Case Management Society of America Embeds DEI Into Standards of Practices

The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) is a membership association representing case managers – healthcare professionals who help coordinate care for patients – in the United States.

Yet the organization clearly believes that an essential part of this function is promoting DEI and promoting identity politics.

In 2024, CMSA added an addendum to its standards of practice called “Standard Q” that incorporates DEI into the organization’s professional standards.

“At CMSA, we believe that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are essential components of professional case management. Standard Q serves as a vital resource for case managers, empowering them to make an impact by dismantling barriers to healthcare access and advancing health equity across all communities,” said CMSA President Janet Coulter in a press release announcing the addition.

What does this mean in practice? 

Well, first, case managers must demonstrate a commitment to DEI.

“The professional case manager shall demonstrate a commitment to the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and Health Equity in practice,” the standards state.

Next, case managers must gear their jobs toward advancing “health equity.”

“The professional case manager shall provide case management services and interventions that eliminate health disparities and inequalities,” the standards state.

“Health equity must be pursued as an intentional strategy since it will not necessarily happen as a by-product of other initiatives,” the standards continue. “Professional case managers in all healthcare settings (such as health plans, workers’ compensation, health systems, clinics, and individual practitioners) shall make every effort to improve health equity for all clients regardless of the demographics of the individuals, communities, or populations served.”

In short, the standards expect case managers to be evangelists for “health equity” in the workplace. Health equity, by its definition, calls for the equalizing of outcomes between particular identity (including racial) groups, invariably encouraging providers to engage in discriminatory behavior.

But that’s not all.

“The professional case manager shall participate in public policy activities and legislative efforts related to equity,” the standards state.

You read that right. Case managers are literally expected to become political activists in support of DEI and radical identity politics.

Moreover, the standards appear to suggest that case managers should promote discriminatory hiring and recruitment practices in the name of advancing diversity.

“The professional case manager shall engage in initiatives that support diverse teams throughout the entire employee lifecycle, including recruiting, hiring practices, promotions and career advancements, mentoring and sponsoring, and departures,” the standards read. “Diversity” here refers to the diversity of “social identity groups,” which are demarcated by “race, ethnicity, culture, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, spirituality, disability, age, national origin, immigration status, and language.”

It’s hard to imagine how this could be achieved except through overt racial discrimination.

In summary, the CMSA standards seek to radically alter the profession of case management into a vehicle for ideological activism. Case managers are expected to become foot soldiers for the DEI ideology.

This is utterly antithetical to proper healthcare practices and a dereliction of healthcare professionals’ fundamental duties to patients and society at large.