National Case Management Week dives right to the heart of Paradigm’s mission and purpose. Taking place October 13-19, this annual observance recognizes the critical role this profession plays in the healthcare industry, including in the workers’ compensation space. The expert Case Managers, Network Managers, and support teams we are fortunate to have at Paradigm are essential to our ability to make a difference in the lives of our injured workers and their families.

The theme for 2024, “Encouraging, Engaging, & Empowering,” speaks to the incomparable care our Case Managers and Network Managers provide to those facing some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable. The work our teams do to guide injured workers and their families on their journey back to health and hope truly changes lives for the better. At Paradigm, we are so proud of our remarkable teams and their tireless, exemplary efforts. You are so much more than a Case Manager or Network Manager—you’re an advocate, a champion, a guiding force, a problem-solver, an ear to listen, and the heart and soul of Paradigm.

By going above and beyond—and making real connections—our Case Managers and Network Managers provide the encouragement, engagement, and empowerment that help keep recovery on track. Please join us in recognizing the incredible dedication, compassion, and expertise these teams demonstrate every single day.

Spotlighting our incredible employees
Case Management Week is a wonderful opportunity to shine a light on the life-changing differences Paradigm Case Managers and Network Managers make to the people they help. This year, we’re excited to share messages of appreciation from people across the organization, as well as clients, partners, and even injured workers.

Bill Brennan, Case Manager, Network Manager
The wife of an injured worker shared the following of Case Manager Bill Brennan:

“As you may know, this has been a very stressful journey, with my husband in such critical condition after his accident. However, Bill has been amazing and is always there to listen and answer any questions. He stood by us and always listened to my concerns when I had to be the one to make decisions for my husband.

“I have worked in healthcare for 12 years, so I was a tough advocate for my husband in the hospital, rehab, and at home. With Bill and I working together, we have gotten my husband to where he is today, and I cannot thank Bill enough, as I know there were times when I was tough on him. However, he handled it with grace and patience and understanding. I wish all Case Managers that I deal with for work were like Bill.”

Dan Roberts, Case Manager, Network Manager
Jennifer Doherty, Sr. Director of Catastrophic Case Management, shared praise for Dan Roberts, Case/Network Manager, Catastrophic Network Team, after he jumped into action in the middle of a team conference.

“On Friday afternoon around 2 pm, we received a Risk Catastrophic referral in Chicago, IL, where we were for our Catastrophic Clinical Summit. The client expects same-day on-site visits, and with limited time and a very full Illinois staff, I sought out Dan Roberts to see if he would be willing to conduct an on-site 20 minutes away from the Summit.

“He instantly said, ‘Sure!’ and picked up a pen and pad from one of the conference vendors while I called to get the referral information sent immediately over to Dan. We reviewed the file, he made necessary calls while walking to the front of the hotel, called an Uber and off he went to meet the injured worker and the family.

“The injury occurred only hours before, as the injured worker was still in the emergency department under a trauma name. Dan was able to make a connection with the injured worker, family, the providers, and gained agreement from the provider to speak with our Paradigm Medical Director as they continued to assess next steps. Dan’s willingness to drop whatever he was doing and go and help the team is deeply appreciated!”

Helen Larson, Case Manager
The next spotlight comes directly from an injured worker regarding her Case Manager, Helen Larson.

“Helen Larson has been nothing short of outstanding. She is so nice and thoughtful. She goes above and beyond what I believe she has to. She somehow makes it to almost every appointment that I have, and she participates with the doctors as if I were a close friend or family member. She’ll ask questions that I don’t think about, and she really tries to get me the best care possible. She is very personable and an absolute joy to talk to. She has my Lyft rides scheduled for each appointment and after appointments, she waits with me until my next ride shows up just to make sure I don’t get stranded.

“Here is just one example of how she goes above and beyond: In April, I had an appointment with a doctor. When we walked into the room, I was having trouble catching my breath and I mentioned that my chest was having a few little pains. The doctor sent me to the hospital across the main road from his office to get a CT scan. Well, instead of ordering me another Lyft just to go across the road, Helen got a wheelchair and pushed me all the way to the imaging department at the hospital. She did not have to do that. It turned out that I had blood clots in my lung, so I am grateful Helen was there.”

Miami Case Management Team
Our employees are amazing, and when you have an incredible team, you experience the true meaning behind the saying, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Senior Vice President, Case Management Solutions Shannon Ford expressed her deepest appreciation for our Miami Case Management Team, including Manager Kathie Lanthier:

“We have a fair number of catastrophic (CAT) referrals that come in after business hours and on the weekends in Southern Florida. Kathie’s teammates respond to CAT After Hours blasts within a few minutes. This is critical to us being able to receive the file and get to the injured worker as quickly as possible.

“Kathie’s team works collaboratively to assign each injured worker—every one of them. Her teammates reach out to each other and communicate who has capacity to make the initial visit, to accept the file as primary Case Manager, and who can make calls over the weekend if need be.

“They work collaboratively to ensure each injured worker receives the high level of quality care that has become synonymous with Paradigm’s name and reputation. Their teamwork and drive to assign a case manager to every injured worker embodies The Paradigm Way, and we are grateful to them as our CAT After Hours On-Call team.”

