Psychiatry differs drastically in terms of workflow from other medical niches. Therefore, as a psychologist, psychiatrist, or clinical psychologist, your needs from an EHR system are fundamentally different from what other specialties require. With that said, you can make do with any EMR system, but the functionality you need will only be adequately fulfilled by a psychiatry EMR.
Thus, while picking out an EHR system for your psychiatry practice, make sure that your shortlisted psychiatry EMR’s can meet your needs. I’ve added a few of the most demanded features from psychiatry EMR’s to help you get started.
Psychiatry EMR Features
You should remember that the following list is intended to act as more of a guiding hand. Your specific needs may differ depending on your practice size, target demographic, and much more. With that said, here are the top features that you should look out for in a psychiatry EMR;
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Notes Retrieval
As a psychologist, you’ll need to access old notes frequently, so your EMR solution should be able to bring up old notes quickly. Moreover, your psychiatry EMR should automatically add new notes to the patient file, and all notes for a patient should be linked.
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Psychiatry Specific Templates
Having custom templates is a significant time-saver for any specialty, and psychiatry is no different. So, while picking a psychiatry EMR to make sure it has premade template ( or the ability to customize templates ) for common mental illnesses like suicidal depression, anxiety, addiction, bipolar OCD, delirium, mania, psychosis, and eating disorders.
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GAF Charts
The program must allow you to rate a patient’s social, occupational, and psychological functioning using the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). GAF also tracks the intensity of psychosocial elements using a graphical depiction of continuing improvement.
It’s crucial not to lose sight that fundamental EHR functionality should not be sacrificed in the chase for psychiatric-specific features. The perfect psychiatry EMR features specialty-specific functions as well as features shared across specialties. So, here is a couple of top psychiatry EMRs that meet both criteria.
Kareo EHR Software
Kareo EHR has grown by 200 percent in the last two years and is soon becoming a significant player in the sector ( as reported by the company ). As a result, Kareo is a tempting offer for independent solo practices needing an EHR system with a robust practice management module. But that’s not all. Kareo also offers medical billing as well as revenue cycle management.
Kareo EMR can be customized entirely for psychiatry practices and features most of the functions outlined above. On top of that, Kareo EMR has a lot of potential in streamlining your workflow. Its features are suited to the specialty, and there are customer templates and workflows suited for different medical specialties, including psychiatry.
Kareo EHR Features
One of the most prominent features of Kareo clinical is its EHR suite. For one, it comes loaded with all the bells and whistles that are expected from a modern EHR solution. Moreover, it boasts one of the best customizable dashboards in the industry that helps you stay on top of your appointments and tasks, manage medication, track patient progress, and much more.
As a psychiatrist, this dashboard can be designed to show the metrics most beneficial for you. For example, you can configure it to show your appointments, prescriptions re-fills ( Kareo supports e-prescription ), test reports for recent patients, past notes for patients you have to see today, and much more. The possibilities are limitless.
All in all, Kareo Clinical is an excellent psychiatry EMR as it boasts a solid feature set. But that’s not all. Kareo EHR also has a very robust practice management suite with inbuilt analytics and demographics. Moreover, Kareo has a medical billing and revenue cycle management suite that can be directly integrated into your system.
Practice Fusion EHR
Practice Fusion EHR is one of the most complete EHR solutions now available anywhere in the globe. With over a million patients served by Practice Fusion’s thirty thousand offices and a six percent market share, it’s safe to say that Practice Fusion is a major player in the business.
Practice Fusion was founded in 2005, and in 2007 it published its first cloud-based EHR. Because it was primarily aimed at doctors in small medical practices, the company provided its service for free in 2009. However, Allscripts, a Chicago-based EHR provider, announced the purchase of Practice Fusion for $100 million in January 2018. Since then, Practice Fusion has been available in a SaaS model. It’s essential to keep this bit in mind as most of Practice Fusions’ negative reviews are from directly after this acquisition, and users now had to pay for the services they previously used for free.
Practice Fusion is a holistic psychiatry EMR solution, with the main highlight being its ease of use. The user interface is very user-friendly and intuitive in nature. The program also has some excellent demos to help new users get acquainted. However, there are two significant shortcomings;
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A cumbersome e-prescribing suite
Most users found that Practice Fusion’s e-prescribing feature needs more refining. Currently, the main complaint revolves around workflow and how tedious it is to send a prescription through.
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Irresponsive Customer Support
Customer support should be a key consideration when you choose a psychiatry EMR system. You’ll be heavily reliant on them if something goes wrong, especially in the early days of adoption.
Final Words
Psychiatrists have some unique demands and requirements from their EMR systems. As such, psychiatry EMR’s will often focus more on meeting those specific needs and lag in general functionality. The best way forwards is to pick a widely adopted EMR system that can be customized to suit psychiatry practices.
Kareo EMR and Practice Fusion are both excellent EMR solutions in their own right, and it’s hard to pick a clear winner as each has its pros and cons. However, they are two of the best psychiatry EMR solutions available on the market today, and you’ll be safe picking either.
