What is the role of the case manager?

• A. They provide direct medical treatment to patients.
• B. Arranges for home health services and coordinates oxygen or wound services.
• C. They perform dietary counseling.
• D. They diagnose illnesses.

Answer: (B)

Case management centers on coordinating a patient’s care across different providers and settings to ensure safe, appropriate, and efficient transitions. The case manager’s job is to assess needs, arrange and link services, and oversee the plan after discharge so the patient can receive support where they’ll benefit most. Arranging for home health services and coordinating oxygen or wound care exemplifies this coordination work—getting the right services in place at home, arranging equipment, and ensuring clinicians and suppliers communicate to support ongoing treatment. They don’t provide direct medical treatments or make diagnoses themselves; those tasks are handled by physicians and other clinicians. The role may involve guiding referrals for services like dietary counseling, but the actual counseling is typically done by a nutrition professional, not the case manager.