What is mental health software?

Mental health software allows healthcare providers such as psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and behavioral health professionals to manage their clinical, administrative, and operational workflows. It helps with storing patient records, invoicing, billing, coding, care delivery, handling electronic claims, and scheduling appointments. The software ensures compliance with regulations and can integrate with other software tools used in pharmacies and labs.

The benefits of mental health software

Mental health software supports healthcare providers in improving daily operations and patient care. The software has the following benefits:

• Reduced errors in patient records: Even a minute error in a patient’s record can lead to wrong treatment and legal implications for the provider. Mental health software helps in error-free, detailed, and accurate documentation of patients’ records to facilitate accurate diagnosis and, consequently, the right treatment.
• E-prescription functionality: Mental health software helps in prescribing medications electronically. E-prescriptions are also easier to track for a healthcare practice.  
• Automated workflows: With the automation of tasks such as medication reviews, appointment scheduling, and billing, physicians can speed up every aspect of their practices’ administrative processes. 

Typical features of mental health software

• Initial assessments: Conduct initial diagnosis of a patient’s mental health for signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc.
• Treatment plans: Chart detailed plans tailored to an individual patient.
• Electronic health records (EHRs): Create and store digital patient records, including medical charts and progress notes.
• E-prescriptions: Digitally generate and send prescriptions to pharmacies.
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance: Set standards for protecting sensitive patient data as per HIPAA.
• Appointment scheduling: Manage patient appointments and follow-ups.
• Appointment reminders: Send automatic reminders to patients for upcoming appointments.
• Lab integration: Integrate the tool with lab systems such as electronic medical records (EMRs) and billing systems . Physicians can send orders for lab work electronically.
• Patient portal: Allow patients to access their personal health information such as lab results, medication history, and recent doctor visits. Patients can manage their appointments, make payments, and contact physicians.
• Billing: Verify patients’ insurance coverage and submit claims electronically.
• Practice management: Manage and perform tasks such as capturing patient demographics, scheduling appointments, billing, and generating reports.

Considerations when purchasing mental health software

• Integration capabilities: Practitioners need to be aware of patients’ overall health history and medications they are already on. To achieve this, mental health software should be able to integrate with other systems at play, such as pharmacy software and laboratory software.
• Specific needs and scalability: The software you purchase could come with a plethora of features that you might not even need for your practice. Therefore, it’s crucial to be cognizant of the specific requirements of your practice, such as the need for Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) charts and psychiatric SOAP notes templates, well in advance. Additionally, as your practice expands, the software should scale with you so you don't have to buy new software.

Relevant mental health software trends

• Therapy going mobile: With technological advancements and growth in smartphone use, people are increasingly relying on mobile apps for almost everything they do. This is driving medical solution providers to either complement their products with mobile apps or develop mobile-only products.
• Virtual reality (VR) is assisting therapists in treating disorders: VR has already brought change to the entertainment and gaming industries. Now, with its ability to treat disorders such as schizophrenia , anxiety, depression, and phobias, it’s all set to revolutionize the healthcare industry.