8 Key Questions to Ask Potential EHR Vendors

You understand the differences between an EHR and EMR system and you probably secretly accept that an EHR solution would help your organization.  However, the thoughts of transitioning to one can be daunting - if not outright overwhelming!  Take a deep breath.  There are things you can do to position yourself in the driver's seat prior to talking with potential EHR vendors.

The key is to understand what you do, why and how.  By keeping your focus on your organization's purpose, you'll be better able to determine early on if a particular EHR system is worth looking at in more detail.  By understanding how your providers and staff interact with your clients, you'll be better able to whittle down the plethora of features and requirements within the EHR system.

Before contacting potential vendors, define the following for your organization:

1.  What is the primary service(s) your organization offers?
2.  How many locations, providers, clinicians and office staff do you have that would use the system?
3.  How does your work flow from the initial referral to final discharge?
4.  What are the biggest challenges you face when serving your clients?
5.  What is your realistic budget?

After you've answered these questions, you can be more confident in talking with potential EHR vendors.

So what should you ask as you talk with them?   Here are 8 key questions to start your discussions:

1.   How does their system function for your organization and the services you offer?
Does it handle the key components of your visits or impose limitations on your practice?  Does it provide features you don't need or can they customize it specifically for you?

2.  How will the software interface (connect) with key systems you use regularly?
Do you have a scheduling or billing system that needs to talk to the EHR?  Are there any outside  providers or agencies you need to share data with?

3.  How will your data populate in the new system?
How will your existing data (paper or electronic) be entered into the new system?  How will data for new visits be entered and what will the final documentation look like?

4.  Where does your data reside?
Does the EHR software and company comply with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules?  Will it reside at a secure data center or on your premises?  What are the vendor's policies towards data storage and recovery, data access and data ownership?

5.  How will the system be implemented?
How much time does the vendor need to set up the system?  What is their "go-live" process?  Will your case load need to be adjusted during implementation?  What kind of equipment and network requirements are needed?

6.  How will your providers and staff be trained?
Will the vendor provide on-site or on-line training?  How many hours of training will be provided, and what happens if you request more training?  Will training materials be provided?

7.  What kind of post-installation customer support is provided?
How do you contact them for support and what is their turn around time to respond?  Are upgrades and maintenance to the software provided and how is it rolled out?  Is the vendor responsible for hardware or network changes?

8.  Are all costs understood and documented?
Is the software pricing based on per user licenses?   Are there separate costs for different features or services?  Are there any recurring monthly costs, one-time costs, maintenance or software upgrade fees?  Are there costs if you purchase new hardware or make network changes?

This information should give you a good starting point when beginning your EHR journey.  Don't be afraid to ask more questions or to ask for more clarity on things you may not fully understand.  Finding an EHR system that best fits your organization's needs while keeping your blood pressure in check is possible!
   

10 Advantages of an EHR System for Behavioral Health Professionals

When EMR software first hit the market, it was generally designed for medical specialties and not really for behavioral and mental health professionals.  Fortunately over the years, EHR systems have evolved into practical solutions that meet the technological needs of behavioral health providers.  Many offer the same robust features that medical specialties use while also focusing on the differing needs in the behavioral and mental health fields.

With the government's new interest in the possible incentive program for Behavioral Health Specialists, it's important to understand that EHRs have been proven to help provide higher quality and safer care for clients, while creating tangible enhancements for organizations.

As we go through the advantages of an EHR, it's important to keep in mind what your needs are in a system and how they relate to providing top care for your clients.  

EHRs help providers better manage care for clients by:

1.  Providing accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about clients at the point of care

2.  Enabling quick access for all permissible users to client records for more coordinated, efficient care

3.  Sharing electronic information securely with clients and other clinicians

4.  Helping providers more effectively diagnose clients, reduce medical errors, and provide safer care

5.  Improving client and clinician interaction and communication

6.  Enabling safer, more reliable prescribing and tracking of medications

7.  Helping promote legible, complete documentation and accurate, streamlined coding and billing

8.  Enhancing privacy and security of patient data

9.  Helping providers improve efficiency, productivity and work-life balance

10.  Reducing costs through decreased paperwork, improved safety, reduced duplication of testing, and improved health.

(And, here's an bonus advantage.....no more piles of paper charts heaped up everywhere!)

