Thirty-five years and twenty-six national presidents with their boards and committees have shaped the history of CMSA from its beginnings in 1990 until today. This legacy has been further supported by local chapters and their countless leaders – presidents, board of directors, committee chairs and members whose work has built the foundation of the organization. Taken together, the culmination of CMSA leadership has been an awe-inspiring journey in the education, mentorship, and guidance of professional case managers locally, regionally, nationwide and even worldwide.
Through this leadership, CMSA has been a testimonial to the power of improving patient outcomes when providing case managers with adequate networking and support. It has been a roadmap in connecting case managers with vendors’ best products and services to maximize resource management and wellness for our patients and families. It has been a community of passionate professionals who strive to find the best solutions and outcomes in an often fragmented health care environment.
We owe so much to all our past boards, committee chairs and members, local and national presidents, and our dedicated CMSA management teams who have continued to keep the lights on and support the momentum.
In June 1999, I took the reins as a national president when our amazing board of directors, committee chairs and dedicated members were facing the gloom and doom of Y2K. Our management team leader was Jeanne Boling, RN, MSN, CRRN, CDMS, CCM, who along with her staff, encouraged all of us to mitigate distraction with the ominous Y2K. Rather than spend our precious time trying to prevent a complete meltdown in the communication and technology advances we had made in the past 10 years, our Millenium Board decided to do everything in our power to get the things done that were really hard and really mattered.
October 1999 marked our organization’s inaugural National Case Management Week. Yes, CMSA did that! Immediately following, we rolled up our sleeves to create and initiate the first Mission and Vision statements for the organization, in order to provide everyone a united compass on where the organization aspired to go, and how we were going to get there, with or without Y2K.
When the world clock rolled into 2000 without demise or melt-down, we turned our hearts and minds to the critical need for evidence-based practice. We had gathered opinions and insights from our membership and the healthcare professionals who worked alongside them, as well as from esteemed leaders in academia we were blessed to have as constituents. It was obvious that evidence-based practice needed to be the cornerstone of case management. That year, we published the first CMSA State of the Science paper on the topic of adherence, which later followed with the second State of the Science paper on Involvement/Participation, Empowerment, and Knowledge Outcome Indicators of Case Management.
To support the amazing work of uniformed case managers who we noticed were starting to attend our educational programs, we initiated the first dedicated Military Day for case managers, which would quickly evolve into an annual event. It was a profound honor and favorite memory of my presidency to march in with the cadets Presenting the Colors in Washington, DC, and to plan the important start of Military membership in our organization.
So, what’s the most important leadership lesson I learned through these early successes just 10 years into CMSA’s existence?
I learned that it truly takes a village to achieve sustainable improvements, and that village needs to begin at the grassroots level. And while it may quietly and inconspicuously build, the village’s early champions will need your continued encouragement and acknowledgement as their leader. The more freely and sincerely these are given, the greater the foundation that builds, and the more sustainable the improvement becomes. It takes humility, attentiveness, foresightedness, and kindness to grow and sustain the village.
This is a lesson many of you have already learned, and if so, think about sharing your wisdom with CMSA through leadership. I love our organization and am thrilled to have served as a national president, where the friendships I gained cannot be overrated. I encourage you to seek a leadership role in your local chapter or at the national level. Just remember to lead from the middle!
Kathleen Moreo, BSN, BHSA, RN, B-C, CCM, CDMC is a registered nurse and certified case manager who served as CEO of Prime Education for 27 years before retiring in 2020. She is a past president of the Case Management Society of America (1999-2000), past Commissioner for the Commission for Case Manager Certification, and a recipient of the CMSA Case Manager of the Year Award. She currently serves as vice president of the board of trustees for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Foundation.
