Case Management Jobs: Your Guide to Nonbedside Healthcare Careers
Searching for case management positions at 2am between patient calls hits different when you're on your third consecutive 12-hour shift. The constant physically and emotionally draining work pushes thousands of healthcare professionals toward care coordination roles every year.
Case management offers what bedside work doesn't: regular hours, no lifting patients, and the ability to actually eat lunch. But the transition requires strategy.
What Do Case Managers Actually Do?
Case managers coordinate patient care across healthcare settings, ensuring people receive appropriate services while managing costs and quality outcomes. You'll review medical records, authorize treatments, arrange post-discharge services, and communicate with patients, families, and providers.
The role varies dramatically by employer. Hospital case managers focus on discharge planning and length of stay optimization. Insurance company case managers handle utilization review and prior authorizations. Health plan case managers work with high-risk members to prevent readmissions.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical and health services managers (which includes case management roles) is projected to grow 28% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Case Management Jobs for Nurses, Therapists, and Social Workers
Registered nurses dominate case management, especially those with med-surg, critical care, or ER backgrounds. Your clinical assessment skills translate directly to determining medical necessity and appropriate levels of care.
Physical therapists and occupational therapists excel in workers' compensation case management, disability management, and rehabilitation coordination. Your understanding of functional outcomes matters more than most RNs realize.
Licensed social workers fill behavioral health case management roles, community-based care coordination, and complex psychosocial cases. Your ability to navigate social determinants of health is increasingly valuable as value-based care models expand.
Types of Case Management Positions
Utilization Review Case Manager Jobs
UR specialists review medical records against evidence-based criteria to approve or deny coverage for treatments, procedures, and hospital stays. Insurance companies, hospitals, and third-party review organizations hire for these roles.
Most UR positions are remote. You'll spend your day reviewing charts in multiple EMR systems, making phone calls to physicians' offices, and documenting decisions. According to Salary.com, utilization review nurses earn a median of $79,683 annually.
Hospital Case Management Jobs
Acute care case managers work onsite handling discharge planning, care coordination, and sometimes concurrent utilization review. You'll round with physicians, meet with patients and families, and coordinate post-acute placements.
These roles increasingly offer hybrid schedules, with 2-3 days onsite and remote work the rest of the week. Salary.com reports hospital case managers earn a median salary of $79,000.
Remote Telephonic Case Manager Positions
Purely phone-based roles where you conduct health assessments, provide patient education, and coordinate services without face-to-face contact. Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid managed care organizations, and disease management companies hire heavily for telephonic positions.
These jobs offer true location flexibility. Telephonic case managers typically earn $62,000 to $78,000 annually depending on experience and employer.
Workers' Compensation Case Management
Managing injured workers through recovery and return-to-work. PT and OT backgrounds are particularly valuable here since you understand rehabilitation timelines and functional capacity.
These positions run $60,000 to $85,000 and may require occasional onsite visits to injured workers or employers.
Onsite vs. Remote Case Manager Jobs: What to Expect
Work setting significantly impacts your daily experience:
Onsite positions mean hospital or office-based work with direct patient and team interaction. You'll navigate organizational politics but build stronger relationships with physicians and staff.
Hybrid roles typically require 2-3 days onsite for team meetings, complex case reviews, and patient interactions. You get collaboration without a full-time commute.
Remote case management means working from home with your day spent in phone calls, video meetings, and multiple software platforms. You need self-discipline and comfort with technology, but gain flexibility.
Skills That Actually Get You Hired for Case Manager Roles
Clinical experience matters most. Hiring managers want 2+ years of hands-on patient care before considering you for case management roles.
Beyond that:
Insurance literacy separates strong candidates from the rest. Understanding prior authorizations, CPT codes, ICD-10, and payer policies isn't taught in nursing school but drives case management work.
Difficult conversations happen daily. You'll deliver denials, coordinate care for non-compliant patients, and mediate between conflicting priorities. Your ability to stay professional under pressure matters.
Documentation skills are non-negotiable. Everything gets documented. Sloppy charting creates liability and denied claims.
Software adaptability is essential since you'll work in 3-5 different systems simultaneously. If you've mastered an EMR, you can learn their platforms.
Do You Need CCM Certification for Case Management Jobs?
The Certified Case Manager (CCM) credential is the industry standard, but most employers don't require it for entry-level positions. They prioritize clinical experience.
That said, getting your CCM after 12-24 months typically increases your salary $5,000 to $10,000 and opens senior-level opportunities. You need 12 months of supervised case management experience to sit for the exam.
The ACM (Accredited Case Manager) through the American Case Management Association costs less and serves as an alternative for newer case managers.
Specialty certifications like CRC (Certified Rehabilitation Counselor) benefit therapists, while C-ASWCM (Certified Advanced Social Work Case Manager) helps social workers stand out.
Case Management Salary: Real Numbers
According to the Commission for Case Manager Certification, certified case managers report median salaries of $90,000, with experienced professionals earning over $100,000.
Breaking it down by experience level:
Entry-level RN case managers: $58,000 to $72,000
Experienced case managers (3-5 years): $75,000 to $92,000
Senior case managers: $88,000 to $108,000
Case management directors: $105,000 to $140,000
Location drives significant variation. California and Northeast markets pay 25-35% more than Southeast or Midwest positions. Remote roles typically pay based on company headquarters location, not yours.
Salary.com data shows the 90th percentile for RN case managers earning $98,000+, while the 10th percentile earns around $64,000.
Red Flags When Evaluating Case Manager Positions
Avoid roles with caseloads exceeding 40-50 complex cases. You'll burn out within months.
Watch for quota-based metrics prioritizing denials over appropriate care. Some employers create toxic environments where you're pressured to deny legitimate claims.
Skip positions offering no training program. Case management requires specialized knowledge you don't get from bedside experience.
Check Glassdoor reviews mentioning constant turnover, mandatory overtime, or unrealistic productivity expectations.
How to Land Your First Case Management Job
Rewrite your resume emphasizing care coordination, discharge planning, patient advocacy, and resource navigation, even if you handled these informally at the bedside.
Network through CMSA. Join your local Case Management Society of America chapter. Directors hire from their professional networks first.
Apply directly on insurer websites. UnitedHealth Group, Humana, Elevance Health, and Centene hire constantly but don't always post on general job boards.
Consider contract positions. Many case managers break in through 3-6 month contracts that convert to permanent roles. Contract pay often runs 15-20% higher anyway.
Browse specialized job boards like ours that curate nonbedside opportunities across all work settings, saving you hours of scrolling generic listings.
Making the Career Transition to Case Management
Start documenting case management-adjacent work now. Did you coordinate specialty referrals? Arrange DME? Connect patients with community resources? Advocate for appropriate discharge timing? That's transferable experience.
Consider a utilization review fundamentals course (many run under $500) to understand medical necessity criteria and payer requirements before applying. It demonstrates initiative and fills knowledge gaps.
Expect a 3-4 month adjustment period. Case management uses different skills than direct patient care. The learning curve is real but manageable.
Find Case Management Jobs on Our Board
Browse our current case management openings across onsite, hybrid, and remote settings. We update daily with positions from hospitals, health plans, managed care organizations, and specialty case management companies.
Whether you're looking for your first nonbedside role or ready to advance your case management career, explore opportunities on our job board today.
Looking for more nonbedside career paths? Check out our guides on utilization review, clinical documentation improvement, and telehealth nursing roles.