What is behavioral health
EHR software?

The term consists of two elements. First, an electronic health record (EHR) is the electronic medical record of a patient or their medical history. Second, software that is specialized in mental health or behavioral problems.

It must be pointed out that some medical professionals use the same EHR for mental and behavioral health. There is some difference, as mental health practices deal with psychic problems such as depression, personality disorders, or mental health conditions in general.

Behavioral health practice deals more with the actions of a patient, such as substance abuse, anorexia, and social isolation.

However, both practices are interconnected, and almost every EHR software in the field includes features for both. For this reason, the article will use the terms interchangeably.

What are the benefits of
mental health EHR software?

The electronic medication administration record (or EHR of a patient) replaces the paper variants of patient records. Using paper for holding patient information requires space, is prone to damage and wear, and is hard to transport between healthcare providers.

Using an electronic health record system to share medical information between behavioral health providers, mental health patients, and other health care providers has several benefits:

Increased productivity

Relying on written accords is prone to misspelling and medication errors. Mental health software can hold information and automate many tasks, such as filling in health records automatically and saving a lot of unnecessary paperwork. For example, the health EHR software can have speech-to-text functionalities or automatically fill in data from different sources.
Improved patient experience

Mental health EHR software is developed with ease of use in mind. Thus, patients can use features such as patient portals to access their medical records, schedule appointments, and receive reminders for upcoming appointments.

Patients with behavioral or mental problems especially need a pleasant online experience, or they refuse to access healthcare. Such features thus improve patient engagement and lead to higher profits for mental health clinics.
Enhance clinical documentation

A simple mistake can compromise the patient’s safety if they are prescribed the wrong medication or treated differently. Mental health software can catch such mistakes as it can double-check from several sources.

It can present these sources to mental health practitioners to maintain consistency. Furthermore, distance is not an issue, as mental health professionals can instantly access information from everywhere.

Furthermore, patients can also visit mental health clinics all across the state, and professionals will have access to their records. Lastly, the EHR does not take up any space, nor does it decay over time. All of which improves patient care, by presenting more accurate information to mental health practitioners.

Key features of the software

The software archives these key benefits through the use of
several features, some of which are:

E-prescribing
Integrated billing
Practice management
Therapy notes

E-prescribing

With this feature clinicians can send information directly to pharmacies. As an added benefit, the software can track the dosage and report overuse or misuse of prescriptions.

Integrated billing

Medical billing is one of the most important parts of a business. The software can handle reimbursement, and insurance claims and sent automatic billing for each service, leaving more time for patient care

Practice management

The software can handle appointment requests, intake forms, or create appointment reminders. The practice management software handles many of the administrative tasks leaving more time for patient care. The software helps a physician manage schedules and optimize behavioral health workflows.

Therapy notes

Mental health providers can serve many behavioral factors and create patient notes during individual or group practices or from a patient encounter. These notes can then be used to make treatment plans, create care coordination, or observe progress notes.

Problems with mental
health EHR

Common to all software, two major issues stand out:

Security. Behavioral health practices deal with sensitive information that could be misused in the wrong hands, and healthcare providers must adapt to new cybersecurity trends. In order to ensure HIPAA compliance, the software must be secure.
Implementation and upkeep. The initial investment into on-premise hardware can be too costly for many facilities. On top of that, the software requires constant upkeep.

Yet, these are issues common to the entire software industry. Furthermore, clinics have access to a wide range of options for their software, as they can also use the software as a service for a small monthly fee.

Behavioral health EHR software definitely improves and optimizes the practice of healthcare providers, by providing various administrative and practice benefits. However, one must also take into consideration the weaknesses of the software, namely its security.

For this reason, each healthcare facility will benefit from working with a trusted IT partner who can help maintain the software. In that field, BGO Software is among the leading healthcare software companies.

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Behavioral Health EHR Software

What is behavioral health EHR software?

What are the benefits of mental health EHR software?

Increased productivity

Improved patient experience

Enhance clinical documentation

Key features of the software

E-prescribing

Integrated billing

Practice management

Therapy notes

Problems with mental health EHR

Our expertise in depth

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Behavioral Health
EHR Software

What is behavioral health
EHR software?

What are the benefits of
mental health EHR software?

Problems with mental
health EHR

Do you still wonder what type
of service you need for your
project?