Although little consensus exists about the precise meaning of case management in the care of chronic mental patients (1-3), the concept is widely endorsed and has assumed a central role in service planning. In this article I expand on an earlier discussion of the semantics of case management (1) by suggesting a conceptual approach for synthesizing various current definitions. I also discuss some trends in case management practice that support this approach. Unlike other specialties concerned with the care of chronic mental patients, case management lacks a specific disciplinary focus. The field draws personnel from the full array of service delivery professions. Case management must thus be defined in terms of its functions, not on the basis of the professional training its practitioners undergo. Functionally, case management may be viewed as a vehicle for implementing continuity in the care of mentally ill persons (4-7). It focuses on individualized rather than mass approaches to patient care and is