Case management has three certifications covering overlapping ground, and choosing between them depends mostly on which side of the transaction you work.
CCM
The certified case manager credential, from the Commission for Case Manager Certification. Held by more than 50,000 professionals and the most widely recognized credential in the field.
It is multidisciplinary rather than nursing-specific, which is part of why it dominates: social workers, nurses, and other licensed professionals hold the same credential, and payers in particular treat it as the standard.
Eligibility runs on licensure or certification in a health or human services discipline plus qualifying case management employment experience, with several routes depending on supervision and licensure. The commission publishes a certification guide setting them out, and applications run in defined annual windows rather than continuously.
ACM-RN
The accredited case manager credential for registered nurses, from the American Case Management Association, launched in 2005 and aimed specifically at case management inside a health delivery system — transitions of care rather than payer-side utilization management.
Eligibility requires a valid and current nursing licence in good standing and at least 2,080 hours of supervised paid work experience as a case manager or in a related role. Candidates with less than two years of experience may qualify with one year of supervised case management experience and supervisor verification.
Its examination is distinctive: it uses clinical simulation rather than knowledge questions alone, testing competency beyond recall.
CMGT-BC, which is closing
The nursing case management credential from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In April 2026 its commission decided to move the programme to renewal-only status: applications are accepted through the end of 2026 and testing through the end of 2027, after which it is available only to those already certified, who may continue renewing every five years.
Anyone considering it should factor in that timetable. Anyone already holding it keeps it.
Choosing
Payer-side work — utilization management, member case management, disability and workers' compensation — leans toward the CCM.
Hospital case management — discharge planning, transitions, level-of-care determination — leans toward the ACM-RN, which was built for it.
Nurses doing heavy medical necessity determination frequently add a healthcare quality and management credential from the board that certifies physicians and other professionals in that area. See utilization review nursing.
Employers that fund one generally do not mind which, so the practical question is what your organization recognizes and what colleagues hold.
What it is worth
Case management is the largest destination for nurses leaving the bedside, and payer roles are among the largest remote nursing job markets in the country. Certification is commonly preferred and sometimes required, particularly on the payer side where the credential is a contracting requirement rather than a preference. See case management nursing and leaving the bedside.
Related
- Case management nursing
- Utilization review nursing
- Occupational health nursing
- Nursing certifications
Sources
- CCM Certification — the Commission for Case Manager Certification, on the credential, the number of certified professionals, and application windows. Accessed September 9, 2026.
- ACM Certification — American Case Management Association, on the ACM-RN credential, eligibility, and the clinical simulation format. Accessed September 9, 2026.
- Nursing Case Management Certification (CMGT-BC) — American Nurses Credentialing Center. Accessed September 9, 2026.
- ANCC Is Retiring the Nursing Case Management Certification (CMGT-BC) — Case Management Institute, on the April 2026 decision and the closing dates. Accessed September 9, 2026.