Introduction

The traditional focus of SEM organizations is to deliver primary benefits in order to meet the needs of their clients. An organization may then deliver secondary services to address the reasons why a client may have those needs, for example a client may require welfare as they are out of work. These services can take many forms, such as financial aid, training, medical supplies, or child support. SEM organizations themselves are not in a position to provide all the services required to their clients, as they do not have the expertise or resources internally. They therefore engage third party providers to deliver the necessary services to clients on their behalf.

SEM organizations carry out a number of functions to manage their relationships and interactions with third party providers. CPM provides an organization with the capability to administer those functions.

CPM is essentially concerned with the management of the provider lifecycle, and information relating to that provider. This information may include details of:

• The facilities and services provided;
• Licenses, accreditations and certifications held;
• Staff and other people involved with the provider;
• Contracts with providers to deliver services.

In addition, CPM is concerned with information relating to the delivery of services by a provider, including:

• Tracking clients placed with providers;
• Processing requests for payment from providers;
• Recording details of any incidents or investigations involving clients and providers;
• Monitoring the effectiveness of services delivered.

All of these concepts are described in detail in the following chapters.