A behavioral health electronic health record is an EHR system designed around the clinical, administrative, billing, and reporting needs of mental health, substance use treatment, I/DD, and human services organizations. Unlike a general medical record system, it supports the documentation and coordination requirements of behavioral health services.
This guide explains how behavioral health electronic health records differ from general medical systems, which capabilities organizations should evaluate, and what to consider when comparing EHR options.
What Is a Behavioral Health Electronic Health Record?
Behavioral health EHRs are electronic health record systems designed to meet the specific needs of behavioral health providers. Behavioral health EHR software is a comprehensive solution that goes beyond the services offered by electronic medical records (EMR) software. They offer providers a secure way to store and access patient records digitally and provide tools to boost communication and collaboration with patients and other members of the treatment team.
Behavioral health EHRs can help providers across several specialties, including:
- Mental health professionals
- Inpatient and outpatient treatment programs
- Substance use and addiction counselors
- Special education
- Foster care service providers
- Early intervention specialists
- Developmental disabilities
- Student health services
In behavioral health, teams often need to work even more closely with one another to develop and track patient treatment plans. For example, patients may have a psychiatrist, therapist, and primary care physician who all need to communicate about treatment. Having a centralized communication portal where each member of the care team has access to assessment, progress notes, therapy notes, and other clinical documentation keeps everyone in the loop while ensuring that patient information is stored securely.
Features to Look For in a Behavioral Health EHR
Since EHRs are comprehensive solutions for behavioral healthcare, they generally offer a wide range of features. Sorting through all of the offerings can be a bit overwhelming, so here’s a simplified list of the most important features to look for in a behavioral health EHR:
- Electronic Health Record: EHRs allow providers to create, store, and access forms and patient records.
- Patient Portal: Patient portals are a secure HIPAA-compliant space to manage patient communications and allow patients to access their records.
- Chat or Messaging Features: Look for chat or messaging tools that allow treatment providers to easily communicate with one another in a centralized location.
- Telehealth and Telemedicine Support: Video chatting capabilities, patient messaging, appointment scheduling, and e-prescribing tools allow providers to connect with patients without an in-person office visit. Telehealth features are especially important in behavioral health, as it is one of the specialties that has seen the most growth in telemedicine. In 2020, one-third of behavioral health appointments for Medicare patients occurred over telehealth compared to only 8% of primary care visits. Investing in software with telehealth support will help you meet this increasing demand for virtual services.
- Mobile Support: EHR mobile applications allow patients and providers to access the platform from their smartphones for convenient scheduling and communication. You can take a look at the ContinuumCloud EHR app for an overview of the functionality and features of an EHR mobile app.
- Reporting Features: Gain access to detailed data reports to streamline revenue management and make better decisions as a company.
In addition to these key features, consider both the patient and employee experience. Each function within the EHR should be practical for the people who use it every day. To see how these capabilities come together in a purpose built platform, explore Welligent behavioral health EHR software.
Behavioral Health EHR Evaluation Checklist
When comparing behavioral health electronic health records, evaluate how each system supports the way your organization delivers care and manages operations.
| Evaluation area | What to examine |
|---|---|
| Clinical workflows | Whether documentation supports your programs, services, and care models |
| Treatment planning | How plans, goals, progress notes, and updates are created and managed |
| Scheduling | Support for providers, locations, programs, and appointment types |
| Billing | How clinical documentation connects with claims and revenue cycle workflows |
| Reporting | Access to the operational and clinical information leaders need |
| Implementation | Training, workflow mapping, data preparation, and organizational readiness |
| Interoperability | How information can be exchanged with other systems |
| User experience | Usability for clinical, administrative, billing, and leadership teams |
How to Choose a Behavioral Health EHR
There are many EHRs on the market, but providers must exercise care in choosing the right one to meet their needs. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you evaluate your EHR options.
Look for solutions designed specifically for the behavioral health field rather than general medical EHRs
Unlike a general medical EHR, a behavioral health EHR will have specialty-specific tools that fit your workflows, including clinical documentation tools, templates for common forms or assessments (such as the SPS scale), and stronger care coordination features.
Identify your individualized needs
Identify the top concerns for your practice. Each specialty, office, and team has its own workflows and operational needs. If you’ve pivoted more of your practice to telemedicine over the past few years, as many providers have, pay extra attention to the features offered for telehealth patients and providers.
Also, consider any existing tools that you use. Many behavioral health EHRs can integrate with other electronic tools and programs. For example, ContinuumCloud offers a number of integrations and third-party add-ons. If you have medical billing software, Medicaid, or insurance eligibility tools, or other practice management software that you’d like to coordinate with your chosen EHR, be sure to ask each vendor about integrations.
Choose a service with a personalized and responsive customer support team
Technical difficulties should never get in the way of patient care. If anyone on your team runs into a problem or needs a little help figuring out a feature, prompt support is imperative. ContinuumCloud’s customer support and training teams are always there to offer product training, refreshers on best practices, and ongoing support.
Discuss what the onboarding and implementation process will look like with each prospective vendor
A thorough implementation sets your organization up for success. One of the most common obstacles that behavioral healthcare providers have faced in adopting EHRs is a training and skill gap within the field.
A recent study found that some of the biggest barriers in adopting a mental health EHR were a steep learning curve, the complexity of the EHR systems, lack of computer literacy, and resistance from staff. You can mitigate many of these issues by ensuring that your staff receives proper training and support throughout the onboarding process. Include hands-on training and guidance from live onboarding staff who can directly address any concerns your team members have.
Frequently Asked Questions About Behavioral Health Electronic Health Records
What is a behavioral health electronic health record?
A behavioral health electronic health record is a digital system designed to support patient records, clinical documentation, treatment planning, scheduling, billing, reporting, and care coordination for mental health and human services organizations.
How does a behavioral health EHR differ from a general medical EHR?
Behavioral health EHRs are designed around the documentation, treatment planning, service delivery, and coordination needs of behavioral health providers. General medical EHRs may not reflect the same workflows or program structures.
What features should a behavioral health EHR include?
Organizations commonly evaluate clinical documentation, treatment planning, scheduling, billing, reporting, telehealth, patient access, mobile capabilities, interoperability, implementation, training, and support.
Which organizations use behavioral health electronic health records?
Behavioral health electronic health records can support mental health providers, substance use treatment organizations, I/DD and autism service providers, foster care organizations, child and family services, and other human services programs.
What should an organization consider when selecting an EHR?
Start with your clinical, administrative, billing, reporting, integration, and implementation requirements. Then compare how each system supports your programs, users, existing technology, and long term operating needs.
Can a behavioral health EHR support billing and reporting workflows?
Many behavioral health EHR systems include billing and reporting capabilities. Organizations should confirm how each platform connects documentation with claims, revenue cycle processes, and the reports their teams need.
Explore Behavioral Health EHR Software
Once your organization has documented its clinical, administrative, billing, and reporting requirements, the next step is comparing platforms built for behavioral health. Welligent brings these capabilities together in a cloud based behavioral health EHR for mental health and human services organizations.
