The History of Medical Case Management

The field of medical case management is primarily made up of social workers. Therefore, the history of case management in general and medical case management specifically, is closely linked to the history of social work.

Time Frame

• Social work and case management were both born out of the Settlement House Movement in the early 20th century, when social workers helped the poor and those with health problems, connecting them with important resources and advocating on their behalf.

Features

• Case management further developed in the 1950s and 1960s with the process of deinstitutionalization, when mental institutions were closed. This led to more people in need of community-based services and, in turn, an increased need for coordination of these services.

Considerations

• In the latter part of the 20th century, medical case management developed into a profession in its own right. Since the early 1990s, with the implementation of managed care, hospitals have had to cut costs and shorten patient's length of stay. Therefore, medical case managers have become in increased demand, specifically in the role of discharge planning.