BLOGS & EDUCATION
The Keys to a Successful Substance Abuse EHR Implementation Process
For substance abuse and mental health treatment providers, a new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system is a big commitment. Implementing it requires significant investments of both time and money, with a lot of pressure to get it right. Your EHR is critical to your organization’s success. How you use your EHR is equally crucial as which EHR. The electronic health record will be the backbone of your organization. It can provide insightful information regarding your organization and patient outcomes if used correctly. Standard productivity tools like Microsoft Word and Excel have expanded our capabilities and dramatically lowered the friction of presenting and sharing information. But like many technologies, you usually use around 20 percent of the available features. That may [...]
Prepare for Substance Abuse Treatment Changes With the Right EHR Solution
The for-profit substance abuse market is changing, and providers need to be prepared. From value-based reimbursement to multiple-payer clinical outcome requirements, you need to be able to collect, analyze, and report accurate data to stay compliant and receive the greatest reimbursements owed. The right EHR can help you navigate many of these changes. But how do you know that you are choosing the right EHR? If you’ve already invested in an EHR system, how can you make sure you’re using it effectively? Here’s what to keep in mind. Start with the basics Buying an EHR is a lot like buying a house. When you’re shopping for a house, you can assume it will have a few basic features. For example, [...]
We have an app for that!
It’s a road, not a destination Advancing technology has brought more health care into the digital world. Today there are tons of behavioral health applications and services to choose from. Although these tools have been available for years, the COVID-19 pandemic propelled their adoption forward as most behavioral health care moved online. An ongoing shortage of behavioral health providers and increasing costs have also prompted consumers to turn to digital apps to help manage mental health symptoms. There are hundreds of behavioral health apps with different features aimed at a variety of needs. Some apps, like TalkSpace and BetterHelp, connect users directly to a licensed therapist for individual counseling. Other apps, such as Calm and Sanvello, offer meditation and breathing [...]
Here’s What EHR Users Need to Know About the 21st Century Cures Act
If your practice uses an electronic health record (EHR) system, then it’s important to understand how the 21st Century Cures Act affects you. The Cures Act, signed into law in December 2016, is the foundation put in place by the HITECH Act via the 3 stages of Meaningful Use. The Cures Act in many ways should be thought of as the next version or next “stage” of Meaningful Use. 21st Century Cures Act: Getting the Basics The Cures Act covers many areas of research, including drugs, medical devices, and software. For example, some funding is intended for the creation of new research competitions and loan repayment programs for certain researchers. It also speeds up the FDA drug approval process for [...]
5 Things to Consider When Procuring EHR Software
I’ve been dedicated to the behavioral health market for over 25 years and I’ve probably worked on over 1,000 requests for proposals (better known as RFPs) for electronic health records. Because of this, I’ve pretty much seen it all. Long lists of questions, scenario-based responses, pricing-based responses, some that look like they took months to put together, and many that have hundreds of line items in an Excel spreadsheet. Who doesn’t love reviewing and answering a good old-fashioned functionality matrix? As more and more technology companies enter the behavioral health space, provider organizations will need to be increasingly diligent when choosing new technology. Here are 5 things your organization needs to consider during the software procurement process. Staff to client [...]
It’s Never Too Late to Learn the Building Blocks of Value-Based Care
You’ve probably noticed the incredible investment in the healthcare technology space over the last couple of years. Value-based care (VBC), or value-based reimbursement, is a common buzzword in healthcare. But not everyone is clear on what it means exactly. As the U.S. healthcare industry evolves toward VBC, many health providers and new technology solutions may feel like they’re falling behind. This introduction to VBC will give you the basics and help you catch up. First, let’s define what VBC is replacing: fee-for-service (FFS) care. What is fee-for-service (FFS) care? VBC is intended to replace the FFS model, which has been predominant in healthcare for many years. Under this model, payers are billed for individual services. For example, a person who [...]