Earlier this year, RTI International, in coordination with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), held a Behavioral Health IT Roundtable meeting. It recently released a summary report of its findings from that day-long event. The full report can be found here.
 

The report reiterated low adoption of HIT by behavioral health (BH) providers, once again highlighting limited financial resources and a lack of trained health IT professionals as the two main barriers to EHR implementation.
 

The report highlights specific recommendations that resulted from the roundtable, including:

• Provide clear strategies to increase EHR adoption among BH providers.
• Provide technical assistance to BH providers who adopt EHRs.
• Develop a certification for behavioral health EHRs.
• Use challenge grants to increase access to care.
• Include clinical decision support for BH screening and treatment in EHRs.
• Include clinical quality measures in meaningful use for BH screening and treatment.
• Enhance the continuity of care document to include BH-related information.
• Ensure EHRs can support development and sharing of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).
• Promote the development of health IT systems to facilitate peer support.

 

As an EHR vendor who supports behavioral health organizations, Prognosis understands the issues discussed throughout the summary report and applauds the Roundtable’s ability to move this discussion forward. Limited financial resources and lack of trained health IT professionals are issues plaguing many rural and community hospitals (not necessarily behavioral health) across the United States. What is important is for all BH organizations to realize is there are solutions out there that align with their sized organizations and that address recommendations outlined by the roundtable.

 

For example, Prognosis’ EHR includes:

 
• Configurable ChartNotes templates that can create forms used throughout the hospital today. As a configurable solution, ChartNotes’ templates can be used as they are provided or adapted to meet your facility’s needs. This means you can easily add fields, reorder questions and add space for free text or dictation. Our templates already include:
  • Master behavior treatment plan
  • Therapist session progress notes
  • Special warnings note

 

• Patient education materials, powered by ExitCare, that provide information for alcohol abuse, addiction, physical abuse, pain management, drug testing and more.

 

• Clinical decision support to recommend medications based on diagnosis.

 

• Drug-drug, drug-disease and max / min dose recommendations.

 

• Ability to improve care coordination through continuity of care / summary of care document that can be shared hospital to hospital or physician’s office to hospital.

 

• Low-cost financing options to help BH organizations overcome the cost barrier to EHR implementation.

 

 

 

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