When we talk about “high-touch” in case management, we are talking about a personalized experience for the employee in the interactions that really matter to them. We should depend on technology to do the things that should be seamless and not visible to the employee taking a leave, while the case manager does the things that are visible and provide more value to the employee.

Tasks that make sense to be automated and handled by technology:

• Determining what leaves and benefits are available to the employee. Several software systems have built-in rules engines that can determine what leaves and benefits are available to an employee based on a few inputs. This puts information at a case manager’s fingertips without having to memorize the different leaves and benefits that might be available. This automation enables the case manager to answer an employee’s questions quickly and with higher accuracy.
• Determining eligibility. With the right information, systems can quickly calculate which plans an employee is eligible for.
• Calculating leave balances and payments. With new leave laws passing around the country, the complexity of calculating leave balances and payments is growing. Accuracy and consistency are critical when it comes to people’s job protection and pay. Automation standardizes calculations that are time-consuming and prone to human error.
• Approving simple cases. Technology should only be used to make approval determinations on straightforward, fast-track cases like appendectomies, knee surgeries, etc.
• Approving intermittent absences. When intermittent absences are reported within policy guidelines, and where the employee has available time within leave frequency and duration, applying rules allows for automated approval. If a case manager is always going to approve these days, there really is no value-add to the case manager review. Let technology do the work.
• Reminders regarding paperwork deadlines and return to work. There is no value-add to using valuable employee time to send emails or text messages that can be automated and sent automatically from templates.

Tasks that benefit from the case manager providing the human touch:

• Answering more complex questions for employees about their leave. Case managers are most valuable when they can assist a concerned employee who needs reassurance that everything is going to be okay with their job and their pay. When freed from routine tasks using automation, case managers can spend the time needed in a consultative role for employees addressing things that really matter.
• Reviewing medical documentation and talking to healthcare providers. In the appropriate situations for the more complex cases, such as cancer or terminal illnesses, the case manager’s attention adds value.
• Making the denial decisions. Case managers provide necessary documentation of the rationale for denials. They provide an employee with important consultative conversations to explain why their case was denied and what they can do to rectify the denial (if applicable).

The case manager’s role will never fully be replaced by technology. The human touch will always be needed in absence because employees will always want reassurance and guidance to ease their concerns.