For addiction treatment and behavioral health treatment centers, implementing electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic medical records (EMRs) can benefit the practice in numerous ways. Overall, cloud-based EHR solutions are simple to maintain and operate; additionally, they can considerably improve the treatment experience for patients, clinicians, and office staff.
Improved Quality of Care
Health treatment practitioners are always searching for ways to provide a more engaged level of care for their patients throughout the process. EHRs are a simple solution to this problem, as they have been shown to have a dramatic impact on the quality of care in diverse areas.
In fact, a landmark study found that facilities who used EHR technology had not only improved patient relationships, but staff members were better informed in regards to their patients’ medical histories and issues. It was also found that patients’ perception of their quality of care was positively correlated with the use of EHRs.
Enhanced Decision Making for Addiction Treatment Professionals
Addiction treatment professionals need the most accurate information available in order to make the best decisions for their patients. Relying on paper medical records is an outdated practice, and it makes it difficult for treatment center staff to know whether or not they are getting a patient’s updated information when it matters most. Additionally, the billing staff is able to produce readable records and this is important for insurance reimbursements.
By using EHRs, staff members can always be assured that they are looking at the most up-to-date data, and therefore treat patients confidently. The flow of information in a patient’s record that an EHR offers, presents clinicians the time and ability to see a larger number of patients by spending less time searching for results and reports. Therefore, the staff is able to spend more time on goals and objectives for better outcomes.
EHRs provide remote access to patient charts, improved laboratory result availability, medication error alerts, and reminders for preventive care. Paper records simply don’t have these capabilities which consequently increases the chances of error, by inhibiting medical professionals from the ability to make well-informed decisions. A good EHR, provides a chronological view of all events documented and detailing a patient’s level of care, treatment goals and objectives. This ensures less human errors and improved clinical and medical services by all staff.
More Accurate Billing and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM)
Billing and insurance management has long been the nuisance of many addiction and behavioral health treatment centers. Thankfully, EHRs and EMRs help streamline the process by reducing the volume of paperwork required and automating the process with a Revenue Cycle Management system. This can save a facility countless hours of work in addition to diminishing the chances of human error and non-reimbursement.
AZZLY® provides a powerful, integrated EHR/RCM solution that is built specifically for addiction treatment centers. Discover more about how the AZZLY platform can assist you with the use of innovative technology to improve your ability to treat patients while helping your practice save on costs.
