Over the years, electronic health record (EHR) software has evolved to become a cornerstone in thriving behavioral health agencies. As the healthcare industry undergoes a significant digital transformation, overlooking the benefits of EHR software will result in delays and downtime, impeding day-to-day operations.

For executive leadership, an EHR system's return on investment (ROI) must be transparent. Having a clear understanding of how EHR software functions and its value to an agency is crucial in making informed, effective investment decisions.

Behavioral Health EHR Software Improves Patient Care  

According to a recent survey, an impressive 88% of healthcare providers have noted that EHR systems yield clinical benefits for their practices, while 75% also believe that these systems enhance client care.

A behavioral health EHR software system can provide a detailed view of a client’s medical history, opening doors to better analysis, quicker diagnosis, and streamlined care plan development. This not only accelerates the treatment process but significantly boosts patient outcomes. In behavioral health, EHR software also offers a comprehensive snapshot of each client's ongoing care, enabling providers to evaluate their clients’ current conditions more effectively and tailor treatment plans according to their goals.

These enhancements in care quality can improve client results and positively impact agencies’ financial health. And the results can be seen quickly! C suite executives often report the benefits of having an EHR system within just a few weeks of implementation.

Executive Leadership Can Expect Better Compliance With EHR Software

Dealing with compliance issues is time-consuming and costly, even affecting an agency’s reputation. But executive leadership can rely on an EHR system to improve agency compliance by: 

• Centralizing Data in One Accessible Hub: Having a centralized platform for storing and accessing client records reduces the risk of missing records and incomplete documentation, which are common causes of compliance issues. 
• Automated Notifications: EHR software can generate automated reminders for diverse compliance-related tasks, such as medication reconciliation, note completion, or preventive screenings. 
• Enhanced Privacy and Security Measures: EHR software incorporates security features, such as user authentication, encryption, audit logs, and access controls to protect patient data and maintain compliance with privacy regulations like HIPAA. 

Comprehensive behavioral health EHR software also simplifies the process of generating reports and conducting audits. It is an all-in-one solution to easily track and analyze compliance data, empowering executive leadership to identify issues, track performance, and demonstrate regulatory adherence.

C Suite Recognizes the Benefit of Lower Operating Costs

When evaluating the ROI of behavioral health EHR software, the C suite recognizes many benefits stem from how an EHR reduces agency operating costs. Here’s how your agency can cut costs with a robust EHR system include: 

• Eliminating Paper-Based Processes: EHR allows agencies to transition from manual, paper-based processes to digital workflows. By eliminating physical storage, printing, and mailing of paper records, your team can save on storage costs and streamline client data access, boosting overall efficiency. 
• Improving Billing and Coding Accuracy: EHR software integrates billing and coding features. By automating the billing process and ensuring proper coding, agencies avoid costly claim denials, leading to faster reimbursement and increased revenue.
• Enhancing Communication: EHR software simplifies communication and collaboration among providers. It eliminates the need for phone calls, faxes, or physical transfers of client information.

Higher Practice Efficiency  

EHR software is the most effective way to reduce costs and improve your agency’s efficiency, making it indispensable to agency leadership. Improved operation management doesn't just help you serve more clients, it prevents employee burnout.

EHRs reduce the burden of many cumbersome, frustrating, and time-consuming administrative tasks, eliminating piles of paperwork and providing quick access to client records. Reduced burden allows clinicians to spend less time searching for and comparing client records and more time diagnosing and developing effective treatment plans.

Powerful EHR systems also increase efficiency by automating appointment scheduling and calendar reminders. Clinicians can reduce time spent on scheduling, decrease wait times, and increase patient satisfaction. Since patients miss around 20% of scheduled appointments for mental and behavioral health treatments, the cost of no-shows for behavioral health clinics is extremely high. Improved scheduling features help decrease these rates and free up more time for office staff.

Improved Decision-Making  

An effective behavioral health EHR software like Exym should also feature robust analytics capabilities. EHRs collect and analyze patient data to enhance clinical recommendations and even gather insights on clinic operations. 

With built-in analytics functionality, EHR software offers crucial information to executive leadership, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and follow best practices. Additionally, EHR software works around the clock to process data for your agency, keeping records continuously up-to-date so leadership can make decisions based on the most current information.

Reduced Errors  

In behavioral health, treatment errors not only hinder treatment success and complicate billing audits, they pose significant legal and reputational risks. Reliable EHR software offers peace of mind by equipping providers with complete access to patients’ health histories, including health risks, adverse medication reactions, and details of previous treatments and their outcomes. 

This visibility helps providers make well-informed decisions, preventing critical errors such as incorrect diagnoses, or wrong dosages and drug interactions, which are particularly difficult for patients with a history of substance use disorder. By reducing these risks and minimizing mistakes, your practice can save significant money while avoiding reputational consequences.

Achieving the Highest ROI With Behavioral Health EHR Software

Behavioral health EHR software is a significant investment in your agency's efficiency, reputation, and productivity. EHR software can be the driving force behind your agency's success by improving patient outcomes, supporting compliance, and empowering data-driven decisions. Click on the button below to access our ROI White Paper and dive deeper into the benefits and costs of EHR software.

Exym is a comprehensive EHR software solution designed specifically for behavioral health agencies. Trusted for 20+ years, our intuitive and customizable software empowers providers to improve client outcomes, manage revenue cycles, and increase agency efficiency. Exym allows you to spend more time on what matters most- the clients in your care.

For more information on what to look for in an EHR, visit our Leadership page and explore the Exym features that help agencies thrive.