Telephonic Case Management
Meet Sara Fleming, RN, CCM
Sara Fleming’s extensive nursing career started in Great Britain and she has since earned licensure in three countries. She now calls the U.S. home and has nearly 25 years of case management experience under her belt. Working onsite for a major airline company, Fleming is recognized as the go-to case manager for helping injured employees recover in a timely manner.
The Case
A 58-year-old ramp crew chief sustained a significant puncture wound after striking his lower leg on a tow bar used to move aircrafts. The injury soon manifested into a serious bacterial skin infection which did not respond to two rounds of oral antibiotics.
Case Management Impact
Fleming was called on the case to expedite treatment and develop a return-to-work plan. She quickly utilized Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) to develop a wound care protocol, preventing a utilization review which would have significantly delayed treatments and could have resulted in a negative outcome for the injured employee. Facing a lack of available in-network wound specialists to treat the injury, Fleming enlisted the assistance of a partner vendor to help identify a provider, further expediting treatment. She also strongly advocated and supported the worker by emphasizing the importance of care plan compliance, ensuring he attended his appointments and follow-up visits.
Outcome
Despite limited available transitional work opportunities, Fleming collaborated with the employer to obtain a transitional duty release 32 days prior to ODG estimates and maximized cost savings by working with partner vendors. Her efforts soon resulted in a full return to work for the injured employee.