Behavioral Health Providers and Electronic Health Records: An Exploratory Beliefs Elicitation and Segmentation Study

The widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) is a public policy strategy to improve healthcare quality and reduce accelerating health care costs. Much research has focused on medical providers’ perceptions of EHRs, but little is known about those of behavioral health providers. This research was informed by the theory of reasoned action, and the technology acceptance model. This mixed methods research was conducted in two studies. The first study interviewed behavioral health providers (n = 32) to elicit beliefs about EHRs. Using the elicited beliefs from the first study, a survey of 38 Likert-scaled belief statements was administered to all behavioral health providers in Nebraska (N = 2,010). Using data from the sample (n = 667) the belief statements were reduced to four factors. The factors were used as a basis for a cluster analysis to create two market segments. In the first study, most providers (81%) identified themselves as having positive overall opinions about EHRs and three themes emerged: (a) safety and quality of care, (b) security and privacy, and (c) delivery of services. Benefits and barriers were mentioned for each of these three areas, with the most frequently mentioned being benefits to client safety and quality of care (100%), privacy and security barriers (100%), delivery of services barriers (97%), and benefits to delivery of care in their practices (66%). 667 providers participated in the statewide survey to identify salient beliefs, reduced to four factors, that EHRs would (a) improve care and communication, (b) add cost and time burdens, (c) present access and vulnerability concerns, and (d) improve workflow and control. Using the factors as clustering variables returned a two-cluster solution: providers who had overall positive beliefs about EHRs (67%) and providers who had overall negative beliefs about EHRs (33%). Based on the research, five key areas are highlighted that will likely impact behavioral health providers’ perceptions of EHRs: (1) usability, (2) ease of use, (3) privacy and confidentiality, (4) cost, and (5) marketing

Show Me the Money!

Table of Contents: What Are Expanded Learning Opportunities? Identifying resources available to support expanded learning opportunity programs in Nebraska Some Key Findings of the Fund Mapping Projec

A Case Study in Data Sharing: 211 Helplink and the AIRS XSD

The Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN) helps communities prepare for and respond to disasters. The ability to exchange up‐to‐date information about resources and clients is central to effective response. To facilitate the exchange of resource data, CAN has been working with information & referral organizations, namely 2‐1‐1s, to ensure that their existing data about community services may be easily and quickly shared with CAN in the event of disaster. CAN has been working with 211 Helplink (San Francisco, California) to develop an exchange using the data standard developed by the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, AIRS XSD 2.07. The data exchange has failed. The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center and the University of Nebraska‐Lincoln Department of Computer Science and Engineering agreed to analyze the exports, determine the failure points, and make recommendations for this and future data exchanges

Trust in government and support for governmental regulation: The case of electronic health records

Background — This paper presents results from a public engagement effort in Nebraska, USA, which measured public opinions about governmental involvement in encouraging the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Objective — We examine the role of trust in government in contributing to public support for government involvement in the development of EHR technologies. We hypothesize that trust in government will lead to support for federal and state governmental encouragement of the use of EHRs among doctors and insurance companies. Further, because individual experiences with health-care professionals will reduce perceptions of risk, we expect that support for governmental involvement will be tempered by greater personal experience with the health-care industry. Design and Results — Examining a small survey of individuals on the issue, we find general support for both of our hypotheses. The findings suggest that trust in government does have a positive relationship with support for government involvement in the policy domain, but that the frequency of personal experiences with health-care providers reduces the extent to which the public supports governmental involvement in the development of EHR technology. Discussion and Conclusion — This inquiry contributes to our understanding of public attitudes towards government involvement in EHRs in the United States specifically and contributes to social science examining links between trust in government and support for governmental activity in the emerging policy domain regarding electronic health records systems

Faith-Based Organizations in a System of Behavioral Health Care

Through community service activities, and ministries to members within their congregations, faith communities will encounter individuals with behavioral health needs. This article suggests that faith communities have inherent resources that can enhance the reach and effectiveness of behavioral health systems. A framework is presented that will create a bridge of understanding about how behavioral health can leverage faith organization assets and how faith organizations can actively assist adults, children and families with behavioral health needs within the context of their faith and their community

Human Services Data Standards: Current Progress and Future Vision in Crisis Response

Interorganizational coordination is crucial among human services providers responsible for responding to both personal and widespread crises. Too often, however, agencies providing disaster relief, shelter, and connection to other social service systems operate in information silos. Moreover, organizations that assist the same people may be duplicating services or ineffectively providing services to those in need. In the past, there has been no easy way for human service organizations to share information about clients, resources, and services. Over the last decade, distinct initiatives have begun to standardize data collection, storage, and transmission standards within human service domains. This paper describes several human services standards currently in use or under development in the United States and discusses how each support distinct, yet related, human service information management during disasters. The paper concludes with a call for the development of an overarching human services data interoperability standard

Health Information Exchange: A Frontier Model

This project laid the groundwork for the formation of a health information exchange within an established network of critical access hospitals, clinics, public health providers, and behavioral health providers across the rural, remote Nebraska Panhandle. The three goals were: (1) to develop an operational entity and incorporate a regional health information organization to support the development of a health information exchange; (2) to provide standardized training and user capacity development programs throughout the Panhandle; and (3) to implement electronic health records in critical access hospitals and rural health clinics through a shared process. The evaluation explored both the extent to which the objectives were obtained, and the outcomes: -An operational entity was established (Goal 1). The Rural Nebraska Healthcare Network formed the Western Nebraska Health Information Exchange, LLC as the operational entity and the Managers are responsible for all implementation and operation activities. -Standardized training and user capacity development programs were delivered to hundreds of Panhandle participants live, and over Nebraska’s telehealth network (Goal 2). -Progress was made toward implementing electronic health records (Goal 3). Avendor was selected and, at the grant’s conclusion, the Managers were negotiating contract terms and identifying funding for the implementation costs

Electronic Health Records: Eliciting Behavioral Health Providers’ Beliefs [Brief Reports]

Interviews with 32 community behavioral health providers elicited perceived benefits and barriers of using electronic health records. Themes identified were (a) quality of care, (b) privacy and security, and (c) delivery of services. Benefits to quality of care were mentioned by 100% of the providers, and barriers by 59% of providers. Barriers involving privacy and security concerns were mentioned by 100% of providers, and benefits by 22%. Barriers to delivery of services were mentioned by 97% of providers, and benefits by 66%. Most providers (81%) expressed overall positive support for electronic behavioral health records