8 core functions of an EHR

1. Data security and privacy

As a mental health provider regularly dealing with confidential client information, you know data security is paramount in providing quality care. 

“The number one reason why I think anybody gets an EHR is to securely store personal health information of their clients,” says Michael Heckendorn, Headway’s clinical lead of clinician education. “Because you could just have folders on your desktop and information in Word documents, but that’s not going to be compliant unless you’re taking your computer and locking it up. So EHRs make things easy for the provider and keep information secure.”

Security measures inherent to EHR software, such as encryption, access controls, and audit trails, can help safeguard sensitive data to ensure you’re HIPAA compliant.

2. Thorough patient profiles

Your EHR is essentially a digital health record that allows you to maintain detailed, organized profiles for each of your clients, including medical history, diagnoses, medications, assessment and test results, and treatment plans. It’s faster to keep track of and search for details about your clients electronically, which saves you time (and likely, money). Plus, with this holistic picture of your clients’ health journeys, you can make better decisions to provide them with personalized care.

3. Appointment scheduling and reminders

An EHR makes it easy for clients to schedule appointments — and it reminds them about the appointments they’ve scheduled. From an administrative perspective, EHRs also help you stay organized as a provider. 

“When you're a provider who has 25 clients and you're seeing them every single week, that's a lot of things to keep straight, right?” reasons Heckendorn. “The true benefit of an EHR allows you to be organized, so that way you're not getting lost in all the moving pieces of people scheduling.”

For example, any given EHR could allow you to view your upcoming appointments in a calendar format, along with your notes, the treatment plan, and their medical records attached to the appointment block.

4. Interoperability for collaboration

Another core feature of EHRs is the ability to share information among different healthcare entities. Maybe you’re collaborating with a client’s psychiatrist or primary care provider, or you’re helping the client transition to a new therapist or enroll in a treatment facility. With the right EHR in place, you can seamlessly coordinate care for your clients. 

5. Results management

At times, you may need to have a client undergo a test or assessment, whether with another mental health professional or a physician. An EHR allows you to quickly see these results so you can make the best decisions possible for your clients going forward. 

6. Clinical decision support

While you’re equipped as a therapist with the knowledge needed to support your clients’ mental health, EHRs can help take your clinical decisions to the next level. EHRs are typically equipped with decision support tools that give evidence-based treatment guidance, from alerts about potential drug interactions to treatment protocol suggestions. With this support in place, you can be sure you’re adhering to the latest clinical guidelines, and that you’re doing whatever you can to ensure your clients’ safety. 

7. Secure messaging and communication

Communication is a critical component of mental healthcare. Through an EHR’s messaging platform, you can communicate quickly and securely with your patients, ensuring the utmost level of data security. In addition, this communication makes it easier to collaborate with other healthcare providers, both in and outside your practice. EHRs also offer the ability to share important information with your clients, including psychoeducation materials that may help improve their mental well-being.

8. Billing and coding integration

Managing billing and coding processes can take a lot of time without the right tools in place. Along with encouraging coding compliance, the right EHR will help you save time on billing processes like generating invoices and tracking payments.