Mental Health Center of Denver Utilizes the Netsmart EHR System to Easily Access and Analyze Unstructured Clinical Information
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., and OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Feb. 8, 2017— Netsmart, the largest technology provider connecting behavioral health and post-acute care, selected the InterSystems data platform with embedded analytics to unleash knowledge trapped in electronic health records (EHRs). The myAvatarTM CareRecord EHR and practice management solution from Netsmart was created specifically for the behavioral health industry and allows providers to connect with the rest of healthcare.
InterSystems worked closely with Netsmart and Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD), known nationwide for its innovative approach to mental health treatment and high-quality patient care delivery, to develop these new capabilities within the Netsmart solution. Previously, MHCD had developed a robust set of assessments to measure mental health recovery from both the patient’s and clinician’s perspectives. Patients evaluate their progress regularly in a brief assessment, which physicians then analyze to track progress toward recovery on several key dimensions.
Netsmart solutions enable a clinician-friendly view of the rich and largely untapped potential of clinical notes. Unstructured information, such as psychiatric evaluation and management notes, case management notes, clinical intake narratives, and treatment plans, is difficult to analyze in a traditional EHR view. Using InterSystems technology, which extracts concepts from structured and unstructured data, MHCD was able to capitalize on the data housed in its Netsmart system to give physicians the ability to bring the client story back into the data while still being able to work within their familiar clinical workflow.
InterSystems and Netsmart partnered closely with clinicians to deliver meaningful data to clinicians in a way they want to see it. This directly supports recommendations made by the American College of Physicians (ACP) on clinical system usability, " Clinical Documentation in the 21st Century," published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“We launched Netsmart’s solution at MHCD 16 months ago, replacing an EHR system we had used for 12 years,” said Wes Williams, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Information Officer at MHCD. “We outgrew the capabilities of our previous EHR, and we were constantly customizing and tweaking it to meet our requirements. With patient safety a paramount concern every day, we needed a new, stable platform that could help ensure that no information slips through the cracks, regardless of where data is captured, to provide us with a comprehensive view of a person’s health records so we can provide the best care possible.”
Leveraging InterSystems’ unstructured data analytics capabilities within the Netsmart system, MHCD can now perform comprehensive analytics on all patient data without adding complexity to its IT infrastructure. This enables physicians to more easily evaluate patient progress and collectively determine next steps in treatment, helping improve the overall quality and delivery of patient care and speed time to recovery.
“The ability to have access to all of the information contained in an EHR is invaluable to our providers because healthcare doesn’t just happen in a clinical setting,” said Tom Herzog, COO at Netsmart. “Our clients’ and partners’ willingness and ability to develop these capabilities with us furthers our mission to integrate care across all communities, and we’re excited to continue to innovate with them.”
“Clinical notes and patient self assessments are vital to planning patient care and treatment,” said Joe DeSantis, Vice President for HealthShare at InterSystems. “Netsmart is changing the game by making this unstructured data meaningful and useful, thus enabling mental health workers at the Mental Health Center of Denver to focus on what matters – better patient outcomes. InterSystems technology continues to play a key role in improving the care delivery model and bringing critical information to patients and providers.”
Editors’ Note: Dr. Wes Williams of MHCD will be speaking at HIMSS17 in Orlando, FL, at InterSystems Booth 1561 on “Retrieving Critical Information from Narrative Data in an Electronic Behavioral Health Record” on Monday, Feb. 20, at 1:00pm. For more information, see www.intersystems.com/himss17.
About Mental Health Center of Denver The Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) is a private, not-for-profit, 501 (c) (3), community mental health center, providing treatment and prevention services to the residents of the City and County of Denver since its founding in 1989. MHCD believes that people can, and do, recover from mental illness, and that treatment works and improves the lives of people of all ages. Through more than 35 community sites, mental health providers in 18 Denver public schools, collaborations with community partners and home-based outreach, MHCD provides a comprehensive, innovative and accessible array of mental health and substance abuse services to over 15,000 children, families and adults annually.
About Netsmart Netsmart is healthcare’s largest human services and integrated care technology provider. Netsmart technology platforms and expertise are integral to the delivery of outcomes-based services and care to more than 25 million persons nationwide. Netsmart serves more than 500,000 users in more than 24,000 organizations across all 50 states. Netsmart client communities include behavioral health; addiction treatment; intellectual and developmental disabilities; child and family services; public health; home health, hospice and palliative care and private duty; long-term care and vital records. For more information, visit www.ntst.com.
About InterSystems InterSystems is the engine behind the world’s most important applications. In healthcare, finance, government, and other sectors where lives and livelihoods are at stake, InterSystems is the power behind what mattersTM. Founded in 1978, InterSystems is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), with offices worldwide, and its software products are used daily by millions of people in more than 80 countries. For more information, visit InterSystems.com.
InterSystems media contact:
Brittany Boyer, InkHouse PR
bboyer@inkhouse.com1-781-966-4178
Netsmart media contact: Kelli Christman
KChristman@ntst.com
1-913-272-2264