Expect a community care focus in case management's future.

Current trends provide an intriguing glimpse of hospital case management's immediate future. With length of stay and costs per case mostly under control, experts predict that the need to move case management into community care settings will become even more urgent. Technology, too, will change the face of case management, with easier communication among independent physicians, hospital personnel, and subacute care. Increased cooperation among hospital departments will be needed to facilitate these changes effectively.