Patterns of case management activity in an intensive community support program: the first year.

Changes in activity patterns of 12 case managers over the first year of an intensive community support program are described and a method and format for the collection and analysis of time budget data in case management are presented. During the first six months of the program case managers recorded the predominant activity for each 15 minute period throughout the day. Mean values of proportional time were 35.3% for direct services, 40.3% for indirect services, and 24.4% for nonclinical services. The relatively high (64.7%) combination of indirect and nonclinical services deserves careful consideration in program cost analysis.