The elements and intensity of case management (CM) practices should be established according to patients' needs. Therefore, greater understanding of patients' needs in such community-based programmes is essential. This paper addresses this issue by characterizing two groups of patients receiving CM or a standard treatment programme (STP) and identifying the characteristics of patients receiving CM services. We recruited 241 patients with schizophrenia from 10 Adult Mental Health Centres in Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). We analyzed the profile of new patients included in a clinical, non-intensive CM program against that of patients in a STP. CM patients, compared with STP patients, have a lower educational level and quality of life; greater use of health care services, and higher levels of psychiatric symptoms, disability and unmet needs. Community psychiatric visits, social services, education, physical health and needs were significantly associated with CM services. This study may help in identifying patients' needs and strengthening the CM programme.