Most case managers responsible for coordinating care for the chronically ill—a discipline seen by many as key to controlling healthcare costs—are nurses by training and earn at least $70,000 a year, according to a new survey.
The Commission for Case Manager Certification's annual survey found that median salaries for different case-manager specialties range between $70,000 and $75,000. Ninety percent are registered nurses and 5% are social workers.
According to the commission, case manager duties include handling care transitions, coordinating services between multiple providers, and identifying the behavioral health and community services that complex patients need. The CCMC noted that these services are promoted in new federal legislation, the Better Care, Lower Cost Act of 2014, aimed at improving care and lowering costs for Medicare patients with multiple chronic conditions.
These services also are part of the patient-centered medical home model.
Some 35,000 certified case managers were invited to take part in the online survey, and about 5,000 did so from Oct. 11 to Oct. 22 of last year.
Follow Andis Robeznieks on Twitter: @MHARobeznieks
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