Despite the hype surrounding electronic health record (EHR) implementations, many projects fail to meet expectations and incur unnecessary costs.
Behavioral healthcare practices have unique needs that make EHR selection a daunting task.
When searching for an EHR solution, look for behavioral health-specific features. These include a patient portal, clinical documentation, billing integration, and telehealth support.
Patient Portal
The patient portal is one of the most essential features to look for in a behavioral health EHR solution. This feature allows patients to log in and access their personal information, medications, appointments, billing, and other services.
The best patient portals have various features that make the process easier for the doctor and the patient. These features include the ability to refill prescriptions, monitor compliance, track progress, and schedule/cancel appointments.
These features help reduce common issues, such as no-shows and forgotten appointments. They also save the patient and practice time, money, and resources.
Clinical Documentation
Clinical documentation ensures healthy patient outcomes, timely payer reimbursements, and regulatory compliance. It’s also a key platform for healthcare organizations to achieve their mission of helping people.
A comprehensive behavioral health EHR solution provides specialized tools to ensure your practice runs smoothly and you deliver the best possible care for your patients. The software will also help you meet industry standards and manage your business operations efficiently.
With a specialty-specific Mental Health EHR, you can focus on what matters most to your clients and reduce the time spent coding and billing. You can easily access ICD and CPT coding codes for mental health that are not cluttered with regulations relating to other specialties. This means you can bill accurately and quickly.
Billing Integration
Billing Integration is one of the essential features to look for in a behavioral health EHR solution. Integrated billing software helps you manage the entire patient financial experience. It can eliminate the need to enter data into multiple programs.
A comprehensive centralized system reduces the time and labor resources required for collecting payments, verifying open balances, and preparing and mailing invoices. Enhanced efficiency and accuracy helps ensure compliance with payer regulations.
Many platforms offer a blend of standard EHR capabilities and practice management functions such as team notes and treatment plans. It also includes features like scheduling, treatment management, and medication adherence.
Patient Engagement
Patient engagement is one of the essential features to look for in a behavioral health EHR solution. It empowers patients with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to manage their health, resulting in improved outcomes and lower costs.
Behavioral healthcare providers that prioritize client engagement report better client outcomes, lower costs, and higher client retention rates. These initiatives also help improve patient safety and improve care delivery efficiencies.
Security
Security is a significant concern in behavioral health, and it should be addressed when choosing an EHR solution. There are several techniques to help ensure the privacy and security of your behavioral health records.
Ideally, you’ll want to look for an EHR solution built with the needs of mental health professionals and their patients in mind. That means specialized features like client self-service portals, e-prescribing, secure messaging, and HIPAA-certified telehealth.
Additionally, you’ll want to find an EHR solution that provides robust support. This includes a dedicated support team responding quickly to your queries and providing product training and refreshers.
