Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 11
Practical Applications of
Case Management Software
for Practitioners in Health
and Human Services
Lesley Cooper
Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
Dana Fox
Athena Software, Canada
Diane Stanley-Horn
Athena Software, Canada
abStract
This chapter aims to demonstrate the capabilities and practical applications of a case management
software system for not-for-profit organizations. Whilst a variety of software systems are available, for
the purposes of this chapter the authors will use/refer to “Penelope,” a system designed by Athena, a
Kitchener, Ontario software company. Penelope is a sophisticated piece of technology that can collect
and analyze information on clients, services, human resources and outcomes. Although a wide range
of data can be collected using this software, it cannot make decisions about what to record or how to
scrutinize the data. The “what to record” and the “how to analyze and interpret” are management
and clinical decisions. Effective use of case management software requires technical, management and
analytical skills combined with leadership and imagination. Case management software systems and the
information they provide are only as good as the planning and organizational systems in which they are
used. The best starting point for practitioners and managers seeking answers to questions about their
clients, services, community and policy, and to maximize the capabilities of case management software
systems is the development and application of a program logic model unique to the agency in question.
A program logic model focuses on the services and programs provided by the agency describing its'
inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes. Understanding how to develop and apply their model allows
practitioners and managers to perform tasks such as performance monitoring, experimental and quasi
experimental approaches program evaluations, and client satisfaction and outcome studies to demon-
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