Do patients with heart failure need a case manager?

The management of patients with heart failure (HF) is complex and often benefits from a patient-tailored approach. Since the early 1990s, HF disease management programs have been developed and implemented to improve outcomes of patients with HF. The body of evidence of the effectiveness of these programs is still growing, but meta-analyses of disease management program studies show various results on outcomes. This raises questions regarding the optimal organizational structure and components of a most cost-effective HF management program. Case management has been described as a solution to improve outcomes in complex patients and as a possible link to effective disease management. This raises the question of what case management can add to the disease management of patients with HF and which patients might benefit. The aim of this article is to discuss the potential contribution of case management in the disease management of patients with HF.