Case Management Extenders Team (CME)
Behind the scenes, we have an incredible team working to ensure our Case Managers have the support they need. Our Case Management Extenders team is integral to our success, and we can’t thank them enough for their dedication which allows our Case Managers and Network Managers to focus on helping the injured worker. Two of our employees shared the following:

“I can’t thank you all enough for this wonderful addition to the Nurse Case Manager arsenal of services. I don’t know how I would navigate my day without the entire CME team.” – Mary D. Meola, RN, Case Manager

“I had an appointment with a new physician for one of my files. I contacted CME from the parking lot to see if they could locate the records I needed for a specific diagnosis to share with the provider. Before we were even called back for the appointment, CME had sent me multiple records in my email to share. If it hadn’t been for them, the appointment would not have been successful! The work that the CME team does on the back end really adds to our success as Case Managers. I cannot thank the entire CME team enough for their help and support on these files. They are truly rock stars!” –Megan Cebulski, BSN, RN, Network Manager, Case Manager

Debbie Shamlin, Case Manager
Another one of our Case Managers, Debbie Shamlin, made such a profound difference in the life of one of her injured workers that the injured worker made a point to express her appreciation.

“I wanted to send an email to express my gratitude for the case manager that was assigned to me. My case started in July of 2023. After my surgery, I went to physical therapy, but was not progressing like I should, and the doctor was dismissive of this. He kept insisting I just had arthritis.

“After several frustrating months of being dismissed and having conversations with workers’ comp, they assigned my case to Case Manager Debbie Shamlin, RN. She was truly my advocate and the buffer I needed to be heard by the doctor and receive treatment for the problem I was having. She listened to me, saw what I was experiencing, validated the dismissiveness, and fought for the care I needed. I am grateful for her and wanted to let you know what a great case manager she is.”

Clinical Preceptors: Stacy Blomendaal, Alexa Boyd, Tracy McDowell, Sherie Shuster and MaryEllen Wadsworth
During this week, we want to give special recognition to our amazing Clinical Preceptors who set our teams up for success. These dedicated professionals play a critical role in the development and success of Network Managers, offering invaluable guidance, real-world experience, and mentorship. Their commitment to teaching and nurturing talent ensures that our field continues to grow with compassionate, skilled, and knowledgeable leaders. We are incredibly fortunate to have such passionate and dedicated preceptors on our team. Some of our employees shared the following sentiments:

“I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.” – Bill Brennan, Case Manager, regarding Sherie Shuster, Clinical Preceptor

“Stacy has been excellent at guiding me and preparing me to reach this point.” – Joanie Nicholas, Case/Network Manager, regarding Stacy Blomendaal, Clinical Preceptor Lead

“Alexa was a wonderful preceptor.” – Meagan McCullah, Network Manager, regarding Alexa Boyd, Clinical Preceptor

Trish Romero, Case Manager, Network Manager
Our next spotlight comes from an Assistant Chief of Police praising Trish Romero, Case/Network Manager, for her amazing work involving an officer who was shot on duty.

“I would like to praise Trish Romero for her work surrounding the shooting of our Police Sergeant. Our Sergeant was shot multiple times and was fighting for his life, and in the early stages of recovery, I received a call from Trish Romero. She introduced herself and explained her role. I initially advised her that I would be the liaison between the family and workers’ comp. In a very short time, I became comfortable with Trish’s sincerity and ability to be compassionate and caring with the family.

“Throughout his very short and miraculous recovery, Trish exemplified the manner in which an Officer and his family could be buoyed up and cared for with regard to his hospital stay, recovery, and his return to full-duty status. In my 36 years as an Officer and Administrator, this is by far the best experience I have witnessed or been involved in. Trish communicated regularly with our Human Resources Department, with me as an administrator, and with the family. She carried the burden of navigating the details of working through the billing, the time off on paid administrative leave, the time off on workers’ comp, and his return to duty. I would like to commend Trish and your team for carrying the family and our department family through this ordeal.”

Ashley Petruccelli, Network Manager
At our 2024 Catastrophic Clinical Summit, Network Manager Ashley Petruccelli was awarded our Excellence in Ethical Practice award. Jo Carter, Vice President of Clinical Resource Operations, shared the following:

“Ashley was nominated for this award due to the excellent care management she provides, both from a medical and emotional standpoint. In a recent situation with an injured worker who experienced an amputation, brain injury, and a stroke, not only did Ashley coordinate a successful transition for the injured worker to use her prosthesis regularly, but she provided tremendous support to her throughout the process. She was encouraging with the injured worker, patient, persistent, empathetic, and wiped away many tears. She advocated and coordinated extra services for the injured worker to help her build a sense of community and feel less isolated. Her love and commitment to her work shine through in every interaction with her injured workers and is a stellar example of excellence in ethical practice. We are grateful to work with Ashley.”

Peter Ellis, Telephonic Case Manager
Our final spotlight comes from a customer sharing their appreciation for Telephonic Case Manager Peter Ellis:

“I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that Peter Ellis is doing an outstanding job. This is a very challenging claim and Peter is doing an amazing job taking care of all the medical treatment issues, medication issues, claimant phone calls, etc. He is knowledgeable, professional, calm and responsive, and I hope he is recognized for doing an outstanding job! I am privileged to work with such a medical expert who is so proficient and proactive. Thank you, Peter, for making my job easier. With your teamwork, we have been keeping the claimant’s medical treatment in-network and well managed. All credit goes to you!”

Help Paradigm spread recognition and gratitude for case managers everywhere
These testimonials are just a fraction of the expressions of recognition and gratitude we receive for our amazing case management teams—we could truly celebrate them every week of the year. Once again, to the Case Managers, Network Managers, and support teams at Paradigm and everywhere, please accept our heartfelt gratitude for your steadfast dedication to delivering the highest level of care.

All week long, Paradigm will be recognizing our case management teams across social media platforms. You can help by liking, sharing, and engaging with our posts.

Learn about Paradigm’s Case Management Solutions and what sets us apart.