Case Management
At Meridian Rehab our Occupational Therapists may work in the role of case manager. A case manager is normally hired by a third party payer to oversee the continuum of therapy as a client recovers from an injury. The funder hires a case manager for the following reasons:
- To ensure that the case moves forward efficiently and effectively.
- To provide them with advice about what to do (what to fund, who to hire, what is no longer necessary etc.)
- To act as a liaison between themselves and the rest of the rehab or medical team.
OTs often work in the role of case managers because of the focus on function. OTs have a “whole picture” view of people, and this is a strength used when working in this role. The OT/case manager will do the following:
- Assess the functional abilities and limitations of a client
- Set functional goals with the client
- Recommend services, equipment, and therapies to achieve the functional goal
- Through functional re-assessments, ensure progress towards the goals
- Provide updates on progress to the funder
- Make recommendations to the funder about changes to services, therapies, and equipment as appropriate
- Determine when functional goals have been met
- Recommend discharge in a timely manner