From automating workflow to optimizing the front-door process, behavioral health EHR systems make the everyday operation of therapy practices smoother and more efficient. Recent shifts toward therapists seeing patients both in person and via telemedicine highlight the need for comprehensive software.
Whether you’re a single practitioner running your own practice or the manager of a multi-location organization, an effective EHR platform will streamline your process and free up your time.
Behavioral health EHR system platforms reduce opportunities for human error, keep patient data secure, and allow your practice to maintain regulatory compliance with ease. In any healthcare office, the administrative functions require coordination with the clinical side. This coordination is dramatically simplified by the seamless integration of a behavioral health EHR platform.
A digital front door enables new patients to set up accounts and complete any new paperwork through their computer or via a mobile app. They can then set up appointments, select a provider, and enter their financial information. This eliminates the potential for errors during data entry, particularly if clerical staff confirm this information when the patient arrives for their appointment. This system also improves accessibility for patients with disabilities.
Administrative staff can direct the software to obtain pre-authorization or enable automatic billing, so patients will know their expected payment before entering the office. Integrated claims and eligibility verification ensure accurate billing at the point of service, and many behavioral health EHR systems also accept online payments.
As patients continue therapy, a patient portal reduces the need for phone time spent rescheduling, answering questions, and refilling requests. The use of these portals not only reduces clerical hours in running a behavioral health therapy practice but also benefits patients in several ways.
One of the most basic and useful features of a behavioral health EHR system is the automation of appointment reminders. Patients seeking mental health treatment are “no-shows” at a significantly higher rate than those seeking other medical care. But automated reminders significantly improve attendance.
Behavioral health EHR systems facilitate easy referrals through platform interoperability. Records can be easily accessed across locations and providers.
The 21st Century Cures Act emphasizes streamlining communication between providers and organizations. As it becomes the standard for healthcare IT, interoperability between platforms is required by federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Similarly, the security features of a behavioral EHR platform ensure that your practice meets HIPAA standards. The comprehensive practice management features will even prepare your practice to conform to emerging regulations, like the No-Surprises Act.
A behavioral health EHR system engages patients in their treatment from the moment that they initiate services and enables clinicians to readily access histories, assessments, and progress notes.
A customizable clinical records platform enables providers or organizations to create formats that highlight the information that they need. This type of records system is associated with increased levels of person-centered care planning when used within an effective EHR system.
A behavioral health EHR platform streamlines therapy practices by providing assessments, treatment plans, and progress notes for measurement-based care. Therapists can use the patient portal to request that patients complete an assessment.
The therapist can then review the result and any previous assessments. This allows for easy tracking of patient self-report measures. Comparing these with past results and the clinicians’ observations can help when tailoring individual treatment plans.
The patient can also see their progress over time in this way. These objective measures empower them to monitor their own symptoms, which in turn, often spurs self-awareness and insight into their progress or potential for relapse.
A focus on measurement-based care in a behavioral health EHR system provides the therapist with a wealth of information about patients. It creates opportunities for conversations about a patient’s progress or lack thereof. It also gives patients an opening for questions and education about their diagnosis.
Behavioral health EHR systems streamline therapy practices’ coordination of care. Mental and behavioral health patients often see multiple providers. The ability to transfer information into standardized clinical summaries enables EHR systems to communicate with one another. Interoperability with other programs increases data portability and enables your practice to share information digitally with other facilities. In fact, provider communication about mental health consultations occurs at a significantly higher rate when providers use interoperable EHRs.
Behavioral health EHR system platforms utilize alternative modalities of therapy, like teletherapy and text therapy, which makes therapy more accessible and increases patient engagement. These options embedded in your practice management and clinical record-keeping system make charting and billing for these procedures a straightforward process.
Behavioral health EHR systems that tie in with e-prescription programs provide prescribers with integrated record-keeping, which is also available for other team members to review, so everyone involved with a patient’s care has a fuller picture of their treatment.
The integration of clinic management features into EHR systems means every team member and patient in your practice or organization can benefit from implementing a behavioral health EHR system.
Here at CarePaths, we help therapists work more effectively and improve patient outcomes. To learn more about how we can help you, start your free trial today!
