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What you should know:
– The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced that they will join forces to invest more than $20 million in a groundbreaking initiative to improve health information technology (IT) Adoption and usage rates. Competencies in behavioral health care settings.
– This strategic collaborative effort is aligned with the HHS Behavioral Health Integration Roadmap and the President’s Calls to Action on Mental Health and Substance Abuse and is designed to bridge existing gaps between behavioral health and physical health IT systems.
Problem: Lagging adoption and limited functionality
Currently, behavioral health providers lag behind their peers in other healthcare specialties in health IT adoption. Part of the reason is that they are excluded from incentive programs like Medicare and Medicaid. As a result, only 67% of psychiatric hospitals have adopted certified electronic health records (EHRs), compared with 86% of general acute care hospitals. Lack of technology adoption results in limited functionality, hindering key aspects of care delivery:
- Access to treatment: Inefficient data exchange and reporting create barriers to the implementation of telemedicine, limiting many patients from getting the care they need.
- Continuity of Care: Disjointed information systems hinder smooth communication between behavioral health providers and other health care professionals, jeopardizing continuity of patient care.
- Data-driven insights: The lack of standardized data collection and analysis capabilities limits the ability to measure treatment effectiveness and improve care delivery.
Behavioral Health Information Technology (BHIT) Program
This innovative approach addresses these challenges head-on through several key strategies:
- USCDI+ Behavioral Health: The initiative will establish a new set of standardized data elements for behavioral health that will facilitate seamless data exchange and interoperability across different healthcare settings.
- Technical assistance: ONC will provide technical support to participating providers to enable them to effectively implement and utilize health IT systems.
- Behavioral Health Information Resources: Dedicated online resources will provide behavioral health professionals with comprehensive information and guidance on using USCDI+ and other related tools.
The program is currently in its initial stages, with data element identification and collaboration with stakeholders ongoing.
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