      Next we'll talk about some tips for selecting the best EHR for your organization!

Top 4 Challenges Facing Behavioral Health Organizations

A 2015 survey cited four of the biggest challenges facing behavioral health organizations were centered around an organization's culture, administrative tasks, regulatory compliance and collaborating with external sources for billing or client care. With the constant changes in behavioral healthcare, things probably haven't changed very much.

1. Culture

Roughly 10% of those surveyed stated some sort of culture-related frustration as its biggest challenge. Interpersonal conflicts in the workplace often result from frustration in navigating inadequate or antiquated processes. With paper records, most processes are generally governed by SOPs (standard operating procedures), These procedures tend to change as new management comes on board they can easily become non-standardized as providers and staff interpret these processes in their own way.

2. Administrative Tasks

Close to 20% of respondents stated specific administrative tasks as their organization’s largest challenge. This challenge included all types of functional duties performed by staff, including patient registration, documentation, and filing claims. Some of the organizations confessed many of these tasks were being performed by the care providers themselves. Administrative tasks represent a significant portion of any behavioral health organization’s time, that's just how it is.

3. Regulatory Compliance

Around 30% of those surveyed replied that keeping up with state or federal regulation was its biggest challenge, no surprise here! Behavioral health care is subjected to regular revisions in both state and federal requirements on a constant basis which often results in necessary changes to forms or workflows.

4. Collaborating externally

The most common survey response (40% of survey respondents) was that collaborating with external resources for billing or care was the biggest organizational challenge. With behavioral healthcare having so many different yet interlacing facets, it’s not surprising that the cooperation between care providers, billing services and insurance companies was a major pain point for the respondents.

Does your organization struggle with any of these issues?  The right EHR vendor may be able to help.

EHR versus EMR - What's the difference?

Most behavioral health specialists today are familiar with the terms EHR and EMR.  In our current healthcare industry the terms tend to be used interchangeably, however, there is a difference.

What is an EMR?

An EMR or electronic medical record is a digital record of a client’s health information.  It generally stays within one clinic and involves only the medical record of specific diagnoses/treatments.  The word “medical” focuses more on a client’s medical diagnosis and treatment.

What is an EHR?

An EHR or electronic health record is also a digital record of a client’s health information.  However it manages data from a client’s entire network of providers.  The word “health” covers more in-depth information about a person’s overall health.

Why the difference?

There are important differences between an EMR and EHR in regards to their purpose, function, and capability.   It’s important for you to understand these differences, especially if you’re getting ready to look for a solution to implement into your healthcare organization.

Here’s a quick look at the differences in capabilities between an EMR and EHR. 

EHR	EMR
·        Designed to follow a client from one provider or organization to another while sharing health information	·       Designed to record a client’s health data typically within one organization.
·       Collects & manages healthcare information from all sources for all diagnoses	·       Helps a provider stay on top of a client’s progress in regards to specific diagnoses
·       Interoperable – allows providers to electronically share a client’s data outside of their own facility instantly and securely with other healthcare professionals	·       Designed to stay within one organization.  Data can be shared with outside providers, but generally done manually through faxing or mailing.
·       Requirement of the Meaningful Use and MIPS programs	·       Does not meet Meaningful Use and MIPS requirements

In summary, EHR systems provide faster searching, retrieval and electronic sharing of a client’s complete health picture. The coordination of critical data between different providers is streamlined which paves the way for better clinical decisions.

What about keeping a paper-based system?

These days, a paper-based system just isn’t feasible anymore. Look at the piles of charts on everyone’s desk.  How much of your staff’s time is wasted looking for paper charts and deciphering hand-written notes?  What happens when one of your clinicians needs to see a client outside of the office?

Adopting progressive and valuable healthcare technologies into your organization will improve the quality of your services, help create a better environment for your team and contribute to overall better population health.