What is a primary goal of integrated case management?

The primary goal of integrated case management is to ensure that individuals receive coordinated services, which often involves collaboration among various healthcare disciplines. This coordination is essential in addressing the multifaceted needs of patients, including medical, social, and psychological components. By streamlining communication and processes among different healthcare providers, integrated case management aims to avoid fragmentation of care that could lead to poor outcomes and inefficiencies.

Effectively managing patient care through coordinated services enhances the continuity of care, allowing for smoother transitions and less confusion for the patient and healthcare providers alike. This is particularly relevant in complex cases where patients may be encountering multiple healthcare providers. The goal is to create a seamless experience that prioritizes the patient's overall well-being and health outcomes, which is a cornerstone of integrated case management.

In contrast, reducing patient care costs is an important consideration but not the central aim of integrated case management. The focus is primarily on coordination rather than solely on cost savings. Increasing hospital admissions would contradict the objectives of effective case management, as the ideal scenario often involves keeping patients healthy and preventing unnecessary admissions. Likewise, focusing solely on physical health ignores the holistic approach that integrated case management employs, which considers behavioral and social determinants of health as well.