Case Management

This term is often used interchangeably with care coordination, and in some service delivery systems the functions of a case manager and a care coordinator can be very similar. In some cases, however, case managers may function primarily as gatekeepers, with authority to approve or deny access to benefits. This is a very different role from a care coordinator, who helps families access services across different service delivery systems, provides information and referral services and helps to coordinate services across systems. For the purposes of the Chartbook, we make this distinction between care coordination and case management, recognizing that the functions often overlap in the real world.