Mental Health EHR Software

Buyers guide

Electronic medical record (EMR)/electronic health record (EHR) systems for mental and behavioral health providers have unique features and capabilities specifically for counselors, mental health clinics and group practices. We created this guide to help you understand your options and evaluate the best fit for you.

Here's what this guide will cover:

What Is Mental Health Software?
Common Features of Mental Health Software
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Market Trends to Understand

What Is Mental Health Software?

Mental health software, also known as behavioral health software, allows physicians, therapists and other related professionals to manage their clinical, administrative and operational workflows. The software also manages patient case or outcome management and ensures regulatory compliance.

Software for mental health professionals is also often referred to as "therapy software." Though the terms are often used interchangeably, "mental health software" tends to connote more robust functionality that may be beneficial for large practices or clinics, whereas "therapy software" may include more basic functionality that is sufficient for solo practitioners.

Common Features of Mental Health Software

When selecting a mental or behavioral health EMR, providers should consider other features necessary to improve efficiency and care at their agency or facility. For example, some psychiatry electronic medical records allow you to create and store custom, reusable notes in a database for quick retrieval during a patient encounter. Others will need administrative features like a calendar application or patient scheduling system for clinical appointments.

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Here are some of the capabilities to consider:

What Type of Buyer Are You?

There could be several reasons why a mental health medical practice is seeking EMR software:

Moving from paper to digital records. Many practices are practically buried in paper charts. By moving to a digital system, these offices can reduce clutter and increase accuracy.

Replacing outdated systems. A common complaint from software buyers often refers to the age of a system and it’s inability to perform as quickly or efficiently as newer applications. Other reasons: some older systems are no longer supported by the vendor, and new systems are likely to have updated features to meet federal requirements.

Integrating applications into one system. Double entry into various systems that perform different tasks wastes a lot of time. Practices seek more integration of software, and many modern systems offer combined applications or the ability to connect different systems together.

Market Trends to Understand

There are several trends happening in electronic medical records for mental health and psychiatry software. Here are a few you should consider as you select a product and vendor:

• ONC-ATCB certification. Perhaps the most significant trend in psychiatric software and mental health systems is the U.S. government-backed move towards electronic medical records (EMR) adoption. A major component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (signed into law by President Obama in 2009) is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which offers a “carrots and sticks” plan for medical offices to adopt mental health electronic health records. Qualified practices can earn up to $44,000 in reimbursements in the form of increased Medicare and Medicaid premiums. To qualify, mental and behavioral health professionals have to show “meaningful use” of ONC-ATCB-certified mental health EHR software.
 
• Guidelines for Stage 2 of HITECH were announced in early 2012, and the deadline for physicians to become meaningful users was set for three years later. Those that fail to qualify will face decreased Medicare and Medicaid payments. For those evaluating mental health software, one major deciding factor should be whether it’s certified or not.
 
• Mobile device support. The number of doctors and medical professionals bringing their mobile devices to work and accessing data on the go—via smartphones, tablets etc.—is growing. Psychology practice management software and psychiatry EMR software vendors are responding by offering more support for wireless devices. Some are even offering native apps for various operating systems (Apple, Android, Windows). When evaluating mental and behavioral health EHR software, consider what you’ll need in terms of mobile support.
 
• Software as a Service (SaaS). The number of buyers interested only in Web-based EMR mental health systems is climbing at a steady rate. As cloud computing catches on in other industries, it is emerging quickly in healthcare as well. Common reasons for behavioral health software adoption include remote access, lower upfront costs and reduced IT burden. Also, developments in HIPAA compliance, data security and encryption, server reliability and data backup make Web-based behavioral health electronic health records viable alternatives for mental health practices.