Joann Sciandra, RN, BSN, CCM, associate vice president of healthcare management, Geisinger Health System, discusses how the role of case management has evolved with increased attention being paid to social determinants of health and if she thinks the role will continue to evolve in the future.
Joann Sciandra, RN, BSN, CCM, associate vice president of healthcare management, Geisinger Health System, discusses how the role of case management has evolved with increased attention being paid to social determinants of health and if she thinks the role will continue to evolve in the future.
Is the role of case management evolving with increased attention being paid to social determinants of health?
It’s interesting, because when I hear about social determinants and all the buzz around it now, we’ve had social determinants of health for hundreds of years, it’s really nothing knew. I’d say the great thing is that we are really looking at it now, where before we did little things, but now we’re really focusing on it. So yes, the role of social determinants and case management. As case managers, we’ve always known the effect if I don’t have a place to live, if I don’t belong, if I don’t have food, if I don’t have something to drink, how are we ever going to help patients get to their goals? So, For a case manager, all of this attention to social determinants is just going to help the case manager get our patients to the next level where they need to be?
Is there room for case management to evolve still? Are there ways it can be leveraged that it currently isn’t?
I think we’re just starting. I don’t think everyone knows what a case manager can provide, and the other thing we need to keep in mind is the term case manager is so widely used. We have nurse case managers, we have social work case managers, we have mental health, behavioral health, addiction. There’s all these different people who are called case managers, and each of them have the same goal at the end of the day, but what they’re doing, the work they’re doing is very different, even though many times they collaborate with each other. I do believe there’s a bigger future in case management than we see today. I think that case management needs to prove itself and certain organizations and certain people have not embraced what a case manager can drive. We have to continue to do that.
The Push for Fair Pricing and Reform in Pharmacy Benefit Management
April 3rd 2025Amid growing legislative pressures and industry debates, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are exploring new strategies to enhance transparency, reduce patient costs, and navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.
Read More
The Importance of Examining and Preventing Atrial Fibrillation
August 29th 2023At this year’s American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, delivered the Honorary Fellow Award Lecture, “The Imperative to Focus on the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation,” as the recipient of this year’s Honorary Fellow of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology award.
Listen
Using AI-Driven Strategies to Optimize Specialty Drug Costs, Manage Polypharmacy
April 2nd 2025As health care costs continue to rise, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions are emerging as a powerful tool for managing specialty drug spending and polypharmacy risks, as showcased in recent research presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2025 conference.
Read More
Promoting Equity in Public Health: Policy, Investment, and Community Engagement Solutions
June 28th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association, on the core takeaways of his keynote session at AHIP 2022 on public health policy and other solutions to promote equitable health and well-being.
Listen
How Recent Federal Policy Changes Are Shaping Managed Care Pharmacy
April 2nd 2025Federal legislative and regulatory changes are reshaping pharmacy practice, with key challenges in government funding, pharmacy benefit manager reform, and health care policy shifts—topics explored by experts at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's annual meeting.
Read More
The IRA’s Unintended Consequences for Drug Pricing and Coverage
April 2nd 2025The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) may be restricting Medicare Part D formularies, increasing patient costs, and stifling pharmaceutical innovation, experts warned at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy 2025 annual meeting.
Read More