Case management is the solution – but how do I get my organization excited about the topic?

It is not due to the case management concept itself if there is a lack of enthusiasm for the implementation of digital case management in your organization. Changes to familiar processes are rarely people’s favorite child. This applies more in the workplace than anywhere else.

Knowing about processes gives people security and creates a certain comfort zone.

An aversion to change in daily routines is also not specific to the healthcare system. It is the typical reaction to changes, or just the announcement of possible changes. These reactions can be found across almost all sectors of the economy. They also occur independently of new processes and requirements that require additional or specialized knowledge. However, organizations whose core processes have been in place for years are more frequently affected.

In most cases, this applies to the core processes in healthcare facilities. Here too, resistance often arises from fear of the change itself, the loss of one’s own security or uncertainty about the “value” of the change for oneself.

Frequent concerns when introducing case management

Particularly when the effects of the change are not clear to those involved, worries grow out of fear of the unknown or the loss of their own effectiveness.

• Will my usual working methods no longer work?
• Will I be able to adapt? Can I continue to be successful?
• Will my workload increase?
• How does this affect the social dynamics in our team?

These are all understandable thoughts that lead to the rejection of proposed changes or initiatives. In practice, many measures to introduce case management fail because these concerns are not resolved. This means that proposals for improvements are often not even discussed further, as the following arguments are used as a starting point. “The team won’t go along with that anyway. The resistance is too great”.

Create enthusiasm for case management

The good news is that sensitive change management can not only allay such fears and uncertainties, but also create enthusiasm and thus multipliers for the establishment of case management in your organization through meaningful communication.

In this article, we will show you how you can overcome this challenge in an elegant and integrated manner by means of a structured implementation process that is tailored to the conditions in your organization.

Successful change management

And here lies the crucial point as to why the foundations for the success of a change begin before the change.

It is essential not to see such resistance as a blocker to change, but as an opportunity to learn. Actively and sensitively addressing concerns not only helps to understand why something does not or cannot work from the perspective of a group or an individual. It also enables the discussion to be taken to a level of design thinking . In this context, this means that we no longer talk about why something doesn’t work, but rather:

We talk about what needs to be done to make it work.

In addition, it becomes clear what value the change brings to the organization. Understanding this connection gives those involved an idea of what the final implementation – in this example, establishing case management – can look like. Furthermore, it becomes clear which positive effects arise for oneself and this results in a “sense of action” for each individual.

The meaning of action

This sense is not only a helpful prerequisite for the implementation of a measure, but also a condition for sustainable success. In the end, a process (or software as a digitalized version of a process) is only as good as the people who implement it. The most sophisticated, finely defined process model is useless if nobody lives it. In order to “live” a process, you need to be enthusiastic about it, or at least recognize its purpose. Both are difficult to achieve if those involved have insufficient or no information about the meaning of their own actions or do not understand the information.

Our solution for the introduction of case management

Based on over 25 years of experience in organizational development, we have developed a proven, four-level system that focuses on the close integration of executive and administrative roles, meaningful communication and transparency of actions and performance expectations.

Four modulesfor establishing case management

Essentially, our process for introducing or expanding case management can be divided into eight phases. These are summarized in four modules. Each module builds on the results of the previous modules.

If preliminary work already exists in individual segments (e.g. from a previous introduction, an assessment, etc.), this will of course be integrated into all further steps.

An overview of the core objectives of the individual modules can be found here:

1. Check the change readines
   • We learn to better understand your motivation and work with you to develop a big picture of the business and goal model, according to the cause-and-effect principle, including contributing causalities.
   • We get to know your organization and evaluate, with regard to the big picture, in which areas there are challenges or concerns when introducing case management.
2. Planning and preparing the change
   • Based on the results from Phase I, we develop an action plan for the implementation of preparatory and core items.
   • We create change readiness by laying the organizational (capability) and, above all, emotional foundations (mindset) for successful and sustainable implementation.
3. Implementing the change
   • We strengthen confidence in the success of the measure by harvesting “low hanging fruits”, i.e. the initial implementation of items that offer visible returns for those involved with little effort.
   • Regular lessons learned as part of an agile implementation of the core items ensure the maximum value of the core items under the given constraints (time, budget, HR resources).
   • We implement the transition to live operation in an employee- and organization-friendly manner by means of a soft-touch migration.
4. Change success analysis
   • The success of the measure is evaluated in a final standardized analysis based on the achievement of objectives and the final lessons learned are recorded for the planning of possible extensions to the case management system.
   • Finally, a rough plan is drawn up for possible expansion stages of the system, which shows you what potential is still open and what steps are necessary to realize this potential.

In summary, the introduction of digital case management can only succeed if your team recognizes a purpose or, better still, a value in it. A structured approach to initiating and implementing every measure in this area is essential.

If you are looking for a reliable partner at your side along the way, then the BAMAC GROUP is the right place for you, because we know how to manage projects and implement change. Above all, it is important to us to support our customers individually and with an end-to-end approach. If you would like to know more about this, please contact us.