Ethical Advocacy in Telephonic RN Case Management

As healthcare delivery increasingly expands beyond traditional in-person settings, telephonic case management has become an essential strategy for coordinating care across complex medical, behavioral and community systems. While remote care models improve access and efficiency, they also introduce ethical challenges that require deliberate application of professional standards to ensure client-centered advocacy remains the priority. Telephonic case managers frequently navigate competing stakeholder expectations, fragmented communication, limited resources and social barriers that impact client outcomes. Without face-to-face interaction, maintaining therapeutic rapport, supporting informed decision-making and safeguarding client autonomy can become more complex. These realities create ethical dilemmas that demand structured decision-making grounded in The Commission® Code of Professional Conduct. This session examines how case managers can apply ethical principles — including client self-determination, fairness, professional integrity and advocacy — to mitigate conflict and promote equitable outcomes in remote care coordination. Using real-world case examples drawn from chronic condition management and complex care navigation, participants will explore practical frameworks that translate ethical standards into daily practice. Attendees will learn actionable strategies to: strengthen therapeutic engagement in telephonic interactions, navigate stakeholder tension while preserving client-centered advocacy, integrate assessment of social drivers of health into ethical care planning, support informed consent and transparency in remote communication, and reduce moral distress through structured ethical reflection practices. Grounded in evidence-informed communication techniques and advocacy models, this session reinforces that ethical practice in telephonic case management is not theoretical — it is an applied, measurable skill set that directly influences engagement, access and outcomes across the continuum of care. Participants will leave equipped with practical tools to enhance ethical decision-making, strengthen human connection in remote settings and improve client-centered outcomes in telephonic case management.