Mental health practices have unique electronic health record (EHR) software requirements compared with other healthcare practices. From the practice size and specialty type to applicable health regulations, there's a long list of essentials mental health practitioners must consider when buying software for automating EHR processes. Besides, the administrative workload of running a private practice makes software search all the more challenging for such practitioners.
Previously, mental health private professionals had limited EHR options that met their needs, and most had to settle for EHRs made for general practices. However, vendors these days have started offering EHR solutions with features and capabilities designed specifically for private practices that deal with mental health illnesses, such as substance abuse and anxiety disorders.
In this article, we've featured the five best-rated EHR software for mental health private practices. These products (listed alphabetically) have been selected from our mental health FrontRunners report according to the methodology specified here.
Top 5 EHR software for mental health private practices
1. Kareo
Kareo is a cloud-based medical tool with integrated EHR, medical billing, and practice management capabilities. It offers various features that cater to the requirements of mental health private practices. Some of these are appointment scheduling, initial patient assessments, treatment plans, e-prescribing, and claims management.
Suitable for: Mental health private practices of all sizes.
Why consider Kareo? Kareo offers over 50 existing behavioral health, mental health, and psychiatry templates that can be customized as per the need. The tool's Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) capability automatically checks for and alerts prescribers about any drug-to-drug interactions or allergic reactions for every prescribed medication.
Here's what Software Advice user reviews say about Kareo:
- Kareo is easy to use and its customer support team is quick to respond.
- The tool has a short learning curve and can be logged in from any device, including mobile phones, desktops, iPads, and laptops.
2. NextGen Healthcare
NextGen Healthcare is an EHR and practice management solution that supports appointment scheduling, treatment plans, e-prescribing, initial assessments, and claims management, which are features suitable for mental health practices. The software can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise.
Patient tracker in NextGen Healthcare (Source)
Suitable for: Mental health private practices of all sizes.
Why consider NextGen Healthcare? NextGen's smart documentation solution NextPen allows practitioners to capture patient data directly into their EHR. NextPen is a smart pen that digitizes handwritten data using a tiny camera located at its tip. It can capture patient data from a variety of sources, including notes, intake forms, treatment plans, patient questionnaires, and even graphs or drawings. It reduces data entry workload and helps save time.
Here's what Software Advice user reviews say about NextGen Healthcare:
- The software is easy to use and navigate.
- The support team is quick to respond to customer queries.
3. NueMD
NueMD is cloud-based medical software that offers EHR, medical billing, and practice management capabilities. Features specific to mental health practices include e-prescribing, patient scheduling, assessment management, and care plan management.
Suitable for: Mental health private practices of all sizes.
Why consider NueMD? NueMD offers customizable mental health EHR templates to help practitioners efficiently conduct patient assessments and devise treatment plans. The tool's mobile app allows practitioners to record patient notes on-the-go using the speech-to-text feature.
Here's what Software Advice user reviews say about NueMD:
- The software is easy to use, even for physicians and medical staff who aren't tech savvy.
- Patient appointments can be easily scheduled.
4. Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion is a cloud-based EHR software solution that offers features such as e-prescribing, notes management, and patient scheduling. The software also provides several psychiatry templates for mental health examinations for anxiety, depression, and other types of mental conditions.
Online appointments management in Practice Fusion (Source)
Suitable for: Mental health private practices of all sizes.
Why consider Practice Fusion? The tool's e-prescribing feature offers multi-medication ordering, formulary checks, and prior prescription authorization. Practitioners can e-prescribe to more than 98,000 pharmacies that are connected to Practice Fusion's healthcare network. The tool also offers a rich charting experience through a library of customizable psychiatry exam templates.
Here's what Software Advice user reviews say about Practice Fusion:
- The software is easy to learn and use.
- Its installation process isn't complex, and the tool is updated frequently to meet new requirements.
5. Praxis
Praxis is a customizable EMR solution that offers e-prescribing, patient scheduling, and voice recognition. It uses concept processing, an AI-driven technology, instead of templates to capture patient details. Concept processing AI captures practitioners' individual approach of handling different cases and automatically makes charting suggestions when it encounters similar patient cases. The software can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise.
Suitable for: Small and midsize mental health private practices.
Why consider Praxis? Praxis offers several quality indicators for the assessment and management of psychiatric conditions. It's template-free and uses AI technology to capture patient details.
Here's what Software Advice user reviews say about Praxis EMR:
- The software is user friendly and highly customizable.
- The customer support team is resourceful and quick to respond.
Finding mental health EHR software that's the right fit for your private practice
The mental health EHR tools mentioned above can get you started on your software search, but to find the one that best fits your requirements, we recommend following these steps.
- List your feature requirements: If you haven't already, list all the features required for your private practice. Make your list as detailed as possible and also add an overview of your current challenges and desired outcomes. This will make it easier to shortlist mental health EHR software that meets your requirements.
- Read buyers guide and user reviews: Go through our mental health EHR software buyers guide. Covering common features, buyer categories, and other critical points of interest, this guide will arm you with the knowledge needed to make an informed purchase decision. Also, read buyer reviews on Software Advice to understand what existing users think about software usability.
- Schedule an appointment with us: If you need help with software selection, reach out to our advisors. They provide free, fast, and personalized recommendations, helping mental health private practices of all sizes find software that meets their needs. Schedule an appointment with an advisor here.
Product selection methodology
- We shortlisted products from our mental health FrontRunners report that offer these core features: appointment scheduling, initial assessments, and note management.
- From the shortlisted products, we selected the top five based on monthly Google search volume (as of February 20, 2020).
Note: The content in this piece that provides the opinions and points of view expressed by users. It doesn't represent the views of Software Advice.
Source: 5 Best EHR Software for Mental Health Private Practices, Software Advice, by Rahul Kumar, April 6, 2020.