Being in the healthcare industry, you must know how hard it can get to keep manual data track of every patient. Now imagine if medical practitioners in the psychiatric care unit have to memorize all patient data. Of course, there will be a chance for human error and misinformation.
That is where Electronic Health Records or EHR software comes in. These are a systematic collection of patients’ electronic medical records that healthcare professionals can access. Technically, EHR is the digital version of health data.
However, the psychiatric care industry has an EHR solutions shortage in America. In most of the tools, mental health data have been missing. Studies show that psychiatric hospitals use EHR at a rate of 46% compared to 96% in general hospitals. This blog will discuss the important benefits of EHR and the need for its implementation.
What Are the Features of EHR in Psychiatric Care?
American psychiatric care has a human resource shortage. Hence, it creates a fragmented service model with a huge treatment gap. That is why an EHR system for behavioral health practitioners is a relevant, consistent, and reliable solution for administration.
Similarly, such systems for mental health will provide a comprehensive solution to administrative tasks. Accumedic Computer Systems state that the function of an EHR for mental health institutes includes the following:
- Assessment of the psychiatric care outcome
- Access to elaborate treatment plans and diagnoses
- Patient history based on medical reports
- Information about patient progress
- Imaging reports and ePrescribing options
These functionalities will help American psychiatric hospitals offer better and more accurate patient care. With this cloud-based software, healthcare providers can access efficient billing integration and document management.
Why Is Mental Health EHR Software Important?
The medical industry has started to adopt technology for better services. Due to their immense popularity over the years, EHR solutions have made their way into the mental health sector.
Psychiatric clinics look for better ways to manage clinical, financial, and administrative functions. After the pandemic, mental health concerns have been exacerbated, which means an influx of patients. Hence, the industry is doing everything in its power to provide optimal patient care.
Telephonic counseling and online therapy have been on the rise. Hence, the presence of EHR can significantly increase the potential of this sector.
The focus of the mental health sector has always been on value-based care. And EHR software can help provide exceptional care facilities. Furthermore, it helps mitigate the gap between different healthcare providers.
5 Benefits of EHR Software for Psychiatric Care
Imagine a patient who has diabetes and has developed mental health issues like anxiety and depression. They will have two healthcare providers under different institutions to treat the health concerns.
Certain medications for mental health cannot be given to the patient because of their sugar levels. What happens if the industry fails to keep a record of all their treatments? In such a situation, the healthcare providers will not be on the same page and might prescribe the wrong medication.
Therefore, psychiatric EHR software is vital to record the patient’s medical history and avoid prescription errors or double diagnoses. The benefits of this software include the following:
- Coordinated patient care and an improved option for prescribing medication
- Easier prescription management with proper data accessibility
- Improved patient-doctor confidentiality and data security
- Enhanced efficiency in psychiatric care and simplified clinic management
- Streamlines workflow across different departments for improved patient care
Furthermore, it will help mental health clinics make informed decisions timely. Access to electronic patient charting makes it easy for doctors to take patient notes. There are integrated scheduling features that help with billing management.
What to Look For in a Psychiatric EHR Software?
Do you want to deal with mental health EHR challenges like information security, privacy, and usability hurdles? Then you should choose the tool based on factors like clinical requirements, system preferences, and current issues.
Moreover, the software should help with patient goals and meet the psychiatric clinic’s management requirements. You can choose a tool that has a dedicated cloud-based patient portal with psychiatry-specific features. It should have billing information and analytics for ease of access.
Stock management and telemedicine features can be bonuses in the mental health EHR software. Usually, this health record software should have psychiatry workflow management and advanced note management features.
The Bottom Line
Mental health EHR software will let you store and manage digital patient records rather than deal with physical documents. Features include assessment of the care provided, access to treatment plans, patient history, and reports. Moreover, EHR software can help mitigate the workforce gap in this sector.
This tool can help coordinate patient care and assist in prescribing medication. You get to access all patient data in the cloud. Hence, doctor-patient confidentiality remains secure.
Psychiatric EHR solutions can also streamline administrative workflow and enhance efficiency. However, to gain the best benefits of this tool, you must look for psychiatry-specific management features.
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