The Importance of EHR in Behavioral Health Care
Electronic health records (EHR) are widely used among medical providers and are becoming increasingly more popular with behavioral health professionals as well. EHR systems offer benefits to both care providers and patients, making it an essential tool for the care provider industry.
When it comes to behavioral and mental health care, our team at Integrity Support understands exactly what your practice needs to treat your patients effectively and efficiently. Most behavioral health clinics are run by very few individuals who juggle a hundred different tasks, including authorizations, insurance verifications, billing, and more! Integrity Support recognized the need for a system that could simplify tasks specifically related to the behavioral health care field. With over 10 years of experience in the behavioral health industry, we created Checkpoint EHR, a 3-in-1 software solution for your practice. Contact us today for a live demo.
Benefits of EHR for Providers
Some of the benefits of an EHR system for behavioral health include:
Improved Diagnostics. An EHR system can aid care providers in providing a diagnosis. It gives providers access to a patient’s complete health information, allowing providers to diagnose problems sooner. Their comprehensive records make it easier to consider several, if not all, aspects of their condition. If providers can diagnose a problem quickly and accurately, then they can get the proper treatment to the patient sooner.
Improved Treatment and Prescription. EHRs can provide better medication management. For providers who are in a field specific to mental or behavioral health, a system such as Checkpoint EHR would come in handy. Checkpoint EHR keeps an accurate log of patient history, medication, and allergies, and has the ability to alert providers when there is a potential conflict with the prescribed medication or treatment. EHRs can also help reduce the potential for prescription drug abuse.
Better Care Coordination. With increased integration comes an increased level of care. Instead of spending time taking unnecessary tests for the third or fourth time, an EHR could let any therapist or clinician know what a patient has or hasn’t been through or completed. EHRs allow providers to locate patient records any time, so that providers don’t have to worry about forgetting an important piece of information when debriefing about a patient’s specific needs.
Extensive Access. As a provider, you receive unlimited access to view your electronic health records. Professionals in the behavioral and mental health field face life-threatening emergencies, such as suicide or self-harm, which is why being able to pull up patient health records on-the-go is critical for crisis-response situations.
Centralize Billing. A qualified EHR system, such as Checkpoint EHR, streamlines the billing process to reduce any delays or errors in cost. Paper invoices typically produce errors which can turn out to be extremely costly mistakes. When you switch over to a digital system, not only is there less room for error, but there are also fewer complications regarding authorizations, verifications, etc.
Does EHR Benefit Patients?
The short answer is yes it does!
Not only does a qualified EHR system allow providers to give patients better care, but it also allows patients to take more of an active role when it comes to their care. They have ready access to their health records at any time, allowing for a freer form of communication between patient and care provider. Transparency and open communication can help lead to better compliance with treatment, especially when it comes to medication.
Checkpoint EHR comes with amazing features, such as the ability to e-prescribe, allowing providers to prescribe or refill medications for their patients as quickly and securely as possible. See here for more great features that make Checkpoint EHR a must-have system for your clinic!
Contact us to learn more about Checkpoint EHR and how it can improve the quality of care in your practice today.