Medical Case Management

Each HIV+ individual enrolled in Illinois HIV Care Connect receives the services of a medical case manager, confidentially and free of charge. Each case manager recognizes the important link between the individual’s physical health and his or her overall quality of life.

The goal of medical case management is to help people living with HIV to access primary medical care and medications, identify and remove barriers to medical care, and ensure adherence to prescribed treatment.

 

First steps

The case manager schedules a face-to-face “intake” meeting with each referred individual. During this meeting, the case manager gathers information about the individual’s medical and other needs and determines eligibility for various programs and services. For this reason, the case manager may request from the HIV+ individual:

 

• A verification of HIV diagnosis
• Income and insurance information
• A list of current medications
• Most current lab reports
• Social security number
• Photo identification

 

Ongoing activities

After assessing the HIV+ individual’s needs and determining eligibility for services, the case manager develops a comprehensive, individualized service plan. The case manager also coordinates the services required and monitors the HIV+ individual’s compliance with the plan. As needed, the case manager re-evaluates and adapts the plan over the life of the individual.

To ensure continued progress, the case manager and individual meet face-to-face at a frequency determined by the client’s assessment to assess unmet or ongoing needs relating to medical case management and service coordination. They also discuss the ability of the individual, his or her social network, and the medical and human services network to address the needs.