LMSW Case Management and Service Coordination Flashcards

A hospital social worker is coordinating discharge planning for a client who lacks decision-making capacity and has no identified next of kin. The FIRST step is to:

Answer: Identify whether any advance directives exist and consult the hospital's ethics committee

When a client lacks capacity and has no surrogate, reviewing advance directives and engaging the ethics committee ensures decisions align with the client's prior expressed wishes and legal standards.

A case manager working with a child welfare client must balance family reunification goals with child safety. Which framework BEST guides this ethical tension?

Answer: The child's best interest standard, which places child safety as the paramount consideration

The best interest standard in child welfare law and practice establishes that child safety and well-being take precedence over family preservation when the two conflict.

Which type of case management model assigns one social worker to provide both clinical therapy and service coordination to the same client?

Answer: Clinical case management model

The clinical case management model integrates therapeutic intervention with service coordination, with one worker providing both functions to promote a strong therapeutic alliance.

A case manager is helping a client navigate an appeal after their disability benefits were denied. This activity is BEST described as:

Answer: Systems advocacy

Systems advocacy involves helping clients navigate and challenge institutional or bureaucratic decisions that affect their access to resources and entitlements.

An LMSW conducting a functional assessment for an older adult is PRIMARILY trying to determine:

Answer: The client's ability to perform activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living

Functional assessments evaluate a client's capacity to perform ADLs (bathing, dressing) and IADLs (managing finances, transportation) to determine service needs and appropriate care level.

A case manager learns that two agencies serving the same client are providing duplicative services and billing Medicaid separately for them. The social worker's MOST appropriate action is to:

Answer: Report the concern through appropriate channels, such as a supervisor or compliance officer, as potential Medicaid fraud

Duplicate Medicaid billing constitutes potential fraud; reporting through proper compliance channels is both an ethical and legal obligation for social workers.

When evaluating the effectiveness of a case management intervention, which outcome measure is MOST aligned with client-centered practice?

Answer: Client-reported goal attainment and satisfaction with services

Client-centered practice prioritizes the client's own assessment of goal progress and service satisfaction as the most meaningful indicator of effective case management.