Behavioral Health Information Technology: From Chaos To Clarity.
The use of health information technology (IT) in general health care has been shown to have significant potential to facilitate the delivery of safe, high-quality, and cost-effective care. However, its application to behavioral health care has been slow, limiting the extent to which consumers seeking care for mental health or substance use disorders can derive its benefits. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the use of health IT in behavioral health and to describe some unique challenges experienced in that domain. We also highlight current obstacles to, and recommendations for, the use of health IT in improving the quality of behavioral health care. We conclude with recommendations for prioritizing the work that we believe will move the US health care system toward more effective, efficient, and patient-centric care in behavioral health.
Piper A. Ranallo is organizer and chair of the National Mental Health Informatics Workgroup and founder of nonprofit Six Aims for Behavioral Health, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Piper A
PA
Ranallo
Amy M. Kilbourne (amykilbo@umich.edu) is director of the Veterans Affairs Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) in the Health Services Research and Development Service, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, both in Ann Arbor.
Amy M
AM
Kilbourne
Angela S. Whatley is program manager of QUERI, Department of Veterans Affairs, in Washington, D.C.
Angela S
AS
Whatley
Harold Alan Pincus is a professor and vice chair of the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and director of quality and outcomes research at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, both in New York City.
Harold Alan
HA
Pincus
D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014481:United States
Information Technology; Quality Of Care; mental disorders