Nursing shortage takes toll on CM departments.

News of the nation's shrinking health care labor force was made official with the publication of population data in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The report claimed that 40% of RNs will be over 50 before 2010. What does this mean for hospital case managers? Transition, according to industry experts. The role of the case manager will need better definition as shortages blur lines between patient care and traditional management.