The medical field is growing more complex each day. With new government regulations and mandates pending on the horizon, the complexities are likely to be compounded, underscoring the importance of improved organizational methods. In the mental health field, that adage also holds true. In fact, behavioral health is such a big business today that its estimated worth is valued at more than $200 billion annually in revenue.
If you are a mental health practitioner, there are many technologies that can aid your specialty practice in maintaining patient records, registration, scheduling, monitoring, referrals, claims, billing, collections, and much more. One of the most popular choices is EHR software (electronic medical records) or an EHR system (in fact, a shopping 44% of medical practices use this daily).
Electronic medical records benefits everyone involved in a practice. The immediate organizational benefits are obvious; but the time savings (due to increased efficiencies) quickly adds up to a lot of dollars and cents, making the return on investment of mental health software or other electronic health records software recouped in no time. In fact, a Beckers Hospital Review found that nearly 60% of medical practices experienced a healthy return on investment using electronic medical record software such as mental health software.
Most EMR software programs or platforms are easy to implement and utilize, too (62% of medical practices surveyed said they have used it successfully right out of the box). And once implemented you can often begin reaping the benefits immediately.
That being said, although the advantages of employing mental health software in your medical practice are countless (improved efficiencies, documentation, and adherence to new regulations and standards, just to name a few) those are only one piece of the puzzle. The improved access to complete and thorough patient records can also help you save more lives; a staggering 44,000 to 98,000 people are estimated to die each year from preventable medical errors, according to the National Academy Press. In addition, it is believed that many of these errors could have been prevented by using support tools such as mental health software.
What do you think about EMR software? How do you find the best one? And if you already use EMR in your practice, do you prefer web based, software, or software as a service? Please share your experiences and opinions below.
Visit here for more information: sigmundsoftware.com