LAURINBURG – Scotland Regional Hospice is celebrating National Case Management Week on Oct. 10-16. This week is an opportunity to recognize the dedication, compassion and quality of patient care outcomes achieved by case managers across the health care continuum. The theme for this year, provided by the American Case Management Association is “Case Management: Transitions through Care, Compassion and Community.”

Case managers, usually registered nurses, social workers, physicians, administrators or other health professionals, provide collaborative clinical assessment, care coordination, patient education, counseling, case monitoring/clinical pathway management, discharge planning, resource management and patient advocacy.

“This is a noteworthy recognition because it acknowledges the work of a broad group of health care workers across several disciplines,” explained Kim Hammonds, Scotland Regional Hospice executive director. “It raises awareness of how their collaborative efforts improve the overall patient experience and the quality of life of the individuals and families that they serve. This is something that we understand all too well at hospice as each patient care plan is developed by an interdisciplinary team including a physician, social worker, chaplain, and a nurse case manager. Our case managers played a major role in helping Scotland Regional Hospice earn many awards over the years for achieving a high family satisfaction rating.”

“Our excellent case managers within Scotland Health as well as those working at area skilled nursing facilities or within other health care systems are also integral to the quality of care that our patients receive,” Hammonds continued. “They coordinate patient care as they transition into our services and are often part of the initial introduction of patients and their families to the hospice philosophy. We can’t thank those case managers outside of our organization enough for their care during this time.”

Scotland Regional Hospice’s case management professionals are working every day to advocate for their patients. The significant contributions of the organization’s case managers impact its ability to provide the best patient care possible, positively affecting the patient experience while promoting best practices and cost-effective outcomes.