- Nurses with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and board certification, occupational therapists with a master's degree or higher and rehabilitation psychologists with a doctorate in clinical psychology are some of the health professionals eligible to become life care planners. The Commission on Health Care Certification offers the Certified Life Care Planner (CLCP) Certification to candidates who take and clear the certifying exam. Colleges such as the University of Florida and Kaplan University conduct training courses that include at least 120 hours of coursework in life care development, health care finance, disability management and medical case management.
- Certified life care planners find employment in a variety of settings. Many attorneys and lawyers use their services in cases in which patients have been laid off from work due to disability. Lawyers specializing in geriatric services also use life care planners to project health care expenses for the elderly. Insurance companies hire life care planners to analyze insurance claims submitted by patients. Some life care planners also work in governmental agencies, while others set up an independent practice, working on cases for legal firms, patients and organizations that provide managed care for disabled children, adults or senior citizens.
- Life care planners help patients deal with the costs they incur through health care by establishing a plan. They collect data about the patient's health condition from the treating medical professional and correlate this with other information such as the patient's educational and social background. In some cases, they carry out an assessment of the losses the patient suffers due to a disability that precludes employment. Using this material, life care planners prepare a written document that objectively presents information to help assess the financial needs of the client for medical equipment, future hospitalization and caretaking in the absence of close family members.
- As the baby boomer generation ages, life care planners are likely to be increasingly in demand. According to the Nurse Entrepreneur Network, as of May 2011, life care planners who work independently charge between $80 and $400 per hour. In cases in which they are required to testify, the fees increase significantly. According to SalaryExpert, as of May 2011, the average annual salary of a life care planner ranges between $55,454 and $89,846 depending on the geographical location.
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