From interoperable electronic medical records to interactive smartphone applications, technology is driving new solutions in whole health and promoting integration and collaboration in our healthcare system. New and cutting-edge technologies can also build the critical bridge between raw health data and meaningful outcomes.
Despite widespread adoption of electronic medical records in our health care system, behavioral health providers are lagging in health IT adoption.
— Henry Harbin
Currently, fewer than 30 percent of behavioral health providers have implemented electronic health records. This significantly inhibits behavioral health care integration and fails to capture the needs of patients across clinical settings.
The Kennedy Forum wants to ensure that our mental health system is not left behind and that individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders benefit from important technological advancements. When health plans, providers, and patients have access to the same information, only then can we achieve the best possible health outcomes.
Why It Matters
- More than 68 percent of adults with a mental disorder had at least one medical condition. Comorbidity is associated with elevated symptom burden, functional impairment, decreased length and quality of life and increased costs.
