NURS6618 is the culminating course of the MSN Care Coordination specialization. Rather than learning new theoretical frameworks in isolation, students synthesize the entire care coordination curriculum into a substantial applied project — a comprehensive care coordination initiative design that demonstrates readiness to lead care coordination programs in real healthcare settings.
Capstone project structure
The NURS6618 capstone project is typically a care coordination program proposal or a substantial quality improvement initiative addressing a care coordination problem in the student's current or target practice environment. Strong capstone projects share several characteristics: they identify a specific, measurable gap in care coordination (not a vague problem like "communication could be better" but a measurable gap like "30-day readmission rate for heart failure patients is 23%, above the national average of 20%"); they ground the proposed solution in evidence-based care coordination models; they develop an implementation plan that addresses the real-world complexity of healthcare organizations; and they design an evaluation framework with specific, measurable outcomes tied to the Quadruple Aim.
Key components of the NURS6618 capstone
- Problem identification and needs assessment: data-supported analysis of the care coordination gap, root cause analysis, stakeholder analysis
- Evidence-based model selection: choosing and justifying the care coordination model that best fits the identified problem and population (TCM, Coleman, GRACE, IMPACT, Chronic Care Model, population health risk stratification approach)
- Program design: care coordinator role definition, patient identification and outreach strategy, care plan process, communication protocols, interprofessional team structure
- Implementation planning: stakeholder engagement, change management, workflow integration, EHR tools needed, staff training, phased rollout
- Evaluation framework: process measures (% of high-risk patients enrolled, days to first contact), outcome measures (readmission rate, ED visits, patient-reported outcomes, cost), quality measurement alignment (HEDIS, CMS Star measures)
- Sustainability: funding model (CCM billing, ACO shared savings, grant), workforce sustainability, leadership support, governance
- Health equity lens: will this program reach underserved populations? What adaptations are needed for non-English speakers, patients with low health literacy, or populations facing housing and food insecurity?
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Strong capstone project examples for NURS6618
- Transitional care program for heart failure: Proposes evidence-based (TCM or Coleman) 30-day post-discharge program at a hospital with above-average HF readmission rate; designs nurse care coordinator role, scripted 48-hour phone call, medication reconciliation checklist, 7-day outpatient follow-up protocol; targets 15% reduction in 30-day HF readmission within 12 months
- Diabetes population management in FQHC: Risk stratifies the diabetes panel using A1c control and visit history; designs tiered outreach — automated reminders for well-controlled patients, nurse phone outreach for those with 1–2 missed visits or A1c 8–9%, intensive care management for A1c >9 or multiple comorbidities; aims to increase % of patients with A1c <8 from 52% to 65%
- Complex care program for super-utilizers: Targets top 2% of ED utilizers; proposes hotspotting analysis to identify candidates; intensive care management (GRACE-like) with CHW co-deployment; outcomes: reduce ED visits by 30% and total cost of care by 15% for enrolled patients
- Behavioral health integration in primary care: Proposes IMPACT-model collaborative care for PHQ-9-positive patients; designs care manager role, consulting psychiatrist workflow, tracking system, registry; targets 50% response rate (PHQ-9 reduction ≥50%) at 12 weeks, versus 27% in usual care
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Frequently asked questions
Several certifications recognize care coordination and case management competence at the MSN level. The most relevant is the CCM (Certified Case Manager) from CCMC (Commission for Case Manager Certification) — the gold standard, requiring a health or human services license, supervised case management experience (12 months), and passage of a 180-question exam covering case management concepts, knowledge domains, and practice. The RN-BC in Nursing Case Management from ANCC (Registered Nurse — Board Certified) specifically recognizes nurses with case management expertise and requires RN licensure, MSN or higher, and 2,000 hours of case management nursing practice. ACMA offers the ACM (Accredited Case Manager) credential for social workers and nurses practicing hospital-based case management. The CMSA's Certified Disease Manager (CDM) credential targets population-based chronic disease management. Completing the Capella MSN Care Coordination provides the academic foundation for all of these — and the 2,000 hours of practice experience required for the ANCC credential can be accumulated in part during the MSN practicum components.
The NURS6618 capstone is an applied program design project, not a formal research study. The distinction matters: formal research requires IRB approval, an original research question, data collection from human subjects, and aims to generate new generalizable knowledge. The capstone is evidence-based practice implementation design — you are taking existing evidence (from published RCTs and systematic reviews of care coordination models) and designing a program to implement that evidence in a specific organizational context. The capstone requires rigorous use of evidence — a thorough literature review to justify your model selection and outcome targets — but its final product is a program design document, not a manuscript for publication. This is the distinction between research (creating new evidence) and evidence-based practice (applying existing evidence to improve outcomes). Both are valuable; the capstone specifically develops the latter skill — the implementation expertise that MSN-prepared nurses bring to their organizations.