5 Trends That Are Shaping the Future of Behavioral Health EHRs

Key Takeaways

• Customizable patient chart templates improve data accuracy and streamline care.
• Predictive analytics help anticipate patient needs and improve treatment plans.
• Secure patient portals protect data and improve patient access to health records.
• Automated appointment scheduling reduces no-shows and improves efficiency.
• Integrated data analytics identify patient trends and optimize treatment efficacy.
• Telehealth capabilities expand access to care and support remote consultations.

Efficiency, increased patient engagement, and smoother operations are at the top of providers’ wish lists — and the practice management software industry is taking notes.

Behavioral health software for electronic health records (EHRs) is evolving, so you can deliver better and better patient care through cutting-edge technology.

Watch these trends to make the most of today’s practice management opportunities.

Customizable Patient Chart Templates

Your patients all have unique needs and treatment plans, so it only makes sense that their EHRs reflect this. Tailor their charts to document all the information you need (and none that you don’t) to streamline care and harness machine learning.

Better for Patient Care

Customizable patient chart templates in your behavioral health software allow you to document more pertinent information, skip over irrelevant notes, and keep everything in one central location. This improves data accuracy, simplifies patient tracking, and helps you deliver the treatment plan that fits specific clinical needs.

Predictive Analytics

Consider this: Research shows that predictive analytics in healthcare is expected to grow 24% from 2023 to 2030. Routine patient appointments naturally result in large amounts of data, and with predictive data analytics, you can use this info to anticipate patient needs.

By using customizable templates, you can keep up with this data boom through more detailed, targeted, and accurate data collection.

Secure Patient Portals

Patient security is imperative — both for the protection of personal data and for compliance with regulations like HIPAA. Security standards are tightening, and secure patient portals deliver streamlined access for authorized users.

Prevent Data Breaches

The HIPAA Journal notes that patient data breaches have increased by 25% over the past year. As practice management software improves, however, advanced encryption and secure data storage solutions are getting better and better at protecting sensitive patient information.  

Improve Patient Experience

Stronger data security is important, but it’s just as important for authorized users to have access to this information. Secure patient portals allow you, your staff, and your patients to view records, schedule appointments, monitor medications, and communicate easily.

User-friendly patient portals are easy to use, support two-way communication, and make it easy to share necessary records with other healthcare providers.

Automated Appointment Scheduling

Automated scheduling helps prevent missed appointments, improves efficiency, and reduces the hassle of manual scheduling and the frustration of no-shows.

Reduce No-Shows

All healthcare practices deal with the hassle of no-shows from time to time, but research indicates that behavioral health services may experience more missed appointments than other healthcare providers. Some mental health clinics experience more no-shows than attended appointments. 

New behavioral health software has the capability to cut down on missed appointments, thanks to automated appointment scheduling.

Improved Efficiency

Automated appointment scheduling and reminders can drastically reduce the rate of no-shows and keep your practice running smoothly. For many behavioral health patients, recurring appointments are a must — but patients may forget their appointment dates or times, especially when booked months in advance. 

Automated scheduling keeps both patients and your clinic on track, supporting a complete treatment plan and improving accessibility.

Data Analytics Integration

Throughout the course of a day, your practice collects and updates a significant amount of data — and EHRs with integrated data analytics can put that info to work.

Watch Patient Trends

The global healthcare analytics market is projected to grow by more than $66 billion over the next four years, and it's clear that data analytics is becoming a cornerstone of modern healthcare. By identifying patterns and trends like this, practices can develop more effective treatment strategies and optimize operational efficiency using their EHRs.

Improve Treatment Efficacy and Outcomes

Stay at the forefront of technology in behavioral health software and patient care. Keeping a close eye on how these patient trends develop allows you to implement a data-driven approach. You can make more informed decisions, improve patient care, and adjust treatment plans in line with patient records.

Telehealth Capabilities

Telehealth usage surged over 13,000% during the COVID-19 pandemic, and although growth has since leveled out, telehealth is still popular and useful — especially for patients who don’t have easy access to behavioral health services or struggle to attend in-person appointments.

Support Remote Consultations

Whether your clinic offers group therapy or personalized medication-assisted treatment, many behavioral health treatments easily adapt to a virtual format. Patients are even becoming comfortable with text-based behavioral health services. The latest behavioral health software now allows you the flexibility to manage and deliver care in the formats that work best for you and your patients.

Expand Access to Care

Telehealth is more than convenient — for some patients, it’s a lifeline. As many as 60% of rural Americans live in designated mental health provider shortage areas, but telehealth can help them get the care they need. 

Integrating telehealth capabilities into EHRs allows for remote consultations, expanding access to care and helping break down barriers. Whether it's due to distance, mobility issues, or busy schedules, telehealth ensures patients can still receive the care they need.

PracticeQ’s Role in the Future of Behavioral Health Software      

PracticeQ keeps a thumb on the pulse of behavioral health EHR trends while streamlining your practice, so you can focus on what you do best — providing exceptional patient care. 

Here’s how we’re keeping up with the trends.

Customizable Patient Chart Templates

You can easily design charts and online forms to fit your specific needs. Choose or create the questions that are most relevant to your practice and patients for a tailored, accurate data collection solution.

Secure Patient Portal

Provide patients with easy access to their health records while ensuring data security. Our centralized patient portal keeps you in constant contact with your patients — compliantly.

Automated Appointment Scheduling

Minimize no-shows and improve scheduling efficiency. Our automated appointment booking feature syncs calendars, automates alerts, and books recurring appointments effortlessly.

Data Analytics Integration

Gain insights into patient trends and treatment efficacy, no matter how you gather them. PracticeQ seamlessly integrates with all the other platforms, software, and applications that keep your practice running.

Telehealth Capabilities

Now you can offer virtual consultations with PracticeQ, expanding access to care. Telehealth is especially useful in breaking down barriers for behavioral health services when privacy and comfort are concerns.

Your Behavioral Health EHR Wish List Delivered

The future of behavioral health EHRs is evolving fast, so PracticeQ offers much more than a basic patient chart. Behavioral health clinics use PracticeQ to automate time-consuming admin tasks, organize and customize patient charts, stay on top of billing, track patient data, boost patient engagement, and more.

Keep up with EHR trends for today and tomorrow. Start your free trial today to see how PracticeQ can take your behavioral health EHR to the next level.