As the number of Geriatric Care Managers across the country continues to grow, we at AZA Care Management and Home Care are thrilled to be part of such a thriving profession. Because we have been in business for almost 20 years, we have witnessed many changes and trends in the industry. Recently, we have noticed that our consumers are more informed about the field of Geriatric Care Management and are asking better questions. As a result, we have put together some tips for family members and fellow professionals about how to be savvy consumers when shopping for a high quality care manager.
The following are areas we suggest considering:
Credentials
Check the credentials of the care manager you are considering hiring. Care managers have diverse experience, education and backgrounds. Often a good care manager has both an advanced degree and several years of experience in care management.
Many care managers are licensed in their state in specific fields such as nursing or social work. If appropriate, make sure they are members of their basic professional organizations.
Experience
Care managers should be full (not associate) members of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers in good standing. As of 2010, as full members of the National Association, care managers are required to carry one of the following certifications: CMC, CCM, C-ASWCM or C-SWCM.
Availability
The care manager should be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you should have access to his or her cell phone or answering service number. You should also be aware of other members of the care manager’s team — nurses or support staff — in case you have a question and can’t wait for the care manager to return your call.
Transparency
Make sure you know all the ins and outs of the care manager’s billing policy. Some care managers bill more for phone calls or visits on weekends and holidays or after normal business hours. Make sure you are aware of how and for what you will be billed.
Chemistry
An important part of working with clients and their families is chemistry. Be sure you get along with and like the individual you are considering hiring.
Areas of Expertise
You should find out if the care manager has a particular area of expertise. You will want to hire someone who regularly handles clients with similar needs and issues.
Care managers should be engaging in continuing education on issues of aging as well as in their areas of expertise. Each care manager is required to complete a certain number of hours each year in which he/she is being supervised by another care manager.
Conflicts of Interest
You want to hire a care manager who is not receiving incentives to place clients in certain facilities or with particular providers. The advice you get from a care manager should be related to the care needs of the client, not to the care manager’s relationship with third party providers. Receiving this kind of kickback is not only a conflict of interest, but also a violation of our National Association’s standards of practice.
Quality Assurance
When evaluating the potential working relationship with a care manager, you should make sure that the care manager has methods to get feedback from customers and ask what this system is. Also ask if such feedback has had an influence on his or her practice.
Type of Practice
Care managers generally fall into two categories: sole practitioners who work for themselves or those who work for a practice with two or more care managers. There are advantages to working with both types of practitioners. A sole practitioner may have fewer formal legal contracts and paperwork to be signed. When you contact a sole practitioner, your communication from the start is with the person you will be working with. Care managers who work for a larger practice, on the other hand, will often have the opportunity to work as part of a team and will have the benefit of other team members’ experience as well as their own. Additionally, you may have the ability to find a care manager that suits your personality from a more diverse practice. Regardless of the type of practice the care manager works in, experience with and knowledge of the specific issues the family is dealing with are of utmost importance.
In summary, as with any important decision you make in life that affects you or a loved-one, due diligence is essential. You should feel free to ask for references, the extent of geriatric experience the care manager has and the other policies of the practice that may have an affect upon a positive working relationship and the best possible outcome.
Helpful Links:
The Elderly: Finding a Good Geriatric Care Manager, August 6th, 2009
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_33/b4143056857265.htm
Questions to Ask – National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
http://www.caremanager.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=82
