Due to the COVID-19 pandemic teenagers and adults in the US have been under a lot of stress as a consequence of isolation and economic factors. According to the National Health Interview Survey, only 10% of adults suffered from depression and anxiety in 2019, but now 40% of Americans go through these symptoms.
Mental health is gaining a lot of importance. To stay competitive and operate efficiently many mental health practices have leveraged a behavioral health EMR software solution. It is a great investment as it offers many benefits.
Benefits of using a Mental Health EHR Software
- Saves both time and money as patients can easily schedule online, the need to call the clinic is eliminated and salaries can be saved for the maintenance of the reception staff.
- Improves the care process as the mental healthcare provider has access to all patient information stored in the electronic medical records software to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment.
- Hospital efficiency can be maintained. The mental and behavioral health EMR software offers features that can streamline administrative and financial processes.
- Improves the patient experience as patient scheduling is automated.
5 important functionalities of behavioral health EHR software
A top-ranked mental health Electronic Health Records (EHR) software offers the following set of robust features to streamline clinical, administrative, and financial workflows and enhance practice efficiency levels.
- In-built templates – The in-built templates are specific to mental health and help in SOAP note-taking during consultations. Mental health templates include depression, anxiety, addiction, ADHD, bipolar disorder, etc.
- Treatment plans – Treatment plans can be required for a treatment strategy to show patients that everything is going according to the treatment plan.
- Insurance and billing – A good mental health EMR software system not only helps to improve patient care but also improves the financial health of a practice. Built-in functionalities for insurance coverage and invoicing streamline the billing process by removing repetitive tasks.
- Appointment scheduling – To improve the scheduling efficiency the automation of the patient scheduling process helps to enhance the patient experience and combat the issue of no-shows.
- Workflow management – When working in the field of mental health, there is a lot of storing and recording large volumes of data. The Electronic Health Records (EHR) software should have the capability to maintain all mental health-related workflows. This functionality aids clinicians to make the right decisions when required.
Additional features
- Voice recognition
- Wearable device connection
- Client portal
It is advised when practices purchase behavioral health software it should be HIPAA compliant for patient privacy. The EMR Software should offer ease of use, so tasks can be completed with minimum stress and should not add up to physician burnout. A mental health EHR software can assist practices to enhance productivity levels and offer consistent high-quality patient care.
