Meet Deborah Walton, RN, Field Case Manager
Deborah is a new field case manager at Careworks, and she has joined us with more than 30 years of experience across a wide range of healthcare settings. Her background includes bedside nursing, telehealth, and patient support operations, giving her a strong foundation in both hands-on care and care coordination. Over the years, she has also held leadership roles that have shaped how she supports patients and collaborates with care teams.
In her current role, she works closely with patients following an injury or illness to ensure their care is appropriate and moves forward. She partners with physicians, employers, insurance providers, and her internal team to support recovery and help patients safely return to work and everyday life.
“Supporting injured employees is about balancing compassion with coordination to help them heal, recover, and move forward safely.”
Meet Lee Anne Clark, RN, CCM, Field Case Manager
Lee Anne works closely with claims examiners, claimants, medical providers, and employers to coordinate care in line with best practice, facilitating return to work and recovery from work related injury. She has over 25 years of nursing experience, including a decade of workers’ compensation case management experience. She is passionate about patient education and developing therapeutic relationships with her patients.
Lee Anne serves as a new employee mentor and is proud to provide education to fellow colleagues on how field case management services impact occupational injury claim management.
“Field case management brings the human element into a complex process by removing barriers, coordinating care, providing education, and helping injured employees move toward recovery.”
Challenge
Shortly after Deborah Walton began working in the field, a critical and extremely sensitive incident occurred involving a shooting at a fast-food restaurant. This tragic event resulted in five claimants sustaining gunshot injuries, creating an immediate need for comprehensive field case management services to support complex medical recovery, as well as the emotional and psychological trauma experienced by the injured employees and their families.
Given the severity of the incident, the client and claims adjuster requested continuity of care by assigning all five claimants to a single field case manager. This was essential to maintain consistent communication, reduce fragmentation, and build trust during an intensely emotional and high-stress period. Although Deborah was newly onboarded, the situation required swift action, sound clinical judgment, and confidence. Immediate behavioral health support was also critical to establish a strong foundation for recovery.
Solution
Without hesitation, Deborah Walton stepped forward and volunteered to accept all five cases, initiating services on the same day. She recognized the clinical, emotional, and logistical value of maintaining consistency across the claimants and worked closely with the claims adjuster to ensure coordinated care and clear communication.
At the same time, Lee Anne Clark demonstrated exceptional clinical awareness by proactively connecting with the claims adjuster and ensuring behavioral health services were added to all five claims from the outset. Her quick action embedded mental health support immediately—an essential element in cases involving traumatic violence.
Together, Deborah and Lee Anne collaborated seamlessly to open files efficiently, confirm and coordinate appointments, ensure behavioral health services were implemented without delay, and maintain alignment with the claims adjuster. Their teamwork reflected a shared commitment to proactive care, clinical excellence, and whole-person recovery.
Result
This coordinated, rapid response had a meaningful and positive impact. The claimants and their families benefited from consistent field case management, early behavioral health intervention, and clear, compassionate communication. These efforts set the claims on a positive trajectory from day one and created stability during an otherwise overwhelming time.
The client and claims adjuster expressed confidence knowing the cases were being managed with empathy, coordination, and expertise.
Deborah Walton’s willingness to take on multiple complex claims so early in her tenure highlights her adaptability, professionalism, and dedication to injured employees. Lee Anne Clark’s prompt initiation of behavioral health services underscores the importance of clinical insight and advocacy in achieving strong outcomes.
Together, Deborah Walton and Lee Anne Clark exemplify the power of collaboration, compassion, and excellence in field case management. They have demonstrated how decisive action and teamwork can make a meaningful difference during the most challenging moments.