Case management services for injured workers. Providers' perspectives.

The perceptions of service providers involved in case management services are described here. The service providers included claims managers, occupational nurse consultants, attending physicians, and nurse case managers. The purposes of this phase of the study were to describe these providers' perceptions about the case management program; to organize findings according to the quality assessment model that guided this study (including structure, function, and outcomes); and to identify barriers and facilitators to satisfaction with case management services. Structural factors that affected services included the workers' compensation system, construction of the service team, roles within the program, and individual attributes of service providers. Process factors were conflicts among parties, role of communication, and interaction with workers. Outcomes were described in terms of program efficiency and effectiveness. Data are used to illustrate and explain each of these themes.