The relationship of client characteristics to case management service provision: Implications for successful system implementation

Abstract

The research reported here was part of an evaluation of the Mississippi case management system for the chronically mentally ill (CMI). The present study assessed the relationship between client characteristics and the amount of service time provided by case managers. Subjects were 2,152 CMI clients served by the case management system at 16 sites. The results suggest that factors other than the clients' overall functional level and the number and severity of their problems were used to determine service time provided to clients. Possible explanations for these findings are proposed, and the implications of the findings for the success of the case management system's implementation are considered.