Admissions checklists share critical information that helps healthcare providers offer targeted, effective patient treatment. Software tools for behavioral health admissions can improve the content and process of an admissions checklist, leading to a better experience for everyone involved.
Sunwave Health excels at driving healthy results through our data-driven software platform. Reach out through our online contact form to learn more.
Consistency Creates Better Behavioral Health Admissions
A consistent admissions procedure for all patients is critical. Using the same process helps information flow seamlessly, without interruption, from one member of the healthcare team to the next. If the form is streamlined beforehand, staff members won’t worry about forgetting an essential part of the checklist. And if patients are readmitted to your facility, their intake information is already in the system—allowing the process to flow more efficiently since you only need to update information that has changed.
Consistency also allows you to integrate any aspects of the checklist required by state and federal regulatory agencies, especially for specific patient groups (such as adolescents) whose care may be more regulated.
Gather Important Information About Patients
When creating a behavioral health admissions checklist, there’s a lot of data to cover, and even the most thorough healthcare providers may leave something out. Make sure your initial assessment captures as much information as possible, including:
- Patient identification and demographics
- Social determinants of health data
- Medications the patient takes
- Medical history and recent hospitalizations
- Info about the patient’s support network, including emergency contacts and other resources the patient can access
- Causes of their behavioral health crisis
- Safety and risk factors for the patient and others
- Current relationships, if any, with other behavioral health care providers
Getting this data will simplify every step of the patient’s healthcare journey, leading to a better behavioral health admissions process. For patients covered by Medicare, for example, healthcare providers can use the checklist information to determine if the patient meets the criteria for Medicare admission.
The right behavioral health software can easily transfer this information through multiple forms. You won’t need to ask patients the same questions repeatedly, and every provider will have the data they need when required.
Help Patients Understand Their Options
A behavioral health admissions checklist should be easy for a patient to read and understand. The form should explain any acronyms or medical terms that may be unfamiliar to a patient who hasn’t visited a behavioral healthcare facility before. This includes clear explanations of their treatment and insurance options at your practice. The checklist is also an excellent place to clarify that patients’ medical information will be kept private.
A checklist specific to behavioral health may include an item where the patient gives their consent for psychiatric or mental health treatment.
Benefits of a Better Behavioral Health Admissions Process
Improving and standardizing your behavioral health admissions forms helps your practice:
- Keep information flowing consistently between healthcare teams
- Give healthcare providers the facts they need to address patient health concerns quickly and effectively
- Plan for discharge starting at admission, reducing the patient’s length of stay in residential facilities
- Prioritize patients’ needs and patient safety
When admission paperwork goes smoothly, you’ll save time and money, and your patient will likely have a better treatment outcome.
Streamline Your Admissions With Sunwave Health
Our state-of-the-art electronic medical records (EMR) system is custom-designed for behavioral health and addiction treatment providers. With comprehensive guidelines for admissions checklists and a network that transfers information from one provider to the next, our EMR helps you manage every aspect of the treatment process, starting with admission. You’ll be able to combine all the notes and documentation you need on a single platform. Our customer relationship management (CMR) tools let you collect each patient’s details in one location, where they’re easy to find throughout the patient’s treatment process.
Contact us online or call 561.576.6037 to learn how our behavioral health software can help you deliver healthy results.
