EHR evaluation checklist

Deciding to start your own mental health practice can feel overwhelming, but this electronic health record (EHR) evaluation checklist can help.

One of the critical elements of starting a private practice is determining how to choose the best EHR for your practice. 

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of how to evaluate EHR systems, common EHR problems and solutions, an EHR implementation roadmap, and a handy EHR evaluation checklist, so you can avoid potential roadblocks and maximize time you spend with clients. 

What is an EHR?

EHR systems provide mental health practitioners with the software to manage their records and administrative processes. 

Depending on the system you choose, an EHR will typically house client files, notes, treatment plans, scheduling, telehealth functionality, insurance, billing, and more. 

Think of an EHR as your practice's administrative hub.

There are multiple benefits of using an EHR:

• You’ll save time by automating processes, such as scheduling and billing.

• EHRs can help you manage client paperwork and administrative tasks by automatically sending paperwork and scheduling information directly to clients. 

• They improve quality of care by keeping track of patient records and treatment plans in one place.

• You’ll save administrative time because you won’t need to print records and manage a manual filing system.

• EHRs reduce compliance risk and potential HIPAA violations by keeping data secure. 

• Modern EHRs with AI-powered note-taking can save you an average of 5 hours per week by automatically listening, transcribing, and drafting therapy notes, giving you more time to focus on client care.

‌

EHR problems and solutions

Some of the most common problems mental health practitioners look to solve when looking for an EHR include:

• Manual booking systems. These require clinicians to manually leave messages, send emails, return phone calls, and discuss their availability—all while trying to also see clients and manage their practice.

• Paper filing systems. Maintaining a manual record system is not only time consuming, but it also requires space, locking cabinets, and security measures. There is an increased risk of compliance violations with paper records, and it also means that no one else can access the record at the same time. For example, if a therapist is covering for another clinician, they need physical access to the file and will be relying on the other therapist to keep up-to-date records, which would be impossible for a remote practice.

• Insurance billing and administration. Keeping track of insurance submissions manually is not only time consuming, but also prone to human error. You could risk losing track of payments if you forget to set a reminder, or don't keep a diligent log of claims filed. Look for an EHR that allows you to create, submit, track, and reconcile insurance claims all in one place, check client eligibility ahead of appointments, and manage fees for insurance claims and ERAs within your budget.

A solution to all these challenges is to use an electronic health system that automates booking, sends appointment and payment reminders, ensures that you update a client record before the end of the day, and tracks insurance reimbursement.

Evaluating EHR systems

Now that you’re familiar with some of the benefits of EHR systems, you may be wondering how to best evaluate EHR systems and find the right one for your practice. 

There are several steps to this process, including determining what you want your EHR to do, your individual practice needs and workflows, EHR compatibility with existing systems and processes, ease of use, and costs. 

If you want to know how to choose the best EHR for your practice, we’ve broken these steps down into manageable chunks in the next section. 

We’ve also provided a handy EHR evaluation checklist for you to use to compare and contrast different EHRs on the market. 

‌

How to choose the best EHR for your practice

Think of these steps as a process of fine tuning the key features you want to include on your EHR evaluation checklist. 

Once you’ve worked through each section, you’ll have a shortlist of key EHR features to check off when evaluating EHR systems. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to evaluate an EHR:

1. Analyze your needs 

The first step is to consider your core needs as a practice and the particular problems you are trying to solve. We’ve grouped these into the following key areas:

• Communication

  • Does the EHR automate intake forms and send them directly to clients?

  • Can clients access their payment history and make payments directly?

  • Do you want a secure messaging system to communicate with clients?

• Security

  • Is the EHR HIPAA complaint?

  • Where is the data held? Is it on the clinician’s computer or on a cloud?

• Scheduling

  • Can clients request appointments online?

  • Does the EHR allow recurring appointments to be set?

  • Can you automate appointment reminders to reduce no-shows?

  • Can you add clients to a waitlist for appointment openings?

• Mobile features

  • Does the EHR have a mobile app?

  • How easy is the app to navigate on a smartphone or tablet?

  • Does the app give you full access to all your records, scheduling, billing, and client information?

• Telehealth

  • Can you schedule and manage sessions with individuals or groups?

  • Does the platform include interactive features like a whiteboard?

  • Are there waiting room features to control when clients enter sessions?

  • Does it include a session timer?

  • Are virtual and blurred backgrounds available for privacy?

