PointClickCare to Provide an Automated Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform for Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PointClickCare Technologies, a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to real-time insights at every stage of the patient healthcare journey, today announced it was awarded a contract with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

PointClickCare was awarded a contract with EOHHS to provide a Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform (BH TRP) to facilitate admission to the next appropriate steps of care for patients in the Commonwealth who are awaiting disposition in emergency departments (EDs) related to behavioral health. This platform will be used by acute and psychiatric hospitals, health insurance carriers, and state agencies, including the Department of Mental Health and MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program.

“We are pleased to have found a technology partner who can streamline communication, address potential administrative burdens on our providers, and who is familiar with EOHHS’s Expedited Psychiatric Inpatient Admission Protocol,” said Emily Bailey, Chief of the Office of Behavioral Health at MassHealth. “We selected PointClickCare because we are confident the team shares our vision for an automated, centralized platform to empower our stakeholders with all the information necessary to facilitate care for patients in need of acute behavioral health services.”

PointClickCare’s BH TRP will support automation of behavioral health referral screening, evaluation, and referral processes, enable the electronic transmission of standardized admissions information, and create a real-time, transparent view of patients seeking behavioral health treatment. This platform is intended to help hospitals reduce time spent in the ED and reduce lengths of stay for patients needing behavioral health care, particularly inpatient care. In addition, providers will receive critical information needed to streamline communication, stakeholders will have the ability to establish baseline information and identify trends and patterns regarding ED utilization for monitoring and policy purposes, and patients with behavioral health needs will receive timelier admissions for appropriate services.

“We know the mental health crisis is still on the rise. Recent data from the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association found that there are between 500-700 patients boarding in acute care hospitals each day as they await inpatient BH admission,” said Brian Drozdowicz, SVP & GM, Acute and Payer Markets at PointClickCare. “Our robust network in Massachusetts, including 94% of the acute network and 69% of the skilled nursing network, puts us in a unique position to enable hospitals, health plans, and state agencies to identify patients in EDs awaiting care in places such as inpatient psychiatric treatment and improve those patients’ outcomes.”

PointClickCare has an extensive established local presence, through support of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts health information exchange, the Mass HIway. David Whitham, Deputy Secretariat CIO for EOHHS, comments: “This is a great opportunity for the Commonwealth to partner with an industry leader to provide timely health care information exchange. The goal of ensuring that individuals in need of behavioral health care can quickly and efficiently receive the support and placement they need should lead to healthier outcomes.”

“We are grateful for the bold steps the state is taking to create a more coordinated behavioral health system for patients and healthcare organizations across Massachusetts,” said Jason Tracy, MD, Chairman, Emergency Medicine, South Shore Health. “Given the magnitude of the boarding crisis, collaboration between healthcare providers and the adoption of new, innovative solutions has never been more critical. We look forward to helping set this solution in motion as our focus on expanding access to behavioral healthcare across the Commonwealth continues.”

To learn more about PointClickCare’s community health initiatives, visit our website here.

About PointClickCare

PointClickCare is a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to real-time insights at every stage of the patient healthcare journey. More than 27,000 long-term and post-acute care providers, over 3,100 hospitals and health systems, 2,200 ambulatory clinics, every major U.S. health plan across the U.S, and over 70 state and Government agencies use PointClickCare, enabling care collaboration and value-based care delivery for millions across North America.

About Executive Office of Health and Human Services of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is the largest secretariat in Massachusetts state government and is comprised of 11 agencies and the MassHealth program. EOHHS works to promote the health, resilience, and independence of residents of the Commonwealth.