While it has not seen the devastating levels of opioid addiction as other states, California still faces the challenges of opioids and other addictions. Here are the behavioral health issues and solutions making headlines in the state. California Expands Addiction Treatment Program The “Hub and Spoke” system of addiction treatment involves regional treatment centers connected…
What practice management solutions are essential for behavioral health therapists and addiction treatment professionals? Here are the options that can help streamline your organization, increase your revenue, reduce your workload, and improve your patient care. Electronic Health Record (EHR) An EHR is more than just a digital version of a patient’s chart. It also allows…
Laura Mills, Ph.D. (QM, Psych) Director, Research & Evaluation, Pine River Institute When you are about to start measuring the impact of your work, you might first ask, ‘What measurement instrument is the best?’. Asking this question first, however, might result in your measuring factors that don’t resonate with your practice, or omitting factors that…
The Joint Commission, a non-profit organization that accredits nearly 21,000 U.S. healthcare organizations and programs, requires behavioral health organizations to assess patient outcomes with “a standardized tool or instrument.” This is intended to help “inform goals and objectives identified in individual plans of care, treatment, or services…as well as to evaluate outcomes of care, treatment,…
In a previous BestNotes blog post, we provided an overview of interoperability, what it looks like, and its history. But why does it matter specifically to behavioral health providers and those working in addiction treatment? Interoperability in Practice Because it facilitates communication, interoperability can benefit patients, providers, and payers in a variety of ways: Improved…
BestNotes Profiles Ready-to-use Clinical Documentation Audit & Accreditation Compliant Pre-programmed for Intelligent Movement of Data Automatic Updates The Behavioral Health and Addiction Treatment Profiles were created to eliminate anxiety about new regulations and audits. The clinical documentation and workflows of the profiles adhere to common State regulations, UnitedHealth’s (Optum) level of care guidelines and audit…
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Increased electronic health record (EHR) use among behavioral health providers may encourage the integration of physical and behavioral health, suggests a report issued in January by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). BPC, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, seeks to create policy solutions to some of the country’s more significant challenges, including those affecting the healthcare…
Behavioral health and addiction treatment providers have not adapted to value-based payment (VBP) models as rapidly as other specialties. One major reason is because value-based care focuses on patient outcomes, which are difficult to define and measure in behavioral health. However, as regulators and payers emphasize VBP, behavioral health providers eventually will be expected to…
If you’ve seen the term “interoperability” used in the healthcare space, you may wonder what it has to do with your behavioral health practice. What is Interoperability? In healthcare information technology (IT), “interoperability” is when different systems, software, or devices can communicate and share information. This lets providers exchange data easily, potentially improving care. Interoperability…