Did you know that addiction treatment facilities have one of the lowest penetrations of EHR usage of any healthcare provider type?
One group of John Hopkins Medicine researchers took note of this trend in a recent study and ventured a few guesses as to why this group of essential workers might appear to be so reluctant to incorporate electronic health records into their day-to-day. The study revealed that the issue is structural, rather than personal: addiction treatment facilities often can’t afford EHRs that are worth using.
This post will take a deep dive into the implications of this study and explore the various reasons why addiction treatment centers tend to use EHRs less frequently than other providers. We’ll also look at what the consequences of low EHR penetration are on addiction treatment providers and patients. Finally, we’ll look at what factors make it easier for addiction treatment centers to transition to exclusive EHR use.
A Look at the Study That Reveals a Marked Difference in How Mental Health Providers and Addiction Treatment Centers Use EHRs
Addiction treatment providers have a far more tepid relationship to EHR adoption than their mental health counterparts. So tepid, in fact, that it’s compromising patient care. Researchers in the aforementioned study found that only 9.6% of addiction treatment programs use EHRs exclusively. This, compared with 15% of mental health centers reporting exclusive EHR use.
This means that the rest of the providers in the study are using paper records exclusively or, probably more commonly, using a combination of paper and electronic records depending on the activity. Still, though, only 25% of behavioral healthcare providers - taking both mental health and SUD treatment together - report using EHRs for vital records such as SOAP notes, lab results and prescribing.
The Characteristics of Addiction Treatment Centers That Fully Adopt EHR Use
The study found some interesting details on what types of addiction treatment facilities are more likely to have adopted exclusive EHR use. Facilities positively associated with EHR use are more likely to:
Provide inpatient care (rather than some other level of care)
Maintain a private, for-profit structure or be a public facility
Accept Medicare
Accept private insurance
Some Barriers to Partial or Full EHR Adoption for Addiction Treatment Centers
The study also found a number of characteristics associated with addiction treatment centers that fail to implement a partial or full EHR adoption. Treatments centers that don’t adopt EHRs exclusively are more likely to experience one or more of the following:
Budgeting issues
Lack of adequately functional technology
Insufficient training
Relatively few sources of funding
The Result of Low EHR Adoption? Bad Addiction Treatment Patient Care
The lack of consistent EHR use in addiction treatment centers tends to shift the burden of continuing care coordination, treatment planning follow up, and continuity-creation on the patients themselves. Making this a DIY job in an addiction treatment setting is a particularly poor choice for patient care because SUD patients often come from marginalized populations that have been historically excluded from the healthcare system.
While it is difficult to generalize about SUD patients, it is still fair to say that many SUD patients have very little experience dealing with healthcare system navigation and even less experience with effective self-advocacy in formal bureaucratic settings. It’s for these reasons that failing to support the coordination of care for patients with proper EHR usage is particularly damaging in an addiction treatment setting.
No Addiction Treatment EHR Adoption = No Value Based Care Reporting
Side-stepping exclusive EHR use makes value based care impossible. Fee-for-service care is the norm for most addiction treatment providers now, but value based care is on the horizon and it’s important to start preparing for the inevitable now. It’s just a matter of time before value based care becomes the gold standard for payers.
When addiction treatment centers refuse to “go paperless” - instead relying on a combination of paper and electronic records - they inadvertently sabotage the future of their organization. (That’s why outcomes tracking is so important when choosing an EHR.)
Looking for an Addiction Treatment EHR Worth Implementing? Behave Health is Here to Help.
Behave Health is committed to making it easier - and more profitable - to operate evidence-based, results-focused addiction treatment centers.
Our all-in-one app puts clinical, administration, staff, admissions, alumni, residents, treatment plans, billing, insurance authorizations and more - all at your fingertips.
Get your free trial started today and see why more addiction treatment centers prefer Behave Health.
PS. Just getting started with behavioral health? Need help with certification, too? Behave Health can also help direct you to the right resources for help with Licensing or Accreditation by either The Joint Commission or CARF. Mention to your product specialist that you’re interested in this service after you start your free trial!