By Kathleen Parry, RN, BSN, CCM, FCM
Its been an exciting year for the CMSA Foundation—full of campaigns, recognition, and plenty of celebration!
This spring, we proudly launched the very first CMSA Foundation Month, a month-long spotlight on the work the Foundation is doing to support case management. Throughout April, our Garden of Gratitude wall bloomed with flowers, each one representing a cherished donor. Thanks to generous individual and chapter contributions, we raised almost $5,000—a vibrant bouquet of support.
A friendly chapter challenge brought even more excitement, with eight chapters participating and contributing $3,365 of the total raised. Special congratulations go to the Detroit Chapter, which took home the honors for the largest donation.
The month kicked off with the webinar Transforming Case Management through Research and Practice Improvement, which drew nearly 600 case managers. Presented by Dr. Melanie Prince, Dr. Colleen Morley, and Shelley O’Brien (2023 Case Management Practice Improvement Award recipient), the event also welcomed guest speaker Daniel Swift from Insulet Corporation.
Together, they explored how data-driven insights and evidence-based practices are shaping the future of case management, improving outcomes, and elevating professional growth. Insulet, a proud sponsor of a CMPI Award, also shared why supporting practice improvement aligns with their mission—particularly in the management of insulin-dependent diabetes. CMSA members can access the recording through the CMSA ERL.
2025 also saw a record number of submissions for the CMSA Foundation Research and Practice Improvement Awards—a total of three submissions in the Research category and seven in Practice Improvement. The quality was outstanding, making the committee’s job both challenging and inspiring. Congratulations to all submitters for their great work and to our winners and honorable mentions!
- CMSA Foundation Case Management Research Awards:
Winner: Dr. Lisa Parker-Williams, Dr. Ellen Fink-Samnick, and Dr. Colleen Morley for Exploring Case Manager’s Perceptions and Looking Forward. - Honorable Mention: Al Hada Armed Forces Hospital-TAIF, Saudi Arabia, for Turning Time into Hope: Advancing Care Excellence.
- CMSA Foundation Case Management Practice Improvement Awards:
Winners: Trinity IHA Medical Group — Improving Hypertension Control in the Black and African American Population
& Healthfirst — Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders - Honorable Mention: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Enhancing Navigation of Oncology Patients by Establishing an Inpatient Navigation Program
These projects and more are showcased in the CMSA Foundation Library, offering models other organizations can adapt to strengthen their own practice.
Attendees at the CMSA Annual Conference in June, received updates from CMSA Foundation Chair, Alan Boardman, who also presented a poster featuring the value these award projects bring to case management—demonstrating impact at every level of care.
The CMSA Foundation thrives thanks to donations, and 2025 was no exception. Also during the CMSA Annual Conference, the Foundation hosted its second annual 50/50 Raffle, which generated incredible excitement, friendly competition, and one VERY happy winner! A total of $12,700 was raised by the generous attendees and the winning ticket brought home $6,350—a number made extra special as CMSA celebrates its 35th anniversary.
Thank you to all of our CMSA Foundation donors and supporters – we can’t do this without you. The CMSA Foundation is deeply grateful to our Friends of the Foundation, whose monthly support makes it possible to advance research and practice improvement all year long. If you’d like to join them, consider becoming a Friend at cmsafoundation.org/friends.
Looking forward, we’re already planning another inspiring CMSA Foundation Month in April 2026, and exciting conference activities in Las Vegas, June 2026. We can’t wait to share what’s next—stay tuned, becoming a Friend of the Foundation, and thank you for helping us make a difference in case management!
Bio: Kathleen Parry, RN, BSN, CCM, FCM is the former Manager of Complex Case Management at Kaiser Permanente of Washington in Seattle WA. In her position, Kathleen manages the complex case managers for the state of Washington. The case managers work with patients with chronic disease and assist with engaging in their healthcare needs, coordination and navigating the healthcare system. Prior to her position at Kaiser Permanente, Kathleen was a case manager at Qualis Health in Seattle, where she assisted Medicaid clients with their health care needs. She has extensive Utilization Management experience at Qualis Health, AETNA and Evergreen Hospital Medical Center. Kathleen's clinical experience is diverse, ranging from psychiatry to general med-surg. She is active in CMSA's local chapter Washington Medical Case Management Association (WMCMA), served as president from 2018-2020 She has also served as Member-at-Large from 2009-2011, and President in 2013 on the WMCMA board. She participates as co-chair of the education committee. She currently serves as the WMCMA secretary 2022-2025. Kathy is also the current Inland Northwest CMSA Chapter (Spokane) president, 2020-2025. And she serves as a Director on the CMSA Foundation board. She was recently elected to the CMSA Board of Directors and serves on several committees including the membership committee. Kathleen represented Kaiser Permanente as the recipient of the CMSA Foundation's 2022 Practice Improvement Award for Readmission Prevention with Patients diagnosed with COVID discharged with home oxygen. She subsequently authored an article for CMSA Today. Kathleen received her BSN from McMaster University and her CCM certification in 2006. She received the "Excellence in Case Management Award" from WMCMA in December 2010; and was nominated for Case Manager of the Year Award from WMCMA in December 2011.