Development and results of a Case Coordination Activity Tracking tool.

This study describes the development of a tool used to track the who, what, when, and how much of case coordination for elderly, community-based clients. The Case Coordination Activity Tracking Form measures phase of coordination (assessment, plan development, plan implementation, monitoring reassessient, and discharge), type of activity (in-person, telephone, documentation, research, travel, case conference), with whom contact took place (client, family, client/family together, supervisor/colleague, service provider, physician, program access committee), and special circumstances (e.g., infection control). Over a 6-month span, we used the tool to study case coordination of services for elderly, community-based clients. The average amount of coordination time was 5.15 hours (n = 234), with 71% of the clients requiring between 2 and 6hours of coordination, and 26% of the clients accounting for 49% of the total coordination time. Frequency and average amount of coordination declined greatly after the first month. Not all clients required coordination each month, and monitoring was the most common activity in later months. The tool was found to be reliable and easy to use, and of benefit to decision makers, managers, and case coordinators in measuring, analyzing, and describing case coordination. This tool could be readily used with other client groups.