What does a clinical case manager do?
A clinical case manager is responsible for providing high-quality care services for patients by researching treatment plans and developing efficient medications through various methodological approaches and data analysis. Clinical case managers review the medical histories and needs of patients to determine appropriate treatment programs and resources and prepare treatment reports upon actual applications. They also spend time observing laboratory examinations and procedures, strategizing on treatment processes within budget limitations and organizational requirements. A clinical case manager must have excellent knowledge of the medical industry, especially on responding to the patients' inquiries and concerns and present accurate health evaluations.
Clinical case manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical case manager resumes:
- Manage apartment project for SPMI adults and provide case management support to those tenants.
- Plan and manage multiple assignments efficiently and effectively on a daily basis, process payments for patients and handle daily correspondence.
- Conduct clinical reviews and provide authorization of mental health services for Medicaid recipients.
- Provide a safe work environment following OSHA standards.
- Maintain OSHA standards/regulations to ensure compliance for the practice.
- Commit to model integrity, generosity of spirit, and respect and compassion in all interactions BLS/ACLS certify
- Execute assessments with Medicaid insurance members in the community.
- Commit to serving high-risk populations using evidence-base practices with care and compassion.
- Train and experience in assessing and recommending appropriate therapies for individuals with autism and autism spectrum disorders.
- Maintain primary responsibility for facilitating on-site service delivery according to the contracted services specify under the DHS contract.
- Work with DHS office on-site to assist recipients in obtaining additional benefits to secure vocational training and/or employment.
- Provide weekly case conferences with external case managers, attorneys, family members, community liaisons and rehabilitation professionals.
- Interface with other health care facilities to promote community awareness and to assess the appropriateness of referrals for acute rehabilitation.
- Perform psycho diagnostic and behavioral assessment for refer child with autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, developmental disability or behavioral issues.
- Case management/discharge planning/disease management education for ambulatory surgery patients.
Clinical case manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Clinical Case Managers are proficient in Social Work, Patients, and Rehabilitation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Case Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 18%
Supervised social work interns and participated in ongoing peer supervision and case consultation.
- Patients, 10%
Planned and managed multiple assignments efficiently and effectively on a daily basis, processed payments for patients and handled daily correspondence.
- Rehabilitation, 6%
Interfaced with other health care facilities to promote community awareness and to assess the appropriateness of referrals for acute rehabilitation.
- Community Resources, 5%
Identified and gathered information regarding community resources available to consumers and/or their families and assisted consumers with linkages to these services.
- Discharge Planning, 5%
Obtained initial authorization or conducted concurrent review with HMO for authorization, and provided discharge planning and aftercare appointments for patients.
- Patient Care, 4%
Attended weekly Patient Care Committee meetings with contracted medical groups to clarify benefits and monitor for potential over and under-utilization.
Most clinical case managers use their skills in "social work," "patients," and "rehabilitation" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential clinical case manager responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. Many clinical case manager duties rely on organizational skills. "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment.," so a clinical case manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways clinical case manager responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "created patient care plans from admission to discharge by utilizing solid organizational and multitasking skills. "
Problem-solving skills. clinical case managers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to clinical case manager responsibilities, because "social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions." A clinical case manager resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "provided individual, couples and group therapy, crisis management and conflict resolution in a milieu setting. "
Communication skills. clinical case manager responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives." This resume example shows what clinical case managers do with communication skills on a typical day: "practiced effective communication with families, significant others, treatment team members, and community agencies. "
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in clinical case manager job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what clinical case managers do. Clinical case manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." You can also see how clinical case manager duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "assisted patients in developing problem solving, interpersonal, conflict resolution, vocational and parenting skills. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical case managers are:
- Mental Health Center Of Denver58 clinical case managers jobs
- CVS Health56 clinical case managers jobs
- Aetna
24 clinical case managers jobs
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Compare different clinical case managers
Clinical case manager vs. Mental health clinician
A Mental Health Clinician provides psychotherapeutic and rehabilitation services for patients with mental health problems. They manage the treatment of clients and help them to obtain stable physical health.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a clinical case manager are more likely to require skills like "patient care," "social security," "housing assistance," and "dbt." On the other hand, a job as a mental health clinician requires skills like "treatment services," "group therapy sessions," "compassion," and "dsm." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Mental health clinicians earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $57,456. On the other hand, clinical case managers are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $52,836.The education levels that mental health clinicians earn slightly differ from clinical case managers. In particular, mental health clinicians are 19.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a clinical case manager. Additionally, they're 1.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical case manager vs. Case management specialist
In healthcare facilities, a case management specialist is in charge of ensuring that patients get quality service. Their responsibilities often include handling admission and discharge procedures, preparing and processing documents, gathering and organizing patient information, and developing strategies to optimize case management operations. There are also instances where they must address patient concerns and issues, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a case management specialist, it is essential to function while adhering to the facility's policies and regulations.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, clinical case manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "rehabilitation," "clinical documentation," "home health," and "cognitive behavioral therapy." Meanwhile, a case management specialist has duties that require skills in areas such as "substance abuse," "financial assistance," "management services," and "primary care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Case management specialists earn a lower average salary than clinical case managers. But case management specialists earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $55,377. Additionally, clinical case managers earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $52,836 annually.In general, case management specialists achieve lower levels of education than clinical case managers. They're 15.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for clinical case managers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Bill Buker
Associate Dean and Professor of Professional Counseling, Oral Roberts University
Clinical case manager vs. Case manager/program manager
A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition. Furthermore, a clinician must obtain and analyze a patient's complete medical history, provide diagnostic tests, always monitor the effects of treatment on a patient, provide prognosis and consider the overall impact on a patient's health and well-being.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from clinical case manager resumes include skills like "patient care," "clinical documentation," "home health," and "cognitive behavioral therapy," whereas a case manager/program manager is more likely to list skills in "substance abuse," "management services," "mental illness," and "criminal justice. "
Case manager/program managers make a very good living in the insurance industry with an average annual salary of $40,445. On the other hand, clinical case managers are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $52,836.Most case manager/program managers achieve a lower degree level compared to clinical case managers. For example, they're 10.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Clinical case manager vs. Clinician
Types of clinical case manager
Updated January 8, 2025
