The Human Face of Case Management
6 Comments »
Posted on September 21st, 2010 by Ben Farrell
We have talked quite a lot about Dynamic Case Management (DCM) in this blog. But I want to take a brief step back from the academic and technical discussions, because I have been struck by how often “case” actually means “person.” It means patients in medical and healthcare; students and teachers in education; plaintiffs and defendants in legal; voter constituents in government; and the list goes on.
I don’t want to get too “touchy-feely,” but it does seem that in this context, DCM technologies offer something more intrinsically valuable than other enterprise IT. In these sorts of scenarios, case management is fundamentally about how well an individual is treated, cared for or supported during what can be very important – and very trying – personal experiences.
A fantastic example of this is how Pinnacle People is using BPM-based case management to help unemployed people in the U.K. get back to work. Pinnacle People is the prime contractor to the U.K.’s Department of Work and Pensions for a program called JobCentre Plus, providing employment-focused training programs and direct placement for 4,000 people a month. While his sort of thing is needed now more than ever (unfortunately), government-sponsored programs are not famous for their “personal touch.”
Unemployment can be devastating, both financially and emotionally. Matt Brook, Pinnacle People’s Head of Finance and Infrastructure, built the company from the ground up with a commitment to address the human element of its contracted mission. Using a case management approach ensures the highest degree of quality in personalized and responsive service for the organization’s beneficiaries. It reduces bureaucratic friction, which is the last thing someone on the hunt for work should have to deal with. And it provides the visibility and reporting data Pinnacle People needs to continuously innovate its offerings and improve its operations.
Neil Ward-Dutton at MWD Advisors has published an excellent case study on how Pinnacle People has embraced the human face of case management. You can read it here.
Ben Farrell, Director of Corporate Communications
As you mention people often forget that these ‘cases’ are ‘people’ so this a great post to point that out.
You also mention a great story regarding Pinnacle People. It’s great to see people using talent in ways that benefit others.
Thanks!
Joe
–
University of San Francisco – 100% online
Business Process Management Certification
Thanks very much for the case study pointer Ben! You’re right, it is a great story – with some really innovative features provided in Pinnacle People’s service, I think.
Good point Ben. For us providers of healthcare and social care software solutions, there is always a bit of confusion as to what the person ‘who is being managed’ is actually called – but you are right – it is always a human being. We are still looking for the best term – here are some of the terms we use (depending on the client and sub-sector): Patient, Service User, Service Beneficiary, Referred Person, Person, Individual.
For us the key is really using BPM to better measure outcomes – whether that is an improvement in clinical markers, a successful return to work and Service User satisfaction.
Our job is to deliver systems that enable consistent service delivery and good MI for ongoing process improvements – to delivery better outcomes for real people ‘hiding’ behind a case.
[...] there’s the rub right there. As I’ve blogged elsewhere, “case” usually means “person,” and because people’s behaviors are often unpredictable, [...]
[...] year, I blogged about our customer Pinnacle People, and how they are using Appian for BPM-based case management to help unemployed people in the U.K. [...]
[...] year, I blogged about our customer Pinnacle People, and how they are using Appian for BPM-based case management to help unemployed people in the U.K. [...]