How does case management address health disparities?

Case management plays a crucial role in addressing health disparities by identifying barriers faced by individuals and communities in accessing healthcare services and implementing strategies to ensure equitable access. This approach involves assessing the unique needs of individuals, recognizing the social determinants of health that may affect their health outcomes, and advocating for resources that can address these inequalities.

By focusing on the specific challenges that different populations experience—such as socioeconomic factors, cultural differences, and systemic biases—case management professionals are able to develop tailored interventions that can reduce gaps in care and improve health outcomes. This proactive strategy extends beyond just providing education or prevention measures, as it actively seeks to dismantle the structural barriers that lead to health disparities in the first place.

In contrast, the other options do not fully capture the comprehensive and integrative nature of case management in addressing health disparities. Stricter healthcare regulations may improve certain aspects of the healthcare system but do not directly address the barriers individual patients face. Promoting health education alone does not account for the complex factors contributing to disparities, and focusing strictly on disease prevention overlooks the necessity of addressing broader access challenges. Hence, the selected answer emphasizes the holistic approach case management takes in tackling these issues.