The Benefits of EHR & CRM Integration for Mental & Behavioral Health Providers
In the healthcare industry, electronic health records (EHR) and customer relationship management (CRM) programs are vital tools that serve very different purposes. By combining them, providers can unlock the benefits of EHR integration for streamlined patient care and the benefits of CRM integration to enhance patient engagement. Let’s explore the unique capabilities of EHRs & CRMs, and how Provisio can integrate them to make mental and behavioral health providers more efficient and effective.
EHR vs. CRM: Understanding Their Roles in Healthcare
Electronic health records focus on clinical documentation and patient care, while customer relationship management systems prioritize patient engagement and operational efficiency. Comparing their functionalities and benefits highlights how integrating these tools can bridge gaps between care delivery and patient communication.
EHR & CRM Integration
Unifying these two systems results in tremendous outcomes for patients and providers. When powered by EHR medical data, CRM systems allow providers to more easily manage patient relationships, engagement, and care. Perhaps most crucially, they generate data-driven insights and reports about patient outcomes and experiences, which empower providers to make smarter decisions that benefit the patient and the organization. While an EHR keeps comprehensive records of patient charts, a CRM will actually contextualize all that data in a patient dashboard that identifies medical trends, telling a 360-degree story about that patient with their data.
By sorting through vast amounts of demographic information in patient profiles, CRMs also boost engagement with patients via personalized communications that appeal to their unique situations. Patients can also receive automated reminders for appointments and treatment regimens, ensuring they stay up-to-date with preventative care and treatment. This creates stronger connections between that patient and provider, fostering trust and loyalty that may translate into the patient investing more time and energy in their health journey.
The wealth of data stored in an EHR also automates insurance claim and billing processing when integrated with a CRM, ensuring payments are made on time. This reporting capability happens automatically without requiring staff to manually enter the data, saving valuable time and energy, as well as avoiding data entry errors.
Security & Regulations
A crucial step when integrating EHR and CRM systems is data security. While the digitization of care management has made the healthcare industry more efficient and effective, it has also elevated cybersecurity risks. EHRs must comply with strict regulatory requirements like HIPAA and HITECH to protect patient data confidentiality. Therefore, any CRM integration must also comply with those EHR regulations. At Provisio, we take data security incredibly seriously. Our clients trust us with their sensitive patient information, and we don’t take that for granted. All of our programmers are HIPAA-certified, and all our passwords and credentials are encrypted.
The Provisio Integration Process
Provisio meets early on with the EHR vendor to determine what code format is required to transfer their health data. This meeting sets the foundation for a deep relationship with the EHR vendor from discovery through integration completion. No matter what regulations are required or demands are made by the EHR vendor, Provisio makes the adjustments necessary to push the integration across the finish line. During those initial phases, we also work hand-in-hand with the client to design the perfect solution for their unique use case with the appropriate amount of data. We keep in constant contact with the client until the end and provide training when it’s all finished to ensure user adoption.
Why Provisio
As the largest Salesforce implementation partner solely for human services, Provisio’s clients have reaped incredible rewards with EHR-CRM system integrations. In the case of Pacific Clinics, California’s largest behavioral health provider, the time to complete one common process dropped from 80 hours per month to just 15 minutes! What previously took weeks of manual entry is now an overnight automated process. Read the full story to see the real-world impact of a partnership with Provisio.