Physicians who practice Internal Medicine are on the forefront of patient care. As primary care physicians, they serve as the gateway to specialists and the care coordinators for their patients. Given the amount of data they generate during patient encounters, they often need to share this information with specialists to whom they refer patients, as well as track their patients’ treatment and progress with other health professionals. The amount of detailed documentation required by third-payers and accreditation organizations makes it nearly impossible to maintain complete paper records in an organized manner. The use of electronic health record (EHR) software streamlines documentation process and facilitates the sharing of healthcare information among physicians.

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With potential reductions in Medicare reimbursements for practices not using electronic health records (EHR) by 2015, many solo practitioners and small group practices are revisiting their decision to stay with paper charts and records. Initially, these providers had concerns about cost of entry, return on investment, and disruption in their practice that outweighed the benefits of the incentive payments offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Since many of these healthcare professionals have discovered their EHR concerns have been addressed with the latest releases of EHR software, they have decided to join the ranks of healthcare providers who have adopted this healthcare information technology. What do healthcare professionals need to succeed in their transition to EHR software?

While behavioral health providers have been reluctant to adopt behavioral health electronic health records (EHR), the reality they face reductions in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements if their practice does not adopt EHR by 2015 has motivated behavioral health practitioners to consider their options in behavioral health EHR. With the introduction of cloud-based EHR software with enhanced security features, the entry cost of behavioral health EHR has significantly decreased and the protections for patient records has become more robust. Additionally, the introduction of specialty software designed specifically for behavioral health providers reduces the need for costly and time-consuming customizations. Key Features Needed in Behavioral Health EHR Software The practice of psychiatry and other behavioral health disciplines has always had unique needs in terms of record and documentation, which is the reason one-size fits all EHR software solutions do not meet the needs of most behavioral health providers. Specialty EHR software for behavioral health practitioners offers these key features to meet the needs of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.

Many physicians that explored implementing electronic health records (EHR) a few years ago when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced their incentive program for those that adopted healthcare information technology opted not to participate in the program. Some of the reason doctors cited for not adopted EHR included the high cost of entry and ownership, time-consuming user interfaces with required fields not relevant to their practices, and concerns about security. When EHR software developers heard these concerns, they started including physicians in the development process of new EHR software releases. Additionally, the new certification requirements for EHR software that go into effect in 2014 also address security concerns.

Adopting an electronic health record (EHR) system in your practice can be daunting. But with strategic staff training, you can avoid the pitfalls many medical practices encounter. Software Advice provides five training tips to get your practice up to speed on a new EHR effectively.

Here is a sneak peek into our whitepaper, "Six Must Have Features for Behavioral Health EHR. Inside you'll find information on what features you should be looking for in EHR Software and more importantly, why you need them. Download the Free whitepaper today and learn what EHR features your Behavioral Health practice needs!

A recent study of 39 health insurers published in Information Week provides another reason that your practice needs EHR. Third party payers of all types plan to switch transition from a fee for service model to a value-based reimbursement system. This means provider payments will be based upon that quality, efficiency, and outcome of patient treatment as opposed to the services that health care professional provide.

While many of the larger urban area behavioral health centers have adopted electronic health records (EHR), smaller clinics and solo providers have lagged in their rate of adoption of behavioral health EHR. Now that the October 2014 deadline is getting closer for Medicare and Medicaid providers to start using EHR or face a 15 percent reduction in reimbursements, professionals have started taking a second look at behavioral health EHR. Additionally, with security improvements in cloud-based EHR, the cost of entry and ownership of EHR software has decreased significantly.

While podiatrists can certainly benefit from the streamlined administrative functions offered by electronic health records (EHR), the use of this form of health information technology provides a means of capturing and transmitting various clinical quality measures. In addition to being one of the requirements to meet Stage II meaningful use requirements to be eligible for incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Board of Podiatric Surgery (ABPS) now requires podiatrists to report variety of clinical quality measures as part of their Maintenance of Certification program.