Chatbots and Technology Make Case Management Affordable, Efficient

Technology can help extend case management, improving efficiency and costs when managing large populations of at-risk patients.

- A chatbot tool can send patients daily text messages that provide information on self-care behaviors and ask them about their current health status.
- The technology can analyze responses and flag patients who need medical attention or follow-up.
- Case managers can review the tool’s patient data and target interventions based on what they find.

The nation’s increasing focus on value-based care and population health has led to a greater need for case managers. But the economics of paying for these positions remains challenging. One health system found a way to extend and improve case management through a technological solution.

It is hard to hire enough managers to handle all the patients who need longitudinal care management, according to Mark Schario, MS, RN, FACHE, vice president of population health and president of the University Hospitals (UH) Quality Care Network, UH Coordinated Care Organization, and UH Accountable Care Organization, Inc., of University Hospitals Health System in Cleveland.

Collaboration with a technology company can provide solutions and tools that help case managers extend their reach and work with patients more efficiently. Technology enhances communication between nurse case managers and patients.