Regardless of what type of industry you’re in, transitioning your operations from one system of data management to another is always challenging. However, when it comes to behavioral health record software, the trouble it takes to implement these types of EHRs as your centralized platform will pay you back in spades. Here are a few tips about how to prepare to seamlessly transition into the world of EHR.
1. Review Paper Records
If there’s one thing that medical offices are known for, it is the vast files labeled by patient last name. Even if your practice has already started relying more on electronic records, there’s sure to be a backlog of paperwork. When you’re preparing to move all your processes onto a new platform, now is the time to go back through your physical files and find a way to either enter recent relevant information into EHRs and store hardcopy records.
2. Write a Training Plan
Before you start the technical side of your system changeover, make sure that you also have a training plan written out. Convergence Training recommends that a good place to start is by assessing your business goals and how tasks are expected to be performed, and then conveying that to your employees. This is a useful touchstone to keep in mind as you ready your office staff for how medical records, coding, and billing will take place in the future.
3. Review Preexisting Practices
Trying to match up how you currently process information with the software’s tools and features will help a transition to an EHR-based system immensely. For example, review how documentation they may have been faxing, such as pharmacy scripts, will work in the new paperless system with your staff.
Using software and EHRs to track and treat patients is a surefire way to increase efficiency and patient satisfaction. Dealing with mental health requires attention to detail, and this is more easily achieved with a centralized paperless system of information. In order to treat your patients effectively, software utilizing EHR is the way to go.
