2303       Title: Raising the Standard: Engaging Case Managers in Health Policy Advocacy Date: Friday, June 20, 2008 Time: 04:15 PM - 05:45 PM Type: CONCURRENT Level: ADVANCED Track: Ethics & Legal Sponsor(s): HPSO Speaker(s): Barbara L. Kornblau; Marilyn Van Houten Health policy has a profound effect on the practice of case management. With the inclusion or deletion of one word, legislation can significantly broaden or restrict the realm of case management practice. Case management can and will play a valuable role in shaping the future of the American health care system, if experienced case managers engage in leadership roles in health policy advocacy. Health policy knowledge and advocacy is essential to case management practice, research, and education. Case managers must raise the standard of awareness of the current state of health policy and its affect on practice. With access to current health policy information, experienced case managers must look to the evidence-base, and standards of practice for support and take action. They must take their seat at the policy makers’ table. This workshop provides case managers with educational tools and resources to influence policies that promote case management. The presenters, an experienced occupational therapy case manager and health policy fellow with recent “hill” experience, and a nurse case manager experienced in state and federal advocacy, review recent and current legislation before Congress affecting case management. Participants will look at the legislation and discuss the role case management will play or could have played in that legislation where case management was not included.  Attendees will learn about current resources in the policy arena, from think-tanks to health research foundations, to sources for accessing and monitoring proposed federal legislation, health policy fellowships, grants, web casts, online issue briefs, specific health policy websites, and other learning opportunities to influence policy. Presenters coalesce the information with a case study that looks at the influence TBI and PTSD will have on health policy and brainstorms with attendees, opportunities for case management in a post Walter Reed-incident world. Participants analyze a demonstration of a “hill” visit as a component of federal advocacy. They contribute reflections of their own practice and the impact of health policy, as they learn the steps of the advocacy process. Participants leave with an action blueprint for advocating for their own issues, specific resources for those issues, and a direction to proceed. Objectives: Analyze the role of contemporary health policy issues and advocacy in their professional world.   Evaluate policy and advocacy skills by accessing a variety of resources for current health policies.   Describe a plan of action for advocating for or against an issue related to case management.