LITTLE ROCK, ARK. (October 22, 2007) — The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) will revise its Standards of Practice for Case Management (SOP), an internationally accepted set of standards for the practice of case management, over the next 18 months. First published by CMSA in 1995, it has been five years since the first revision of the standards took place in 2002.

"The CMSA Standards of Practice are the cornerstone of my practice," said CMSA President, Peter Moran, RN,C, BSN, MS, CCM. "As practice evolves over time, it is imperative that we visit and update them to make sure they are reflective of current practice so they can offer guidance and direction to the practicing case manager."

Moran recently appointed Carrie Marion, RN, BSN, CCM, CMSA Past President 1993-'94, to be chair of the new SOP task force. Marion was chair of the original committee that assisted in the development of the first official standards. She later appointed Deborah Smith, MS, RN-C, as Standards Committee Chair. Smith oversaw the finalization and publication of the initial Standards of Practice.

In addition, representatives from other organizations, disciplines, and practice settings will be participating in the SOP update so that CMSA is able to provide a balanced approach where differences occur between the various settings and nursing case management. CMSA also plans to invite a representative from the military to serve on the task force and/or reference group.

“Standards are an important component of any profession and assist the professional in establishing strong interventions and quality performance indicators,” said Cheri Lattimer, RN, BSN, CMSA's Executive Director. “In order for the case management professional to grow and continue to be recognized, our benchmarks must be reviewed and revised periodically to reflect the current needs and standards. CMSA is taking on this process and know that the committee working on the revisions will ensure that the standards are relevant and up to date to support quality outcomes.”

The standards in their current form are available for public comment to allow CM practitioners and interested parties the opportunity to weigh-in on the current standards. In November, comments will be solicited from the public and other stakeholders. The committee will then review and consider all input following the public comment period. This will provide a framework from which the SOP task force can go forward in formulating the revisions. The task force kickoff meeting is tentatively planned for mid-November to coincide with the public comment period. 

After review of the comments, the task force will recommend a reference group for further evaluation and will then formulate final revisions to the standards.

Individuals interested in serving on the reference group should contact Danielle Marshall here.

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