Massachusetts eHealth Institute Awards Netsmart and Three Netsmart Clients a Grant to Electronically Submit Behavioral Health Data

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--()--Netsmart received a grant from MeHI, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech, to develop, test and implement an automated interface to record children’s behavioral health data across state and health provider systems and electronically share that data with the Commonwealth’s Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI). Through the collaboration of Netsmart, Netsmart clients: The Edinburg Center, Gosnold on Cape Cod, and The Home for Little Wanderers, and MeHI, the team has achieved the first milestone under the grant requirements and is live and exchanging data with the CBHI through the interface.

At a time of increased need for clinical services and intense funding pressure, this integration is expected to eliminate more than 400 hours of duplicative manual reporting each month for these three Netsmart clients. The pilot is slated to expand to include additional Netsmart clients across the state, with an anticipated annual savings of more than 20,000 hours. This is expected to translate into increased efficiency for these organizations, which will allow them to provide more services without increased staff.

All Massachusetts behavioral health clinicians serving MassHealth’s children and youth are required to use a standardized Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) reporting tool that is designed to record issues and strengths that should be considered during treatment. This makes the clinical process more efficient, which in turn results in lower overhead costs. Historically, clinicians must enter CANS information into their own electronic health record (EHR) system and reenter it into the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Virtual Gateway System, Massachusetts’ EHR platform that brings information together to comply with state regulations.

“With this grant, we anticipated our staff would be able to eliminate the repetitive work of reentering duplicative information into different databases to save time and money, and more importantly, allow them extra time to deliver essential care to their clients,” said Michael Pearis, executive vice president & CFO of The Home for Little Wanderers. “Nearly all of our programs conduct CANS assessments and in achieving the first milestone of the grant project, our clinical teams are already beginning to see the benefits this connectivity brings to our organization.”

Netsmart’s work was made possible through MeHI’s grant solicitation for the development of CBHI interfaces for CANS reporting, which will allow these Massachusetts providers to upload reportable data from the Netsmart EHR platforms directly into the CBHI system overseen by EOHHS.

“We’re taking a step forward by removing this time-straining, duplicative task so our clients can focus on their mission to better serve their communities,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “This isn’t our destination, rather a milestone in our journey to true integration. We look forward to working with MeHI and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to create efficiencies for their providers and a connected care network.”

About Netsmart

Netsmart is an innovative healthcare technology provider that provides electronic health records (EHRs), health information exchange, data analytics, mobile clinical and consumer engagement solutions for behavioral health, social services and post-acute communities. Our common platform, the CareFabric®, integrates seamlessly with the industry’s first-of-its-kind population management platform that uniquely focuses on community-based providers and supports transitions of care, bundles and value-based payment models.

We are passionate about integrating care across all aspects of a community, which is why the Netsmart ecosystem provides more than an EHR by offering the largest national HIE in the post-acute community to connect post-acute, social services and behavioral health organizations with their health systems and community provider partners.

Our more than 560,000 users in more than 25,000 organizations across the U.S. work together with our more than 1,350 Netsmart associates to connect communities and information across the care spectrum. Our technology ensures comprehensive data flows between behavioral health; addiction treatment; intellectual and developmental disabilities; child and family services; public health; long-term/post-acute care; home health; hospice; palliative care; private duty and vital records, to ensure providers have consistent and reliable information at their fingertips when it is needed.

The only thing constant in healthcare is change. Netsmart brings significant expertise working with behavioral health, social services and post-acute care communities, as well as the complex state and federal billing requirements unique to these communities. More importantly, we understand the importance of clinical adoption; training and support; regulatory compliance; and the need to connect to the rest of healthcare.

Our solutions and services are built with these challenges in mind and are designed to solve them so our clients can focus on what they do best: provide quality care to their communities. Our clients are strong advocates for those who don’t always have a voice, which is why Netsmart is dedicated to leading change within the industry by breaking down barriers to provide a person-centric and holistic view of each individual.

Learn more about how Netsmart is changing the face of healthcare today. Visit www.ntst.com, call 1-800-472-5509, follow us on our CareThreads Blog, LinkedIn and Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit us on YouTube.

Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDayMatters® Foundation, which was established for behavioral health, social services and post-acute organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories.

About The Edinburg Center:

For 40 years, the Edinburg Center has provided a wide array of services which promote personal growth and independence, foster hope and enhance the quality of life of people with mental health conditions, co-occurring substance use conditions and/or developmental disabilities or brain injuries. The Center’s mission is distinguished by our longstanding belief that all individuals have the potential to learn, the capacity for change and the right to live a meaningful life in the community of his or her choice. The Center maintains a specific commitment to providing services to individuals whose complex and challenging needs have typically been barriers to successful community living. Please visit www.edinburgcenter.org to learn more.

About Gosnold on Cape Cod:

Gosnold on Cape Cod is a nationally recognized addiction and mental health treatment provider dedicated to developing innovative programs that meet the needs of patients and families, sine 1972. As a non-profit Gosnold focuses on the full continuum of care from education and prevention to treatment, and recovery management. For more information, visit http://gosnold.org/.

About The Home for Little Wanderers:

The Home for Little Wanderers is the nation’s oldest and one of New England’s largest non-profit child and family service agencies. The mission of The Home is to ensure the healthy behavioral, emotional, social and educational development and physical well-being of children and families living in at-risk circumstances. The Home for Little Wanderers does this through a series of integrated programs that include early childhood services, special education, therapeutic residential treatment, adoption, intensive foster care, clinical and family support in homes, schools, hospitals and clinics, and college and independent living preparation for youth who have aged out of state care. For more information, visit www.thehome.org.

Contacts

Netsmart Media Contact:
Kelli Christman, 913-272-2264
KChristman@ntst.com

Contacts

Netsmart Media Contact:
Kelli Christman, 913-272-2264
KChristman@ntst.com