Case management as a mindset.

Melanie Richards was a $3.5 million baby who provided the motivation for developing the case management model used by Friendly Hills HealthCare Network. Born five years ago with gastroschisis, Melanie was transferred from Friendly Hills Regional Medical Center to a tertiary care hospital, where she spent 11 1/2 months in the neonatal intensive care unit. No discharge plans were ever made, and it wasn't until Friendly Hills HealthCare Network started to manage Melanie's care that anyone imagined that this infant could go home, should go home, and would thrive at home. Case management saved Melanie's life, saved money in the long run, and is credited with changing the entire method Friendly Hills HealthCare Network uses for complicated cases.