• Data 

  • Can you standardize the intake forms and do they reflect your target clients?

  • Is there a tracking feature that allows you to provide certain client information to certain vendors/insurance companies?

  • Does the EHR integrate with your existing systems?

• Billing and payments

  • Can you store credit cards on file and set up autopay?

  • Can you easily create and share invoices, statements, and superbills?

  • Can you accept payments and process insurance in one integrated system?

  • Can you create, submit, track, and reconcile insurance claims all in one place?

  • Can you check client eligibility ahead of appointments?

  • Are fees for insurance claims and ERAs within your budget?

• Documentation

  • Can you review client history while writing progress notes on one screen?

  • Does the EHR offer AI-powered note-taking or transcription features?

  • Can you collect signatures from clients and third parties electronically?

  • Does it include measurement-based care tools to track client progress?

  • Are there prewritten treatment goals, objectives, and interventions available?

  • Can you customize paperwork, documents, progress notes, and templates?

• Internal processes/functionality

  • Do you want your EHR to manage essential employment features, like HR processes? What about onboarding, performance management, and legal documentation?

2. Assess compatibility

The next stage is to think about how the EHR will integrate with your existing systems and its compatibility. For example:

• Vendor/insurance processes

  • Does the system work with your existing vendors? For example, can the EHR electronically communicate with insurance companies, or will this add extra work to your existing workflow?

• System compatibility 

  • Does the EHR sync with your Google, Outlook, or other calendar system? What about other electronic systems, like email or messaging? 

  • Do you want all communication to be stored in the EHR? For example, if you currently have a manual system for booking appointments via phone or email, would you benefit from an automated electronic booking system as a key feature? 

• Workflow 

  • Does the system work with your existing workflows? 

  • Can the EHR improve or automate workflows and improve efficiencies?

• Strategic plans 

  • If your goal is to expand as a practice with multiple sites in the near future, does this EHR provide for that growth?

3. Assess ease of use

You’ll need to think about how accessible the EHR software is from multiple viewpoints:

• Staff 

  • Is the EHR easy for any member of your staff to use, both on their computer and a mobile device?

• Clients 

  • Does the EHR marketing information contain client reviews? What do they say? Look for any feedback on the ease of use for the features you’re considering, like scheduling, completing intake forms, and messaging. 

• Vendors 

  • Are there specific reviews from insurance companies about this particular EHR? Look for any challenges and how the EHR company has handled those complaints. 

• Customer service

  • What service is available to EHR consumers if you run into difficulties? This is quite important, especially if you’re considering using an EHR to complete all essential practice functions. You’ll want to check what kind of customer support is available and what troubleshooting features they have, such as detailed articles and videos in a help center for quick answers, live classes, demos, and screen shares with product specialists, an online community of customers for networking and peer support, and multiple support channels (email, chat, phone).

4. Consider costs

The final stage is to consider the investment of each EHR and weigh the cost with improvements in workflow efficiencies that could result in a potential increase in revenue. 

You’ll also want to compare and contrast the cost of different EHR companies with similar features and determine what is most important to you: making cost efficiencies or having back up support 24-hours a day for a higher subscription cost.

‌

EHR implementation roadmap

Now that you’ve narrowed down your options using the EHR evaluation checklist and determined what kind of system you want, zoom out to create an implementation roadmap. 

Here’s a template roadmap you can follow:

• Create an implementation team to fulfill the following roles: project management, data entry person, testing, billing/vendor management, super users, administration, and point person with the implementation team

• Analyze what you need out of an EHR

• Go through the EHR evaluation checklist

• Submit a requirements analysis to potential vendors

• Evaluate your EHR options and create a shortlist

• Arrange a demonstration with each vendor with key stakeholders present to ask questions and assess accessibility

• If possible, consider a trial period or ask to use their testing system to see how the vendors navigate troubleshooting

• Select the EHR vendor and move forward with paperwork and implementation

• Prepare to migrate existing data into the system and create a project plan of implementation with a timeline of key milestones

• Enter testing phase and iron out any issues

• Communicate with clients 

• Go live 

How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice

SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software with everything you need to run your practice built into the platform—from booking and scheduling to insurance and client billing.

If you’ve been considering switching to an EHR system, SimplePractice empowers you to run a fully paperless practice—so you get more time for the things that matter most to you.

Try SimplePractice free for 30 days. No credit card required.

‌