At its most basic level, the value of an electronic health record (EHR) system is the ability to capture patient encounter data and then use that information to generate a charge. But there are many more benefits of an EHR system that you should know about when helping decision-makers invest in new software. 

Whether you represent a behavioral health clinic, a psychiatric office, a substance use disorder clinic, another type of mental health practice, or a human services organization, you need a specialty-focused EHR solution built for behavioral health. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of investing in a mental health EHR system, and the key features needed to ensure you get the best return on your investment.

Benefits of Using Mental Health EHR

When evaluating a new electronic health record system, it is common for behavioral health care leaders and decision-makers to start with examining the benefits. By allowing the electronic exchange of health information, mental health EHRs can provide your organization with several advantages while improving patient care. 

Access and Share Information

When emergency situations arise, having access to patient records on-demand through mobile devices enables better and more timely decision-making by health care providers. With the ability to share information among referrals, pharmacies, hospitals, and emergency response teams, behavioral health EHRs help you meet interoperability and Meaningful Use standards.

Improve Administrative Productivity 

Well-optimized EHRs that are designed for behavioral health improve productivity. By streamlining workflows and reducing paperwork, patients and staff have fewer forms to fill out, and providers and clinicians have more time with patients. EHR software uses templates to quickly produce electronic versions of treatment plans, assessments, and therapy notes. These templates also improve the functionality of coding and medical billing processes.

Impact Patient Satisfaction

Research shows that patients are more satisfied when they can book appointments, complete paperwork, and submit prescription requests online. Automatic reminders ensure ‌nothing falls through the cracks. Use secure communication tools to alert patients when they are approaching a treatment milestone, to follow-up on a missed appointment, or when it’s time for lab work. Reduce surprise bills by integrating your EHR system with medical billing and insurance claims.

Deliver Value-Based Care

A key component of value-based mental and behavioral health is patient access. EHRs make it easy for patients to view their electronic medical records (EMRs) — ideally through a secure patient records portal. They also improve access to care with appointment reminders, telehealth options, patient education resources, and HIPAA-compliant communication tools.

Another measure of value-based care is patient safety. Behavioral health EHR software enhances patient safety by producing standardized documentation of patient interactions. Electronic charting and clinical documentation means illegible handwriting in treatment notes or prescriptions is no longer a problem. Even more impressive, integrated e-prescribing systems may find drug interactions or other indicators of potential harm that humans can sometimes miss.

Reduce Administrative Costs

Using digital patient records and integrated communications methods can significantly lower administrative costs. For instance, EHRs may reduce the need to spend money on transcription services and storage for paper charts. The cost of coding and claims management as well as health care coordination costs usually decrease too. Last but not least, reducing the time spent on communication between behavioral health providers, patients, labs, pharmacies, and health plans results in cost savings.

Optimizing Mental Health EHR for Maximum Adoption

Our research shows that choosing a specialty-specific mental health EHR company providing comprehensive training is essential for successful EHR adoption. The ability to customize the EHR system to best fit your mental health organization’s management needs is also important.

Once successfully implemented, you can begin optimizing your EHR software after a few months of use. By analyzing data, you’ll be able to know exactly which tools, forms, reports, and workflows you need to make the system most beneficial for you.

ContinuumCloud’s EHR system was designed by health IT specialists possessing a background in behavioral and mental health. When you invest in our EHR solution, you get a true partner. From start to finish, ContinuumCloud’s support works with your team to ensure successful EHR adoption. 

ContinuumCloud’s Mental Health EHR Features

ContinuumCloud is a fully cloud-based EHR system. When crunching the numbers, this is important because it means you won’t need to invest in a secure server at your place of business. Cloud-based EHR solutions can eliminate some costs associated with in-house EHR software. ContinuumCloud’s EHR solution, for example, is "software as a service,” or SaaS, which means you never need to purchase software and nothing has to be installed or maintained on your end. 

We have designed EHR software with features that provide support at the front desk, in the back office, onsite, or in the field — whether or not you have Wi-Fi. With only a click, all of your data syncs the next time you're online. ContinuumCloud’s EHR system is compatible with Android, iOS, and Windows devices and has an array of features.

Patient Portal

We offer a patient portal that helps streamline communication between patients and clinicians via a secure central hub. Patients can log in to review lab results, view information in their electronic medical record (EMR), self-schedule appointments, and reach out to staff via HIPAA-compliant messaging.

Communication Tools

Your time is important and limited. Make the most of it with ContinuumCloud’s communication tools. In addition to client communication tools within the patient portal app, we also include the following staff messaging tools. 

• Messenger: Texting and video conferencing are available in real-time, allowing convenient collaborative care. A telehealth feature is available with this add-on.
• Chat: Using chat, internal staff can communicate instantly and securely. You can directly message anyone in your organization.

Reporting Tools

ContinuumCloud’s mental health EHR solution includes comprehensive reporting tools. This includes thousands of stand-alone reports, templates, and ODBC (database) reporting options.

Onboarding and Continuing Training

ContinuumCloud uses a multiphasic approach for implementation and training to ensure successful adoption by mental health professionals.

1. Discovery and planning

To start, we work with you to understand your organization’s unique requirements and goals. We then assess your software needs and create a plan for successful implementation.

2. Configure, develop, and test

The next step is to complete a comprehensive setup and configuration process. During this phase, we will execute the approved implementation plan while configuring the software to meet your agency’s specific needs. We will also develop and test any changes and updates to the system as needed.

3. Onboarding and training

Following the completion of software development, your team will undergo training on the configured system. Our onboarding and training program gets your team up to speed quickly.

4. Ongoing support

We work with your project team after launching your mental health EHR system to ensure a smooth transition to our support team.

Additional Value at No Additional Cost

ContinuumCloud offers a range of cloud-based mental health software solutions specifically designed for the behavioral health and human services industries. These solutions are compatible with our EHR system and include a human capital management system with mobile workforce management and payroll capabilities, as well as the CaredFor mobile app, a patient engagement platform.

Choose the Mental Health EHR That Makes the Most of Your Investment

When it’s time for your private practice, mental health clinic, or behavioral health organization to implement a new EHR system, you may need information to justify the investment. With a mental health EHR, you can implement value-based care initiatives that enhance the quality of care you deliver, including improved patient safety. It may also be possible to reduce administrative costs and boost patient satisfaction by choosing the right EHR system.

ContinuumCloud’s EHR solution enables behavioral health and mental health organizations to provide high-quality care and meet their organizational goals. We follow extensive onboarding and training protocols designed to improve EHR adoption. A highly functional EHR solution with additional services that add value without adding to the cost is the hallmark of our product. Connect with our behavioral health IT experts to create a technology proposal with pricing for your mental health organization today.