Regardless of what type or size of medical facility you’re running, providers run into the same problems that waste time. Keeping track of patient treatments, medical billing, and appointment scheduling often takes place over several different platforms, including both paper and digital. This leads not only to a time drain, but also to brain drain since there are so many moving parts to keep track of, and mistakes are more easily made. Streamlining how to keep track of patient records by using an EHR for mental health providers will save you time, money, and sanity.
1. Invest in the Right Software
Given that the medical sector is one of America’s biggest industries, it only stands to reason that an entrepreneur would figure out how to integrate all of these processes together. One of the benefits of using a system like this is that not only are details saved since you’re dealing with a single record, but it’s also scalable. In our case, the pricing plan is structured according to numbers of users.
2. Adhere to Best Practices
Ensuring your staff are properly trained on how to enter patient information, code and bill for services, and track prescriptions is absolutely essential to your practice’s success. The US government endorses the usage of EHRs as a way not only to cut back on administrative waste, but more importantly, to reduce duplications of testing and provide safer, comprehensive care for patients. This is especially important when you’re dealing with patients struggling with addictions or psychological disorders, since continuity in treatment is key, and may involve finer details than a regular medical visit.
3. Have Processes in Place from Start to Finish
When it comes to behavioral health, one key factor to success is seeing the patient through from the first intake to the last step of recovery. There’s technology to provide this support, but you need to establish best practices for your staff of what to expect as a patient makes his or her way through your process. For example, ensuring that medical billing takes place within an appropriate timeframe is important, particularly since navigating the choppy waters of mental health services covered by insurance carriers can be complicated. Therefore, ensuring that your processes of how patients are tracked and processed are consistent and documented is important.
Although behavioral health centers are medical in nature, they have slightly different needs and requirements than other providers. Using the right software that integrates patient EHRs into one system and allows information to be accessed all at once provides one of the most important things in behavioral health, which is consistency in treatment.
