Mental health technologies are an invaluable tool for organizations to provide high-quality care for patients. With the right tools, organizations can support their workforce and their patients. But what exactly are those tools?
The answer comes down to three technologies in particular. An electronic health record (EHR) is essential for scheduling and documenting patient care, human capital management (HCM) software keeps things running smoothly within an organization, and a patient engagement (PE) app provides support that extends the continuum of traditional care.
Let’s take a deeper dive into these mental health technologies and how they can benefit the overall well-being of organizations (and patients) like yours.
Understanding Mental Health Technologies and Value-Based Care
Mental health technologies can meet value-based care standards by delivering effective, efficient, and patient-centered care. It’s possible to measure the success of implementing this technology by looking at metrics such as decreasing readmissions. Specifically, better quality can be achieved through various means, such as:
- Remote monitoring and treatment: Provide convenient and accessible patient care, reducing in-person visits, and improving outcomes.
- Data collection and analytics: Collect, gather, and analyze data to track patient progress and identify areas for improvement, helping providers to deliver more personalized and effective care.
- Collaborative care: Facilitate communication and collaboration between patients, providers, and care teams, leading to better coordination and improved outcomes.
- Evidence-based interventions: Deliver therapies that have been proven to be effective in treating mental health conditions, solving common pain points.
By incorporating these technologies, mental health care providers like you can deliver high-quality, cost-effective care that meets the standards of value-based care and ultimately improves the well-being of your patients.
Comprehensive Electronic Health Records System
A comprehensive electronic health record system is an essential mental health support technology that helps organizations provide the best possible mental health treatment (MHT) to their patients. A robust EHR solution is a highly configurable computerized system designed to manage patients' medical records and provide clinicians with real-time information. It allows clinicians to store and view patient data, such as medical history, treatments, and medications, in one place.
EHRs improve care quality by enabling providers to quickly provide digital mental health interventions like assessments, access clinical decision support tools for enhanced safety, and monitor more aspects of a patient's health journey. These new technologies help clinicians make better clinical decisions about treatment plans, improves communication between providers, and increases the accuracy and reliability of data collection.
Interoperability is another important feature of EHRs, which allows clinicians to exchange patient information with other specialty providers or public health departments. This increases the accuracy and speed of patient diagnosis and treatment, plus it provides clinicians with a broader range of insights into a patient’s history.
Finally, it’s important for mental health technologies to be HIPAA-compliant. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ensures that all electronically protected health information (ePHI) is kept secure and private. When selecting an EHR system, it’s vital to ensure it complies with HIPAA regulations to protect patient information.
Human Capital Management Software for Workforce Management
Mental health organizations need technology to support their operations and clinicians for maximum return on investment. It’s critical for behavioral healthcare organizations to have the right tools to manage their human resources and increase the efficiency of their workforce. HCM software provides a comprehensive solution that enables mental health professionals to create better patient outcomes.
Human capital management software helps mental health care and behavioral health practices deliver higher-quality care by streamlining and automating various HR and management processes. This can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the practice, freeing up time and resources for patient care. Some key features of HCM software that can help deliver better quality care in a behavioral health setting include:
- Employee time tracking: Simplify the process of tracking employee hours and resolve scheduling conflicts, which are known to improve employee retention.
- Performance management: Provide tools for performance evaluations and goal-setting to ensure that employees are effectively contributing to the practice's objectives and delivering high-quality care.
- Talent management: Support the recruitment, training, and development of new staff. Talent management helps organizations build and maintain a strong and capable workforce.
- Compliance tracking: Stay on top of the ever-changing regulatory landscape in the behavioral health field and reduce the risk of compliance-related issues.
Patient Engagement Apps That Extend Care
Patient engagement apps are becoming increasingly popular in behavioral health as they’re a great way to extend care beyond traditional models. Smartphone apps provide an easy and convenient way for patients to access care and communicate with their providers in real time. This can be especially important for young people with mental health disorders who may be more comfortable using digital mental health technologies than seeking face-to-face care.
Features of patient engagement platforms vary but typically include telehealth services (which grew popular during the pandemic), secure real-time messaging, and other digital wellness tools to help patients access the care they need.
Messaging features allow patients to connect with their providers from anywhere and make it easier for clinicians to keep up with their caseloads. As a result, there’s better communication between patients and providers, making it easier to coordinate care and get treatment for mental illness, substance use disorders, mental health services, or any other primary care need.
By leveraging technology, patient engagement apps can play an important role in helping behavioral health organizations provide quality care.
Partner With Experts in Mental Health Technologies
When it comes to addressing the mental health needs of a community, providers need reliable and trusted technology partners. ContinuumCloud is a leading provider of mental health software, offering a variety of tools to help organizations improve outcomes.
From an integrated EHR system to HCM software for workforce management and a patient engagement platform (the CaredFor app), ContinuumCloud provides a range of solutions designed to reduce the time it takes to provide care to your patients.
Our EHR solution was created specifically for behavioral health and human services, including psychiatry and mental health. It allows teams to manage patient care efficiently from intake through discharge. Our comprehensive EHR includes features like electronic prescribing, medication reconciliation, treatment planning, referral tracking, and outcomes monitoring.
ContinuumCloud’s HCM platform is designed to support the entire lifecycle of an organization’s workforce and is intentionally designed for behavioral health organizations as well. It covers all aspects of human capital management, including payroll and attendance, applicant tracking, benefits administration, compliance tracking, recruiting, and more. ContinuumCloud’s mobile app allows employees to securely access their employee profiles and HR information on their mobile devices.
The CaredFor app provides integrated tools to facilitate the delivery of high-quality care between appointments, such as virtual visits, Care Journeys, and alumni and peer support.
When selecting a mental health technology partner, be sure to consider the breadth of services they offer and how well they fit with existing systems. ContinuumCloud offers comprehensive solutions that meet the unique needs of mental health organizations and make managing mental health easier.
Enhance Mental Health Care With Technology
As a leading provider of mental health technologies, ContinuumCloud is dedicated to revolutionizing the way behavioral health organizations deliver care. With a cutting-edge electronic health records system, you'll enjoy real-time access to patient information and the ability to make clinical decisions with more accuracy and confidence.
Moreover, our human capital management software can streamline and automate your HR and management processes, freeing up valuable time and resources. This will not only improve your organization's efficiency, but also enhance employee satisfaction and retention.
With the CaredFor app, you'll have access to a patient engagement platform that extends the reach of care beyond the clinic walls. With minimal effort, you can maintain a continuous connection with patients and support their recovery journeys. To empower your organization with the technology it needs to deliver exceptional care, connect with us today to learn more.
