Substance Abuse EMR Software

Substance Abuse EMR Software Buyers Guide

Last updated: July 26, 2021

Substance Abuse EMR - A Complete Guide to Help You Make the Right Choice

Substance abuse EMR software is designed to tailor the needs of drug rehabilitation or facilities or substance abuse patients. These can include operational needs, such as office tasks, appointment scheduling, patient communication, and billing, and functional needs, such as e-prescribing, patient charting, and radiology information systems (RIS).

When you are selecting a substance abuse EHR system for your practice, you need to consider features that will improve the quality of patient care and clinic’s efficiency. For example, if you practice providing group counseling sessions, your EHR features should include patient records capabilities and scheduling that can handle multiple patients at the same time. In addition to this, in-patient facilities have certain requirements that out-patient facilities do not, and vice versa. Substance Abuse EMRs also have the feature of collaboration and sharing of clinical information between agencies. Apart from this, substance abuse centers have different financial and billing requirements. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the system can support billing processes and typical payers. Here, we are going to walk you through a complete guide on how to select the right Substance Abuse EHR software for your practice.

Important Features in an EMR Software

Before purchasing any EMR software, there are a few considerations that you need to look out for. These aspects help differentiate a ‘good’ quality EMR software from a ‘bad’ quality one.

User-friendly Navigation and Experience: A user-friendly interface can help you simplify tasks and actions for your staff and help them in increasing their productivity.

Integration: You should easily be able to integrate the EMR solution you select with your existing system, irrespective of the device you are working on.

Ease of Access: You should also be able to access patient information, write e-prescriptions, check patient charts, etc. 24/7 from anywhere in the world. One of the biggest benefits of having a cloud-based EHR system is to not have to be restricted to your server for patient information.

Always Available for Support: When you are implementing a new digital solution, it is completely normal to run into problems. However, if you have strong support from your EMR software provider, you can easily overcome any problem you encounter during this process and afterward as well.

Before making any final decisions, it is always better to ask your provider for a Substance Abuse EHR Software demo or check reviews of their past clients. This will allow you to make sure if the software you’re choosing is the right one for your practice or not. Lastly, make sure to compare the different EHR software you choose to select the one that is perfect for your Substance Abuse practice.

Features of Substance Abuse EMR Software

Now it’s time to talk about Substance Abuse EHR software specifically. Before making any final decisions, make sure your Substance Abuse EMR software contains the following features:

Substance abuse Workflow Management: The substance abuse EMR software should be able to streamline the entire process of care. The general flow is:

1. First Inquiry/Appointment
2. Patient Admission
3. Treatment
4. Therapies and Medication
5. Discharge
6. Follow-up/Outpatient Care

Notes Management for Individuals or Groups: During counseling sessions, physicians need to access their past notes to quickly review the old sessions. In case they are dealing with multiple patients, they may need to access multiple records at the same time. Therefore, you need to take your treatment plan into consideration before making a decision to select an EMR.

Substance Abuse EMR Templates: The EMR should be able to facilitate the workflow through specialized templates, such as infection management, narcotics, prescription painkillers, and alcoholism.

Sale and/or Reimbursement Management: Substance abuse facilities have different modes of funding. Some bill insurance companies, while others are funded through private or public charities and the rest are financed by the patient body themselves. Therefore, before considering your EMR systems, make sure it supports your primary funding as a payment option.

Determining Your Needs

Before deciding which EHR solution to implement, it’s important to understand what your practice’s needs are. When it comes to EHR solutions, one size doesn’t fit all. Understanding your needs will not only help you decide the best solution for your practice but also help you use your EHR solution to the fullest. Substance Abuse EHR software is in today’s world essential for practitioners because it helps save time and money.

How to Select a Substance Abuse EHR Vendor?

Now that you know what kind of features you need to look for, it’s time to discuss what type of Substance Abuse EHR software vendor you should select for your medical practice.

Vendor and Practice Size – Firstly, you need to understand which size of companies your vendor typically aims for. After that, you need to analyze the size of your practice as well. If you have a large facility, you wouldn’t want to select an EHR vendor that only deals with small practices. Typically, the vendors that cater to larger facilities have a high-cost Substance Abuse EMR software.

Vendor Certification – This is probably the most important aspect before selecting an EMR vendor for your practice. You need to make sure your vendor is an ONC-authorized testing and certification body (ONC-ATCB). Selecting a non-certified vendor will only bring you trouble and a nuisance to your practice.

System Design – This will probably depend on whether you want to install Substance Abuse EHR software on-site in your server, or use a cloud-based one. Although you’ll get more advantages with a cloud-based solution, it probably boils down to your personal preference. Whatever you choose, you’ll need to find an EMR vendor that provides the service you are looking for.

Even after making a final decision, you should use a Substance Abuse EMR software demo or check out their tutorials to make sure it is exactly what you’re expecting. A quick comparison of the Substance Abuse EMR software available in the market can help you find the best one for your practice.

What’s the Final Step?

Before making your decision, it is essential to understand how every vendor and practice workflow is unique. For this reason, a vendor that may work for one practice may not exactly suit the other. Therefore, software experts and industry specialists are an ideal source of information, advice, and ultimately ensuring that the right decision is made.

After understanding the features and deciding upon a few potential vendors, you can also compare the pricing of the Substance Abuse EHR Software. After you reach a vendor with all the services, features, support, and cost plans you are looking for, you can finally make the last step and move towards its implementation