Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care

Make sure your practice skills are up-to-date with the changes brought on by managed care

As a result of escalating costs, the focus of health care in the United States has shifted from inpatient, hospital-based care to outpatient care in the community. Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care is a comprehensive guide to the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective and efficient practice within a managed-care context that’s focused on a diversified, aging consumer population and high-risk health conditions. This unique book examines the essential elements of community health practice, including logic modeling for planning and evaluation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of technology and telemedicine in social work practice.

Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care presents practical information for social workers in the wake of the insertion of managed care as a “third party” to the relationship between physicians and their patients, and advances in medical care that are transforming previously acute and life-threatening illnesses to chronic conditions. The book offers a critical analysis of available research and model service delivery innovations, applying evidence-based practice to case studies in a style that’s easily accessible to practitioners, administrators, supervisors, and social work students. The book also includes glossaries at the end of each chapter and appendices that analyze online resources and address cultural background assessment questions.

Topics discussed in Social Work Practice in Community-Based Health Care include:

• the revolution in funding and delivery
• evolving trends and healthcare needs of the consumer population
• a conceptual framework for culturally competent practice
• the nature of social work in ambulatory health
• a brief history of healthcare social work
• emerging practice settings
• the use of new communication technologies in practice
• methods for evaluating direct practice
• ethical considerations
• current community-based programs for culturally diverse and at-risk populations
• and much more