What does ‘Case Management’ Mean in Tennessee?

Glossary Check

If you were in the Volunteer State, and you had to define "case management" or "case manager" for workers' compensation purposes, could you do it? With Simply Research, you could. But we have a few highlights here.

Case Management

“Case Management” means medical case management or the ongoing coordination of medical care services provided to an injured or disabled employee and shall only be provided by a case manager or case manager assistant, who is actively registered with the Bureau and in good standing with their credentialing and/or licensing organization(s).

Case Manager

“Case Manager (CM)” means an individual who provides or supervises the provision of case management services under this chapter and who is either (a) or (b):

(a) A licensed registered nurse (RN), licensed to practice nursing in Tennessee, who possesses one or more of the following:

1. A Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling (VRC); or

2. Certification as a Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS); or

3. Certification as a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN); or

4. Certification as a Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN);

(b) Certified as a Certified Case Manager (CCM).

Case Manager Assistant

“Case Manager Assistant (CMA)” means an individual who provides case management services under the direct supervision of a case manager and who meets one of the following:

a) The individual is a registered nurse (RN), licensed to practice nursing in Tennessee or

(b) The individual possesses one of the following:

1. A Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling (VRC); or

2. Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS); or

3. Certification as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).

Case manager assistants providing services on Tennessee claims shall work under the direct supervision of a registered case manager for no more than 24 months from the date their registration was approved by the Bureau as a case manager assistant or less than 24 months from the registration date if the case manager assistant obtained certification in one of the categories under the definition of a case manager, provided proof to, and was accepted by the Bureau.

A case manager assistant, at the end of a 24-month period shall be certified by one of the categories under the definition of a case manager or their registration with the Bureau will terminate. Persons who are not current case manager assistants shall have a 24-month period from the date they become case manager assistants under the supervision of a case manager, who is actively registered with the Bureau and in good standing with their credentialing and/or licensing organization(s), to obtain certification.

Once certification is obtained or is initially provided upon registration, a case manager shall provide such certification to maintain their registration and shall not serve as a case management assistant again unless approved by the Bureau. Failure to provide copies of renewal certifications will inactivate the case manager or case manager assistant’s status.

Case Manager Assistant Supervisor

“Case Manager Assistant Supervisor (CMAS)” is a case manager, actively registered with the Bureau and in good standing with their credentialing and/or licensing organization(s), who oversees a case manager assistant. The supervising case manager is responsible for ensuring that the case manager assistant is following Tennessee law as well as the Tennessee case management rules.

The case manager supervisor is identified upon registration of a case manager assistant and does not have to be the same person as the direct supervisor. If the case manager assistant becomes inactive, or is no longer employed by the parent company, then the case manager assistant shall immediately be assigned a new case manager assistant supervisor. Unless a case manager assistant supervisor is properly assigned, the case manager assistant status shall be inactive.

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