A psychiatric EHR must consider several things. This includes drug addiction and substance abuse. Avoiding documentation errors and staying compliant is crucial for behavioral health practitioners. They need a system with all-in-one tools to streamline data gathering. Save files on a secure server and automate data backups. Streamline daily operations with online form submission, scheduling, and billing modules.
Customization
Behavioral health clinics require advanced capabilities to support client records and implement value-based care. Inaccurate or lost documentation is costly to practices and limits the ability to support clients.
Using EHR software to standardize documenting eliminates the need for redundant data entry. It allows all clinical team members to access the same information and increase efficiency within the practice. This also helps to reduce errors and miscommunication. When a client is sent for tests or to see a specialist for co-occurring health issues such as blood pressure, diabetes, or migraines, their therapist needs to be able to share the appropriate data with other healthcare providers. An integrated mental health EHR system allows clinicians to send and receive data with other medical professionals easily.
Choosing a behavioral health EHR system that supports healthcare interoperability is crucial to meet state reporting requirements. Look for a vendor who offers built-in behavioral health CPT codes and has the functionality to map ICD-10 complaints automatically. This will decrease repetitive administrative and financial tasks clinicians need more time to handle.
Patient Portal
Patient portals allow patients to ask questions or discuss concerns during office visits. They can also communicate with staff through a HIPAA-compliant messaging system. This frees up phone lines and office staff to handle more urgent matters. Patient engagement is critical to the success of a portal. Many experts say that it’s up to providers to explain the benefits and encourage usage during each patient visit.
The patient portal allows clients to submit intake forms, schedule appointments, and reschedule with just a few clicks. Clients can also pay their bills and process credit card payments electronically. They can even access a draft folder and conduct video sessions with their counselors. This helps reduce no-shows and improves clinical documentation. The portal also makes it easy to conduct telemedicine and produce reports that help you understand your clients better. It’s secure and performs automatic data backups to ensure security. It’s also mobile-friendly and offers a variety of customizable features like appointment reminders by email, text, or voice call.
Patient Self-Service
For many patients, their behavioral health is intertwined with their physical healthcare. This is especially true for those with co-occurring conditions or receiving treatment from multiple providers. The ideal EHR system would easily integrate with other providers’ systems so that all of a client’s medical/mental and behavioral healthcare information is in one place.
Providing clients with the ability to preregister online allows them to avoid lengthy office wait times, which is one of the main contributors to negative provider reviews. This also helps streamline the day-of-service patient experience for staff. The convenience of being able to schedule appointments, clear outstanding balances, and communicate with your providers via the patient portal is what most patients want. These features are more than just convenient; they help increase patient engagement and satisfaction rates. This means happier clients and better overall care. Plus, it’s all done securely in the cloud and protected from fires, natural disasters, water damage, mold, and pests that could otherwise compromise paper files.
Integration with Billing Software
Managing a mental health practice can be challenging. With various responsibilities, including running prior authorizations, insurance verifications, documentation, and billing, your team must be equipped with software to manage these responsibilities and run your practice efficiently and effectively.
Behavioral health EHRs make it easier for your team to organize all medical/mental/behavioral treatment records into one place so that they can be more accessible and readily available. It also helps improve efficiency for your clinical team as they won’t have to re-enter redundant information into different forms.
