Name a standardized risk assessment tool relevant to case management and its purpose.

• A. MMSE; used for cognitive screening in dementia.
• B. PHQ-9; used for depressive symptoms screening.
• C. Charlson Comorbidity Index or Elixhauser Comorbidity Index; used for risk stratification and predicting resource needs and outcomes.
• D. GCS; used for coma assessment.

Answer: (C)

Standardized risk assessment tools in case management are used to quantify a patient’s overall health burden so we can forecast future risks and plan resources accordingly. The Charlson Comorbidity Index or Elixhauser Comorbidity Index are designed to summarize the impact of multiple coexisting conditions; they assign weights to various diseases and produce a score that correlates with outcomes like mortality, length of stay, readmissions, and overall healthcare costs. This makes them especially useful for risk stratification—identifying patients who are higher risk and may need more intensive care coordination, closer follow-up, or additional support as they move through the care system.

In contrast, the other options are screening tools focused on specific domains rather than overall risk for resource needs. The MMSE screens for cognitive impairment, the PHQ-9 screens for depressive symptoms, and the GCS assesses level of consciousness in acute situations. While each has important clinical value, they don’t provide a broad, standardized metric of future risk and resource requirements in case management the way comorbidity indices do.