A while ago I posted a discussion on several mental health and counseling groups, seeking comments on quality metrics for Mental Health. The topic was prompted by the verbiage in recently passed federal health care legislation where paragraph after paragraph kept including the term quality care.
Based on feedback and discussions we have arrived at and implemented the following quality features: divided into two groups:
Practice:
- Audit trail: event driven records of all activities in the practice
- User defined Templates – throughout to assure consistency and quality of comments while still enabling case specific modification.
- Spell checking of all notes and comments to assure professionalism and readability.
- Built in drug and diagnosis code templates – to avoid errors
- Notes that are locked on completion to avoid tampering
- Program compliance tracking to assure complete and timely performance
- Forms management to print correct form on demand
- Document management to scanned documents and files to be attached and achieved with case
- Bar code document tracking – issued, received checked in , checked out
- Data Slice technology that restricts case information access to assigned personnel
- Integrated accounting and billing to assure accuracy
- e-signatures to assure locked documents are signed
- e-prescriptions integrated with meds management to assure accuracy
Care:
- Consistency of care case notes about the client: what works and what doesn’t that are shared with clinical workers assigned to the case
- Best practice notes: based on diagnosis and treatments but without client reference to be shared with all practice professionals at level
- Statistical Subjectivity Goal Charting : to graphically depict clinician assessment of treatment history effectiveness
- Consumer satisfaction survey on exit — aggregated to client and clinician satisfaction index — measure consumer assessment of effectiveness
These are some of what we have come up with if you have comments and or can think of more we can do please advise. We being a provider of an integrated suite of practice management, scheduling, accounting and billing software for: mental health, assisted care, personal care and group homes, were interested in making sure that we could support these quality care initiatives. We are proud of our software and what we have done but recognize that you are the experts and we support your needs.
learn more: www.findsocialservicesoftware.com/hsg.aspx
Nice post