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We may be in an economic downturn, but case manager salaries have increased an average of 14 percent since our 2000 survey. To provide updated salary information for 2003, the Case Management Society of America and ADVANCE for Providers of Post-Acute Care again joined together to survey case managers across the continuum.
ADVANCE printed a salary survey in the January/February issue of the magazine and posted it on our Web page. The CMSA posted the same survey on its Web site and included it in several member newsletters.
We received 767 responses from a wide variety of settings across the country. We then compiled that data and broke it down according to regions of the country, areas (metropolitan, suburban and rural), work setting and years of experience.
Plus, new this year, we take a look at case load. See how it differs across settings and how it affects your salary.
GEOGRAPHY AND SALARY 
We received the most responses from the Northeast region (27 percent). Next was the Southeast with 21 percent. Case managers in the North.central and Southcentral regions came in next, each representing 16 percent of the responses. The West accounts for 14 percent and the Pacific just 6 percent.
n That 6 percent, though, represents the highest earners in the country, with an average salary of $57,000 a year, a 10 percent increase since 2000. (In our 2000 survey, Pacific case managers represented 3 percent of total respondents.)
With a whopping 19 percent increase since 2000, the West is now in second place at $56,000.
The Northeast comes in next at $55,000, 13 percent more than in 2000.
The Southeast is catching up, thanks to a 10 percent rise, making the average salary $51,000.
Northcentral and Southcentral came in at the bottom again, despite 14 percent increases to $50,000.
Nearly 60 percent of our respondents work in metropolitan areas, 26 percent in the suburbs and 16 percent in rural settings.
Case managers working in metro areas make the most, with a nationwide average of $53,833. Metro salaries tend to be at or slightly higher than regional averages.
Working in the suburbs will earn you an average of $50,000, or about 5 percent less that the regional average.
Rural case managers-you're doing better, with an average 17 percent increase since 2000, for an average of $49,666, but you can still expect to make about 7 percent less than regional averages.
WORK SETTING AND SALARY
The most profitable work settings are worker's compensation and managed care with averages of $55,000. Home health comes in at the bottom, with an average of $47,000. See the chart for a look at nationwide averages for a variety of settings. (Note: If we received less than three responses for any setting, we did not include it.)
Sex Roles
The vast majority of case managers (96 percent) are women. The average salary of the 44 men who responded to the survey was in line with the overall averages and didn't appear to be affected by sex.Â
EXPERIENCE AND SALARY 
As you'd expect, with experience comes a higher salary, but only to a certain point. According to the responses we received, salaries seem to stagnate at an average of $59,000 at the 10- to 15-year mark. They remain stable through 20 years, then actually drop down to a low of $49,000 with 25 years experience. This could be due to people working fewer hours as they approach retirement.
New case managers with up to three years experience represent 27 percent of respondents. Another 18 percent have between three and five years of experience, and 30 percent have been working between five and 10 years. Moving up, 15 percent have been case managers for up to 15 years, 7 percent between 15 and 20 years and 2 percent have between 20 and 25 years of experience. The most seasoned professionals, with over 25 years in the field, represent 1 percent of respondents, or eight people.
BENEFITS
Here's a look at the most common.
medical insurance (83 percent)
tuition reimbursement (63 percent)
continuing education (60 percent)
professional association dues (28 percent)
profit sharing (20 percent)
malpractice insurance (18 percent)
Raises 
The most common raise is between 1 and 3 percent, but some settings stand out. Only long-term care had any respondents with raises over 15 percent (2 people). Case managers in acute care, case management companies and managed care reported 10 to 15 percent annual increases. In the 7 to 10 percent range, we received additional responses from rehab facilities, utilization review and worker's compensation. Only academia offered 1 to 3 percent across the board.
Case Load & Setting
Case managers who work in managed care, medical groups or worker's compensation report the highest case loads-about 34 percent over the average across settings. Since many of these respondents checked off "Over 60," we don't have an accurate figure of just how high these case loads go. The lowest case loads goes to rehab facilities (22), hospice (23) and business owners (25).
CASE LOAD BY AREA
Case load varies somewhat according to where you practice. In metropolitan areas, the average case load is 41. Suburban case managers have similar workloads at an average of 39 patients. Rural providers have a smaller workload with about 33 patients.
Job Change Tips 
If you're ready to move to a new position, use these tips for success.
by Betsy Hersher and Linda Hodges
1. Consider all aspects of an offer. Is relocation involved? If so, do you feel comfortable moving? Are you comfortable with the person you will be working for? Will your new job give you growth? Do you fit the corporate culture? Do you like the team? Will this new job compensate for the negatives in your current position?
2. Analyze the offer. An offer should include a base, a bonus (if part of the package), and an explanation of how that bonus is achieved. It should also include all the perks and benefits for which you are eligible. If you'll need to relocate, be sure to negotiate a fair moving package up-front.
3. Tell your current employer. If you have already decided to leave your current employer, accepting a counter offer is counter-productive: It distresses your current organization and puts your current organization on notice that you can be bought and that you are ready to leave. You may get more money by deciding to stay, but your employer will never trust you again.
4. Negotiate. Negotiating must be a win-win situation for both sides. Make the negotiation a pleasant process for everyone. That doesn't mean you should give in and lose a lot of money in the process, but try and understand your employer's position. You can easily over-negotiate, and the offer can be withdrawn. If the salary is not quite what you need, work with the hiring manager. A signing bonus may be a possibility. If you can't get the salary you need because of equity within the organization, many organizations offer creative solutions such as putting you on salary a month early or offering educational reimbursement for an advanced degree. How you negotiate and are recruited into an organization sets the tone for the rest of your employment.
5. Cover your bases. Make sure you have covered all your bases before entering final-stage negotiations. It's uncomfortable for both parties if you come back and say, "Oh, excuse me, I forgot, I am going to lose $10,000 in my pension fund; you need to make that up." You'll want your new colleagues to be proud and excited to work with you. And, if you've handled the hiring process well, they'll realize you are a team player who is anxious to support the organization.
Betsy Hersher is founder and president of Hersher Associates Ltd., a health care consulting and executive search firm located in Northbrook, Ill. Linda Hodges is executive vice president of Hersher Associates Ltd. <% footer %>
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