Care managers support therapists, nurses
Care managers serve as partners in rehab
Rehab facilities and hospitals that have a care manager providing continuity of care to patients also will benefit from the care manager’s support to rehab staff.
For example, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI, care managers attend staffing meetings and provide support to all areas, including neuropsychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and dietary.
Care manager Cathy Bly, BSN, works closely with the rehab team to answer questions they may have about patients or serves as a liaison between the family and staff. Bly says she has become identified as the nurse who understands rehab issues and who provides support to rehab staff and patients.
The care manager also serves as a partner with rehab nurses, says Linda Wieczorek, BSN, CRRN, staff nurse on Gundersen’s rehab unit. "We work together and fill in those blanks that are specific to the rehab nursing needs of the patient," she says. "We talk nearly every day."
Bly explains to Wieczorek and other rehab staff about patients’ specific needs and histories. "This saves families from having to retell their story," Wieczorek adds. The care manager also is a liaison between rehab team members and the physician. "Cathy grabs doctors if need be and gets all my questions answered, and then she comes to me with all the information that she’s gathered, and she gives that to me," Wieczorek explains.
That allows her to focus on the patient’s care needs rather than spend time tracking down information from the doctor and other staff. Wieczorek doesn’t need to be the patient’s sole emotional support in rehab because the care manager has time to provide emotional sustenance. "There are times when a patient is telling you things, and you’re thinking, Oh my goodness, I wish I had the time to spend with you and meet your emotional needs, but I have four more people I have to get to.’ But Cathy has more flexibility and has established a relationship with the family through their tragedy, so there’s a special bond there."
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