large — and the adoption of these 'new and improved' statements will allow us to do just that."
The formal CMSA Mission Statement is as follows:
"To positively impact and improve patient wellbeing and healthcare outcomes."
To execute this mission, the Society will base its efforts on the following three ideologies:
- To inform consumers about the services case and care managers provide
- To educate physicians and other providers about improved patient outcomes through the services case and care managers provide
- To educate payors and regulators about improved patient outcomes that case and care management services can provide
The principles upon which the CMSA mission is based are outlined in this value statement:
"Case/care managers believe patients need an advocate ... someone who helps clients understand what's wrong with them, what they need to do about it and why those treatments are important. In this way, case and care managers serve as catalysts. By participating in the equation, case and care mangers enable their clients to achieve goals more effectively and efficiently."
CMSA's official updated Vision Statement avows:
"We envision case managers as pioneers of healthcare change ... key initiators of and participants in the healthcare team who open up new areas of thought ... research and development ... leading the way toward the day when every American will know what a case/care manager does and will know how to access case and care management services."
Rogers explained that, "as we determine ways to break old models and patterns of behavior, the pathways we've developed incorporate several new assumptions about CMSA. By updating our mission and vision statements on a regular basis, we create a strong foundation from which these pathways can extend as our industry grows."
The purposes of the pathways are threefold, Rogers explains. First, they focus on case manager education. Secondly, CMSA must elevate the awareness of case management through a value-driven model based on ROI and patient outcomes. And lastly, says Rogers, CMSA seeks to passionately claim its place in the healthcare team through purposeful communication strategies with every stakeholder group, especially the consumer. "Part of CMSA's charter has always been to illuminate the practice itself," Rogers concludes, "and this is, of course, defined in four parts as assessment, planning, facilitation, and advocacy of each patient's healthcare needs. As CMSA continues to hone its mission and vision, we fully expect that participation among the different types of healthcare professionals will ensure that CMSA's goals are met in a timely and cost-effective manner."
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