Meaningful use of electronic medical records among rural community mental health agencies

Background: Electronic medical records (EMRs) have been part of mental health services for more than a decade. Federal policies identify three stages of EMRs meaningful use that move from collecting and storing data electronically in stage 1 to clinical use in stage 2, and finally, to sharing data between providers in stage 3. Little is known about the stage of EMRs meaningful use among rural community mental health agencies (CMHAs).

Methods: Representatives from 12 CMHAs in the Midwest that serve over 14,000 patients completed an online questionnaire about EMRs meaningful use. Four broad areas structured the questionnaire: 1) EMRs functions available to staff, 2) stage of meaningful use, 3) communication with other health care providers, and 4) EMRs system development and costs. The questionnaire was hosted on SurveyMonkey. Univariate statistics were used to analyze the data.

Results: 92 % (n=11) of CMHAs used EMRs to collect and store patient data. Widely available EMRs functions included scheduling appointments, billing, clinical assessments, and case notes. Less common functions included psychiatrists' notes, transfer information, and medication lists. All CMHAs were at stage 1. Communication with other health care providers remained paper-based for 67% (n=8) of CMHAs. Half of the CMHAs developed their EMRs system using an internal IT team and 100% utilized cash or operating expenses.

Conclusions: CMHAs have become adapt at collecting and storing data, but rarely have the resources or expertise to analyze complex data for clinical use or share it electronically with other health care providers. Cost barriers remain significant.