At Pathway Medical we are constantly searching for news and information that is most interesting to the case managers,  non-bedside nurses and healthcare employers we work with.  Check out this month’s Top Nursing and Healthcare Headlines; giving you insight into news trending in popularity among your nursing and healthcare peers.

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Click on the headline for the complete story.

Tips on becoming a Certified Case Manager (CCM)
One of the most popular articles this month is a post from a while back.  Hundreds of nurses and healthcare employers have been reading this article that covers tips and suggestions for nurse case managers seeking the certified case manager (CCM) designation. - Pathway Medical

Case manager’s dilemma during electronic health record (EHR) implementation
Learn about a major limitation that surfaced a week after an EHR implementation “go-live” date.   One case manager experienced an unexpected challenge. - HCPro

Nurse Hiring Guide: A guide to hiring non-bedside nurses for hospitals, managed care and other healthcare organizations
If you work for a hospital, managed care or other healthcare organization and you’re looking to attract top nursing talent in case management, utilization review, appeals, pre-certification, quality improvement, HEDIS, CDI and other non-bedside nursing professionals, check out the Nurse Hiring Guide to help you find the best nurses. - Pathway Medical

Top tips to enhance case management communication
A key competency case managers must be proficient in is being an effective communicator. This is a challenge as case managers communicate with a number of people and professionals on a daily basis. In addition, a good deal of communication is telephonic, which presents its own set of challenges. Follow these tips for best-practices in case management communication. - Case In Point

Software to help nurse case managers simplify medical jargon for patients
A new federal program called the Health Literacy Action Plan is promoting simplified language nationwide. And some health insurers, doctors’ practices and hospitals have begun using specialized software that scans documents looking for hard-to-understand words and phrases and suggests plain-English replacements. Find out how you can help your patients decipher the medical jargon so that they receive better care. - Wall Street Journal

Patients who e-mail with doctors see health improvements
Patients with diabetes or hypertension or both who communicated with their doctors via e-mail got better care and better health outcomes.  Learn more about the results from this new research. - USA Today

100 blog posts that will make you a better nurse
No one starts off their profession being perfect at everything they do. It takes time to learn the ropes and often years of hard work to truly get the hang of everything. No matter where you are in your career as a nurse, there’s likely an aspect of your job that you could work on improving. Here are some blog posts to guide you towards a brighter, more successful career in nursing and help you be the best nurse you can be. - NursingSchools.net

Evidence-based care poorly understood by patients
Only 1 in 3 patients said a physician had discussed what research showed about the best way to manage treatment. – American Medical News

Free networking group just for non-bedside and non-clinical nurses
If you have questions about nurse case management or non-bedside nursing ask your peers in a new LinkedIn Group for nurses working in non-bedside or non-clinical jobs.  Join over 125 nurses across the country that share your interest in non-bedside nursing where you can ask questions, share information and find great career tips and opportunities.  - Pathway Medical

Patients receiving email notes from dr visit serve as helpful reminders for preventative care
Check out this interesting story of a patient who finds that participating in email notifications from his physician reminds him to follow up on pre-cancerous skin condition that he would have forgotten about otherwise. - e-patients.net

Do you have an article that you would like to share with the nurse case management an non-bedside nursing community?  Please share it in the “Leave a Reply” section below.

Source: Dorland Health

If you weren’t able to make it to the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) annual conference this week, you’re in luck.  The editorial team of “Case in Point” magazine, published by Dorland Health, will be covering the event.  Their goal to is inform, educate and motivate nurses to concentrate on professional development.

Many of the sessions presented this week will be available on the CMSA website over the next few months in the educational library. This will allow you to experience the program and obtain continuing education credits at your own pace.

Click on this link to the Dorland Health website to follow the five-day coverage: Five-Day Coverage of the Case Management Society of America Annual Conference

Source:  Commission for Case Manager Certification

“The role case managers play in health care is expanding with new team-based delivery models. To meet the challenges of their expanding role, case managers are becoming better prepared educationally and professionally to meet the requirements of employers, consumers and payers, according to a study by the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC).

CCMC surveyed nearly 30,000 case managers and analyzed the results from 6,909 completed surveys to create a detailed profile of the role of case managers today, and the functions they perform across care settings.”

Here are some highlighted findings from the study:

• More case managers hold bachelor or higher degrees (65 percent in 2009 compared to 60 percent in 2004)
• Certification in case management is required by more employers (36 percent, compared to 26 percent in 2004)
• More employers offer additional compensation for certification (27 percent in 2009 compared to 20 percent in 2004)
• The case manager role represents a career advancement opportunity for nurses
• The case manager role is becoming more challenging, and more important within the health care system

Read the complete press release from CCMC:  Survey Finds More Case Managers Professionally Credentialed, Hold Higher Degrees

Source: Center to Champion Nursing in America

“Until recently, Medicare reimbursement for nursing education had not kept pace with our changing health care landscape, continuing to primarily invest nursing education dollars in diploma programs. But, with the passage of health care reform, also comes an important recognition that advanced practiced registered nursing (APRN) skills are needed for the Medicare population. APRNs, nurses with advanced graduate education and training, can provide primary care, chronic care management, transitional care and care coordination.

The Medicare Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration Program aims to increase the number of highly-skilled APRNs to care for Americans by providing $200 million to bolster the training of these key health care professionals.”

Read More on the Center to Champion Nursing in America site at: Transforming Medicare Nursing Education