Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Case Management Society of America September Meeting. This was not their typical monthly meeting, but a special meeting made possible through the support of several vendors that enabled them to rent the Spirit of Philadelphia and cruise the Delaware River on a beautiful Indian summer night. The purpose of the meeting was to draw the city’s case managers from the major University Hospitals and Insurance Companies and inform them about the chapter and the opportunities inherent in belonging to a professional organization, such as the availability of continuing education, the chance to network with colleagues to address challenges and stay on top of trends, and the opportunity to have some old-fashioned fun after a stressful day at work.

The meeting started at 7 p.m. as the ship left the dock for the evening cruise. The Chapter President, Debra Erthal, greeted everyone and thanked them for coming. As this was an “official meeting” Debra took the time to handle the business of the chapter. Debra reviewed the upcoming meetings that were going to take place over the next few months and other important details important to the members. She also reminded the group about the campaign that CMSA is running. “Bring a Friend to a Meeting” is a way that CMSA has increased membership. Last year the Mid-Atlantic Chapter won an award recognizing its upsurge of new members, and they would like to repeat their success this year. I did my part by bringing my best friend, Mary Reidy, RN, a case manager from Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Division. Mary came to the meeting with a mission to network with other hospital case managers so they could compare notes on a new CM program they were implementing. She was able to find several colleagues and she left the meeting with business cards and a plan to follow up. Debra brought the group up to speed on the upcoming Collaborative Practice Conference that CMSA will host October 3-5, 2007, in Connecticut. One of the members, Debbie Daigle from Independence Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said that she plans to attend the meeting and that she will provide members of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter with an update at the next meeting in October.

Once business was addressed, Kathryn Sletten, the program chair for the chapter, introduced Kathryn Kovalic, a speaker from the MCM Group who presented on Depression Benchmarks. The speaker was sponsored by Wyeth Healthcare Systems, and she delivered a message to case managers about how they can use the data they collect to know their patients better and have a valid way to deliver outcomes to key stakeholders. Delivering the presentation to the group was not an easy task, due to the activity in the room as people moved through the buffet line to get dinner, but Kathryn did an excellent job of engaging the audience, whose attention to the program was made clear by the thoughtful questions that were asked during the question-and-answer period.

Once the CE program was completed, attendees had the opportunity to let their hair down and dance like only those from Philadelphia can dance. It was great to see everyone on the dance floor having a great time. As the ship docked, Debra and Maryanne DiMola acknowledged the sponsors for their support and held the drawing for the door prizes. All were reminded to make sure they had the October meeting marked on their calendars and that they had plans to make Case Management Week a special week in their organizations. I would like to thank Barbara Kuritz, the immediate Past President of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, and Kim Jungking from Wyeth for inviting me and my colleague Maureen Mauntz to the meeting. We had a great time and we wish you all the best.

As noted above, the week of October 7-13, 2007, will mark Case Management Week. This years theme is “A Showing of Hands: Merging Disciplines in Case Management.” CM Week is an event that all case managers should take the time to celebrate. It is the time for all to unite, to celebrate the important work that we do each day and to share information about case management with your community, your organization and your legislative representatives. If you need tools and creative ideas on how you can celebrate, check out the Case Management Society of America’s website at www.cmsa.org.

Last, I will be reporting live at the Collaborative Practice Meeting that will be held Oct. 3-5 in Connecticut. This is an important meeting for the future of our practice, and I am looking for some innovative ideas and opportunities to hear how the practice is ensuring collaborative practice that all can learn from. Stay tuned for my daily report on Oct. 4th and 5th.

Till next week,

Anne Llewellyn, RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Editor-in-Chief of Across My Desk, Case in Point magazine, and the Case Management Resource Guide
allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com