Welcome Back! I hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas. I want to say a massive thank-you for reading my Blog, Nurse Advocate, and for your comments, accolades, and support over the years. 2025 is a milestone year, marking 10 years of writing this Blog. My...
Recently, I received a call from a longtime friend and nurse case manager colleague, who said she has been thinking about me and wanted to reach out to see how I have been. We had a nice chat, caught up, and promised to stay in touch. As I sat there after the call, I...
I heard this quote recently, and it resonated with me in relation to my work as a case manager. Here it is: “One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.” This resonated with me, as anticipation and...
For this week’s Case Management article, I planned to write about how nurses can use career ladders to plan the trajectory of their careers. But then I saw an email from the American Nurses Association stating the U.S. Department of Education has officially excluded...
Recently, I’ve noticed a surge of articles on leadership in nursing landing in my inbox. A common theme runs through them: case managers must recognize their value and actively promote it within their organizations/communities. As I reflect on today’s current...
In 2025, U.S. healthcare spending is projected to reach $5.6 trillion, accounting for approximately 17.6% of the nation’s GDP. There is no slowing this cost as we have a system that feeds sick care. To control spiraling healthcare costs, we as a country must...
As a nurse case manager, I take pride in being empathetic and work hard to care for my patients to the best of my ability. But looking back, I ask myself: Did I truly know my patients? Did I take the time to learn about them beyond their medical conditions? Did I ask...
There is a saying that we meet our patients where they are. But as nurse case managers, we meet our patients where they are and work to help them find the resources they need to move forward. As part of the nurse case managers’ assessment, we are charged with...
Nurse case managers and Independent Patient/Health Advocates are often a lifeline for individuals facing catastrophic or complex medical conditions. Finding one can be challenging, as can knowing how to work together as a team to ensure a patient’s safety, care...
In this week’s post, I wanted to remind readers that Case Management Week will take place from October 12th to 18th this year. While the official celebration runs from October 12 to 18th, the Case Management Society of America is recognizing case managers all month...
In theory, the nurse case manager is responsible for ensuring that communication between all parties (the patient, the family, all members of the treatment team, and the payer) is streamlined and coordinated. Does it happen in reality – sometimes In this post, I...
I am on a Spinal Cord Facebook Support Group. The group is designed for people who have had spinal cord injuries and are living their new normal. It is fascinating to read about their issues, the challenges they face, and also to see how resilient they are in...
The Institute of Medicine report Crossing the Quality Chasm stated, “It now takes an average of 17 years for new knowledge generated by randomized controlled trials to be incorporated into practice, and even then application is highly uneven. More recently, the...
I started posting this article to remember 9/11 on September 11, 2015, and have repeated it every year since as a reminder of what happened that day – so WE ALL NEVER FORGET. If you have someone is was born after this event, please share this post with them so...
I hope you had a good Labor Day Weekend! I can’t believe we are in September! Where did summer go? In this week’s post, which is Part Six in the series helping you prepare for an injury or health condition that shakes your world, I share an important message...
Getting bad news from the doctor is a nightmare situation. The doctor tells you that you or a loved one has a life-altering condition — something that is going to call on your deepest resources of strength to handle. A bad diagnosis can land like a bomb, frightening...
I hope you have been enjoying this series. I also hope you have gained valuable insights into the importance of taking action in preparing for an event that leaves you and your family wondering how we got here and how we’ll manage to move forward. I recently saw...
Welcome to Part Three of “Preparing for End of Life: Getting Organized.” In reality, don’t wait – do it today so you are prepared for what will happen tomorrow. Starting this process while you and your loved ones can talk and discuss options is important...
