What Makes a Good Case Manager?

What Is a Rehabilitation Case Manager?

Rehabilitation case managers are trained professionals who act as a liaisons between clients, instructing parties and healthcare professionals to make sure their client receives the most appropriate and best quality healthcare services. They set goals and targets to help the injured party, whilst making sure the client feels empowered. Case managers are there to advise on the best options.

Rehabilitation case managers have a clinical background in physiotherapy, occupational therapy nursing, psychology or social work. They do not necessarily carry out patient care, but lead the client’s rehabilitation team.

What Makes a Good Rehabilitation Case Manager?

Having strong clinical knowledge is a key element to creating a good rehabilitation case manager. However, there are many other aspects to consider when looking to find the right one.

Empathy

A client often has just experienced a trauma; being able to put yourself in their shoes not only helps you to understand the sensitivity of the situation but helps to uncover their psychosocial and medical needs better. Once the case manager has this understanding, they can individually tailor their recovery programme for maximum success.

Flexibility and Problem-Solving

No two cases will be the same for a case manager. If barriers or problems are affecting a case, it is essential for a case manager to be confident at working through the issues with the client to make appropriate changes to their recovery plan.

Effective Communication

Being able to have a flexible vocabulary to allow information to be understood by the client, instructing parties and clinical personnel. This lets clients (and their families), who might understand less clinical vocabulary than any of the professionals involved in the case, understand what treatment is needed and why that treatment has been recommended.

Delegation and Organisation

Navigating rehabilitation is complex and requires the coordination of lots of professionals from different fields. Having amazing organisation skills will keep everything in check and avoid delays in the client’s treatment.

Business-Minded and Cost Conscious

Acting as a patient advocate is key to the role, as is making sure that the best, evidence-based treatment is provided at the appropriate cost. A balance between budget and clinical requirements is needed to ensure travel costs, treatment, and any equipment (disabled access to house, bannisters etc) are all met appropriately. The case manager has to be aware of and manage the costs of the case, ensuring that all interventions are effective and helping to deliver the agreed outcomes.

Rehab Direct’s Rehabilitation Case Managers

Rehab Direct is led by a team of highly qualified and experienced clinical professionals who deliver exceptional standards of rehabilitation and pain management. Each client receives a rehabilitation programme specific to their needs. The way we work and the methods we use provide our clients with the best prospects to improve their quality of life following personal injury or clinical negligence.

Find out more about our case managers and how they could help your client here.