Case managers' roles and functions: Commission for Case Manager Certification's 2004 research, part II.

The Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC) conducted its third case managers' role and functions study in 2004 for the purpose of validating the currency and relevancy of the certified case manager examination. The results of this study are shared in an article of 2 parts. Part I, which was published in the previous issue of this journal, discussed the process the CCMC used for the development of the Case Managers' Role and Functions Survey Instrument and the identification of new 6 essential functions and 6 knowledge areas that describe case management practice. These findings were based on the survey of a large national sample of practicing case managers. Part II continues the analysis of the results and focuses on identifying the empirical (statistically derived) activity and knowledge domains of case management practice, using exploratory factor analysis. It discusses the similarities and differences found among various subgroups of case managers who were compared on the basis of certain demographic variables. In addition, Part II summarizes future changes in the field of case management as perceived by those who participated in the study.