Mental health practices require an electronic health record system that has features that are unique to their practice. This is because behavioral and mental health practices must follow stringent guidelines when it comes to how they use clinical data. Public health EHR software must meet specific requirements designed to allow the mental health professional to provide their patient with maximum care while at the same time maintaining their confidentiality.
Behavioral healthcare uses different classifications when compared to other forms of healthcare. They need to record a larger amount of intensive data. There is also a greater need in this field to coordinate across patient engagement and clinical settings with the goal of reaching positive outcomes. All this must be done while adhering to stringent HIPAA requirements.
For this reason, public health EHR software must offer the basic functionality that all healthcare facilities need. This includes the ability to schedule appointments, track medication, write basic notes, and create bills. However, depending on the services that are delivered and whether the services are delivered in a group practice or solo setting, additional functionality may be required.
An advanced feature may include quality measures issued by CMS. These can factor into their value-based reimbursement program. This means that an EHR program would need to have features that allow for reporting and tracking.
Mental health professionals look for EHR software that offers care coordination, billing coordination, medication management, patient engagement, and clinical decision support tools. The EHR software that works the best will be one that meets the medical facility’s current needs and leaves room for future growth.
