By Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Editor-in-Chief of Case in Point Magazine and the Case Management Resource Guide

One of the key functions that case managers bring to health care is the ability to improve care coordination by collaborating with all members of the treatment team. By ensuring effective and efficient collaboration, case managers are able to break down silos that cause fragmentation, duplication, confusion and frustration among patients, families and providers, and contain escalating health care costs.

As you read this, you may say that collaborative practice is not a new concept in health care. Physicians, nurses, case managers, pharmacists, and related professionals have always partnered with those in health care to provide optimal care to patients, families and communities. This is true, but what has dramatically changed are the environments in which that care is provided. Today, virtual teams use video and telecommunication technology to cross traditional health care silos, enabling the inclusion of providers from acute, long-term, and community and home care. As a result, we have become more interpersonal than ever before.

In order to address these challenges, the Case Management Society of America is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Collaborative Practice Summit, to convene March 3-5, 2009, in San Antonio, Texas. The summit is designed to bring together health care thought leaders, innovators, and collaborators, including CEOs, CIOs, CFOs, CMOs, nurse executives, and product and program directors to experience a unique opportunity to engage, collaborate and lead together.

The meeting will showcase key leaders and innovators who are setting trends and who have achieved best practices through collaborative means. The program is designed to promote conversation among attendees and leaders, and to allow participants to discuss challenges and gain insight where technology will lead us in the future. The program is a must-attend for decision makers across the care continuum. Those who attend will:

• Gain knowledge in understanding emerging models of care.
• Have the opportunity to assess performance measures, intervention strategy, and the definitions of success for the emerging practice models.
• Discuss the issues of clinician shortages, generational learning styles, technology advancement, and the impact to health care costs.
• Relate to new and innovative tools, resources, and directions that will enable those in the health care field to embrace the future.

For more information, visit the Collaborative Practice Summit online.

To document the event, the editorial staff of Case In Point is developing a digital supplement that will highlight the important aspects of the summit. Once done, we will send information on how to access the supplement to all case managers.

Hope to see you there!