Before the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. According to data compiled by Mental Health America (MHA), a nonprofit mental health advocacy organization, suicidal ideation has been growing rapidly since the start of the pandemic. Here’s what...
Addiction does not happen in a vacuum. Every client you see who is dealing with addiction has people in his or her life who are also being impacted by that addiction. The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as a ‘treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions...
Many mental healthcare workers start their careers with a clear sense of purpose in their work. There is a level of intrinsic value that comes with working in a profession that is focused on meeting the needs of others. Unfortunately, it can be easy for...
The new year will be here before you know it. Now is a great time to re-evaluate your RCM strategy. Have you selected the right RCM option for your facility? Are you sure you’re getting paid for all of your services? Do you want to...
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and the numbers have been increasing over the past few decades. Historically, attempts to predict and prevent suicide were based on self-reporting, which can be problematic because people may hide their suicidal thoughts....
In the behavioral healthcare field, a divide exists between research outcomes and clinical outcomes. A significant factor in this disparity is data-driven treatment. Measures such as symptom rating scales are core components of research trials, but they are less common in clinical settings. Only about...
The global coronavirus pandemic has had world-wide mental health repercussions. Long-term stress has exacerbated existing behavioral health conditions, and social isolation has increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Chronic stress and economic instability has created a breeding ground for psychological distress. When it comes...
Rural, isolated regions have historically lacked resources and infrastructure to adequately address the behavioral healthcare needs of its population. People living in remote areas have limited access to specialty services for mental health and substance use disorders, creating a rural-urban divide. Fortunately, technological innovation and...
Value based payments are here to stay. Figuring out how to measure your outcomes to get paid for your work is just one of the challenges behavioral health organizations face as they plan for the future. Not all that long ago, start up mental health programs...
Depression is prevalent among patients with chronic physical conditions. Because a client’s physical well-being significantly impacts behavioral health outcomes and vice-versa, it's important that they receive treatment with an integrated care approach. For clients with chronic illnesses, physical health goals can be an integral part...
COVID-19 upended life as we know it. Although some states have eased initial lockdown restrictions, indoor gatherings of unrelated people remain risky, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some communities continue to prohibit them, and nearly all continue to recommend working...
All behavior is learned and displayed within the contexts of society. Each individual’s culture is a unique blend of ethnicity, demographics, socioeconomic status, language, and affiliations. If practitioners assess and evaluate behavior through a client’s frame of reference, human behavior becomes more evident in light...
Outpatient behavioral healthcare programs put immeasurable effort into addressing the needs of their clients. Unfortunately, workforce shortages, reimbursement delays, and detailed reporting for accreditation requirements create barriers to providing the best care possible. Innovative strategies that streamline operations can make your program more efficient and...
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are no longer a luxury. If you want to thrive in the modern behavioral health world, it's imperative that you find one that fits your organization's unique needs. However, not all EHRs are created equal. To truly transform your practice, you...
For quite some time, insurers and healthcare providers have been moving towards a value-based healthcare model, and away from the traditional fee-for-service payment system. In value-based care, providers are incentivized based on the quality of care they provide and the meaningful treatment outcomes used to...
The field of behavioral healthcare has changed. 60-65% of human service agencies bound to a fee-for-service model fail. Medicaid margins are razor thin when you consider the exceedingly low payments mental health counselors receive versus the escalating costs of delivering quality care, forcing many direct...
Behavioral healthcare is changing. Focus is shifting away from traditional fee-for-service (FFS) systems to value-based payments (VBP). These new payment methods link reimbursements with improved performance and outcomes. They are designed to hold providers accountable for the quality of care they provide to their clients....
With the outbreak of Coronavirus, everyday life has become difficult for millions of people across the globe. The disease, also known as COVID-19, is highly infectious and can have varying effects on different people. According to the World Health Organization, the virus primarily spreads through...
The healthcare space is in the process of a challenging transition to value-based care. The expectation that most organizations can make the transition in a year or two is overly optimistic. Complete transformation may take a long journey and will require careful consideration. So far,...
Psychiatric nurse practitioners are instrumental in providing treatment and helping patients cope with psychiatric disorders including ADHD, PTSD, mood disorders, and anxiety, as well as a whole host of other conditions. They work with individuals, families, groups, and communities, assessing their mental health needs before...
Access to behavioral health therapy is quite different now compared to the way clients accessed sessions a few years ago. Telehealth is becoming an important part of mental health treatment, but it’s not as simple as signing on to an online Skype session or Google...
Our country faces a crisis. Communities across the nation are stricken with substance abuse and mental illness. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) reveal nearly 58 million Americans have mental illnesses or substance use disorders, with 9 million adults having...
Smartphones were first introduced to the mass market in 2007. While there are both positives and negatives that have come from using this innovative technology, the change in culture and society--as it relates to physical and mental health--has been dramatic. Studies have shown the pattern of...
Mental healthcare is a booming business. It is also unique because discussions about profit, using the word "sales", and the downsides of this industry are rarely, if ever, spoken about. It's time to start! Sit back, relax, and listen as co-hosts Dave Ballenberger, MSW, and Kristin...
Value-based care is a reality that service providers are going to have to deal with over the next two years. For behavioral health, it will bring some large and significant changes on how care is provided and paid for. But in primary care, value-based care...
Back when I was the director of a large psychiatric rehabilitation program, I really could have used the data that can be collected on an interactive EHR dashboard. The dashboard would have provided me with real time patient data about the quality of care being...
David Ballenberger, Director of Business Development for NextStep Solutions, discusses the changes that are on the horizon for behavioral health EHRs. The need to offer documented value to your practice is increasing, and the ability to prove that your treatments are working with your clients,...
Evidence-based collaborative care programs are patient-centered and provide integrated care for medical and mental health needs in primary care and other mental health settings. Over 30 studies have found such programs to be more effective than usual care of for mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Offering mental...
Those of us who work in behavioral health know that being able to manage system change is simply a part of the job. In those years when we did everything on paper, the changes were often administrative, and had little to do with our clinical...
A lot of discussion that takes place around electronic health records is rarely about the system’s ability to provide marketing tools. Often, the discussion centers on the clinical abilities of the software, billing, and ease of use. Any system that is gathering data should be...
When choosing an EHR, much of the discussion surrounds how it will benefit the organization. But what does a Behavioral Health EHR provide for the patient? Improved behavioral health care. EHRs help staff make the best clinical decisions about how to treat patients. For example, treatment plans will...
Can your Electronic Health Record add, subtract, multiply and divide? I can remember standing at the back of the room waiting for Sister Theresa to give me a math problem that I would have to figure it out before I got to the front of the...
It’s not uncommon for electronic health record (EHR) software implementation to be met with some resistance. Transitioning from a paper-based environment to one reliant on an electronic system can be daunting for staff, but with proper training, staff can learn even the most complicated systems. Training...
Have you ever tried to back up EHR clinical data? If so, you know that it's difficult to do because backup often has to be started manually, and it's dependent on a server that can go down when power is lost. So what do you...