Commission for Case Manager Certification announces new board members, officers

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) installed a new slate of officers for 2014-2015. With new elements of health care reform rolling out, these officers will oversee the Commission's work as case managers take a center-stage role in care coordination and team-based care. The Commission, with more than 35,000 board-certified case managers, is the oldest and largest nationally accredited organization certifying case managers.

These volunteer leaders bring knowledge, commitment and diverse academic and professional experience to their leadership roles. Working with the Commission's executive team, board of commissioners and volunteers, they will advocate for professional case management excellence through certification, education and advocacy programs and services. In addition, this year the Commission fields its Role & Functions Study and revises the Code of Professional Conduct for Case Managers, two of the most important efforts to guide the principles and practice of case management. The CCM^® certification (CCM) and the CMLearning Network^® host education programs and resources such as the Case Management Body of Knowledge^™ that support the Commission's work.

Jo Carter, BSN, RN, CCM, is the Commission's newly elected chair. Carter is associate vice president of network services for Paradigm Management Services LLC, Concord, Calif., and is responsible for managing the firm's national networks of workers' compensation catastrophic nurse case managers and physicians. She is a member of the first class to take the Commission's CCM examination and previously served as the Commission's chair and on the Commission's Executive Committee. She holds a bachelor's degree in nursing from the Medical College of Virginia and has served on the Executive Committee of the Central Virginia Chapter of Case Management Society of America and on the National Workers' Compensation Advisory Board for the Shepherd Center.

Other 2014/2015 officers are

• Immediate Past-Chair:Sue Jensen, PhD, RN, CCM, MSCC, associate professor, Grand Valley State University;
• Chair-elect: Sandra Zawalski, RN, BSN, CRRN, CCM, ABDA, MSCC, director field case management, Sedwick;
• Treasurer: Annette Watson, RN-BC, CCM, MBA, founder and principal, Watson International Consulting; and
• Secretary:Jane Harkey, RN, MSW, CCM, founder and owner of an independent geriatric care management company

The Commission also elected four new Members at Large, representing a range of allied health fields and delivery settings:

• Bruce Christopherson, M.Ed., CRC, LCPC, MAC, CCM, chief of rehabilitation services for the Idaho Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired;
• Michael J. Demoratz, PhD, LCSW, CCM, director of special projects at AMADA Senior Care, Laguna Woods, Calif.;
• Jeannie L. LeDoux, RN, BSN, MBA, CCM, CPHQ, CTT+, clinical educator at MCG Health, Seattle, Wash.; and
• Charlotte Sortedahl, DNP, MPH, MS, RN, CCM, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire;

"It is an exciting time for the Commission to serve as a leader in health care at the forefront of case management education and influence," said Patrice Sminkey, the Commission's CEO. "Case managers are the hub of care coordination efforts for the medical home and medical neighborhood, and they play a critical role in bridging gaps in care transitions.

"Employers across the care spectrum need a knowledgeable, well-prepared workforce to guide patients to the resources they need," she said "And board certification validates that case managers have the experience and expertise to meet today's challenges and are ready to be leaders in a rapidly changing health care environment."

About the Commission for Case Manager Certification
The Commission for Case Manager Certification (the Commission) is the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies more than 35,000 professional case managers. The Commission is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that oversees the process of case manager certification with its CCM^® credential. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management. For more information, visit www.ccmcertification.org, connect with the Commission on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @CCM_Cert.

SOURCE Commission for Case Manager Certification