For the past several years, the health care and insurance industries http://writing-help541171.mystrikingly.com/ in America have been undergoing significant reform in order to rein in the high cost of delivering health care services. Managed care has become a cornerstone of this process (Strickland, 1995). The case management industry (with its focus on cost containment, managed competition, and quality care) is playing an increasingly important role in the managed care environment (Owens, 1996). According to Mullahy (1995a), the number of case managers has risen astronomically in recent years.These individuals come from diverse professional backgrounds and practice settings that include nursing, rehabilitation counseling, and social work. Case management, however, is not a new concept. Many human service, rehabilitation, and health care professions have a history of using case management models in the execution of their responsibilities.
