What is a collaborative process that involves assessing and coordinating patient care?

Case management is a collaborative process that focuses on assessing, planning, facilitating, and coordinating patient care to meet the individual needs of patients. This approach ensures that patients receive the appropriate services and resources to effectively manage their health conditions. Case managers work with healthcare providers, patients, and their families to develop a comprehensive care plan that addresses the physical, emotional, and social aspects of patient care.

The case management process typically involves several key components, including assessing the patient's needs, identifying barriers to care, coordinating services, monitoring progress, and evaluating outcomes. Therefore, the nature of case management aligns closely with a collaborative approach, as it requires teamwork among various healthcare professionals to deliver optimal care.

In contrast, the other choices represent different aspects or roles in healthcare that do not inherently encapsulate the broad scope of assessing and coordinating patient care in the same comprehensive manner as case management does. Patient advocacy focuses more on supporting and voicing the needs of patients, referral management deals primarily with the process of directing patients to the appropriate specialists or services, while behavioral health management specifically targets mental health and behavioral issues, which is often a component of overall case management but not the entirety of it.