Speed: The Key to EHR Implementations

Beginning of article

Thousands of addiction and mental health treatment providers across the country soon will be required to adopt an electronic health record (EHR) to satisfy business, clinical, and regulatory requirements. Faced with budget cuts, overextended staff, and limited IT expertise, these organizations might see successful implementation of an EHR as a daunting challenge, but it doesn't have to be.

One of the most important (yet most often underappreciated) aspects of running a successful EHR project is speed. For a traditionally resource-constrained organization such as an addiction treatment provider, the ability to dedicate one's best resources to a project that can be quickly completed increases the likelihood of a successful implementation, and in turn better long-term results post-implementation.

The reality for providers

Every behavioral health provider executive planning to implement an EHR has heard the disheartening odds: An estimated 70 percent of the agencies that made the …