Ask ECRI: Role of the Case Manager in Reviewing Social Media Activity of Claimants

​A member recently inquired about the role of an insurance case manager in reviewing the social media activity of claimants, and whether case managers or investigators should search claimants’ social media profiles and record comments on the content of those profiles. If case managers will be conducting such searches, the member asked, are there any guidelines governing what and how they should document their activity, given that the notes are likely to be discoverable in litigation.

In our response, ECRI notes that the specific roles of the case manager and the investigator will vary from organization to organization, based on their job descriptions and how practices vary between companies. Generally speaking, it does seem that such activity by a case manager—searching social media sites—would normally be outside the case manager’s responsibilities, and might even raise an...