Celebrating National Nurses Week: An interview with Regence case manager Morla Moser

Nurses play an invaluable role in helping patients and their families. Often nursing is associated with a hospital or clinic, but many nurses work as case managers who provide resources and support as part of a person’s health insurance benefits.
Morla Moser is one such nurse for Regence. We talked to her about what it’s like to be a nurse who helps Regence members and their families navigate the complicated world of health care, and how her own experience with a case manager when her son was sick inspired her to this work.
What is case management for Regence members?
As a case manager, I think of myself as a warm person on the other end of line who helps members make problems and solutions more understandable. A lot of issues can come up, such as finding medications, making sure a service is covered and processed correctly, and connecting with the right doctor or specialist. We’ve all been through one or more of these experiences. Case managers give our members a voice, adding security and support for patients and their families while they work through a challenging health care experience. It’s about being another person on their team.
What’s the typical day like for a nurse case manager?
We’re quite busy helping anywhere between 45 to 50 members at a time. Regence has specialized programs to help specific groups of members so we can help different needs. I’m a pediatric case manager, but while I was also helping our maternity team, I was working with upwards of 70 different members. Each of our case managers speaks with multiple Regence members and their families or caregivers every day. We also reach out to health care providers and team up to help educate our members about specific care options, what they need to do, and other information to help avoid confusion. It’s a lot of digging for information and resources, both with providers as well as internally with health plan benefits. We ultimately look at the whole picture of our members, which includes a little bit of everything. Helping out many ways is the best part of my job.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in nursing and health care more generally?
I’ve always enjoyed helping people. You could say I’m a “late bloomer” in a way since I became a nurse in my thirties. Case management came about as a secondary piece of my life. My son had kidney cancer and we ended up working with a case manager at that time. They were a real source of support and help for about a year. I ultimately lost my son during this difficult period. While we worked together, our case manager is the one who encouraged me to consider starting this career. They said I liked to “go get it done” and leave no stone unturned, that’d I be a great case manager and clearly liked helping people.

When she’s not helping Regence members and their families, Morla enjoys spending time with her dog, Gitchi, who came into her life after her son passed.
What’s the best part of your job?
Honestly, it’s really about lending a hand to members who find themselves in tough spots—and also being reminded what truly amazing people and families are out there. You listen to the news and read on social media about all this doom and gloom. But there are some wonderful people in the world. I feel lucky to be able to assist them in their different journeys. And I also have to say my coworkers are incredible. We really rely on each other to do better, both for ourselves and those we help every day.
What do you wish more Regence members knew about case management?
I wish they had a better understanding that the program is available. I think case management gets lost for many people with their health plan benefits, whether it’s when members sign up or life gets busy. It would be great if members better understood that Regence case mangers want to help support them with a big event or on a daily basis. We’re here to help connect all the different pieces, helping alleviate the stress and turmoil of health care.
More information on Regence’s case management program is available online.