February 26, 2018
Netsmart Media Contact:
Vince Koehler
Netsmart
vkoehler@ntst.com
913.272.2235
Overland Park, Kan., Feb. 26, 2018 - WellPower, a Colorado-based community behavioral health services provider has been driving care coordination between behavioral and physical health with local acute care provider Denver Health through the Carequality interoperability framework. The program positions both providers to deliver care with a person-centric approach in behavioral and primary healthcare.
Carequality promotes a common interoperability framework between participating health IT data providers, creating a seamless exchange of vital patient health information between data networks and care settings. Netsmart, a founding member and live implementer of Carequality, enables WellPower to exchange behavioral health records with other providers in the care continuum, including those in primary care.
“The application of Carequality to our current Netsmart electronic health record (EHR) solution has helped to open additional doors that create the best opportunity for true integration of mental and physical healthcare,” said Wes Williams, Ph.D., vice president and chief information officer at WellPower. “We are now able to exchange behavioral health data with the community-based care providers of the individuals we serve in an automated manner, while remaining compliant with current industry and federal requirements.”
Before Carequality, the healthcare industry struggled to achieve care coordination and integration due to obstacles with sharing and integrating behavioral health data with physical health data. Other attempts to facilitate behavioral health and substance use data fell short due to complex requirements and lack of scalability. With Carequality’s national framework and use of consent management, this sensitive data can now be shared and incorporated with all types of providers across the greater healthcare ecosystem.
WellPower and Denver Health, who utilize an EHR from Epic Systems, have a long history of working together to connect their populations, but the Carequality framework brings a higher level of connectivity and access to patient records that wasn’t available before. Mental Health Center of Denver’s utilization of Carequality empowers both organizations to approach whole-person care more effectively by ensuring that primary care physicians at Denver Health have access to all the relevant physical and mental health data they need.
Together, both organizations provide care to thousands of individuals in the Denver area with Denver Health holding status as a Federally Qualified Health Center. Giving providers full visibility into a patient's health record allows for more comprehensive care, eliminates duplicate or unnecessary testing or procedures, improves outcomes and reduces costs.
The adoption of Carequality also aids and supports additional state programs in which WellPower and Denver Health participate. Both organizations are part of Colorado’s Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC), a public health benefit program designed to provide quality care to residents. As members of the collaborative, both WellPower and Denver Health not only can they provide a better quality of care, but also improve Medicaid reimbursements through the interoperability framework. WellPower expects to connect further with other members of the collaborative in order to expand their footprint on improving care within the state.
“The WellPower has a long history of being progressive in the way they approach integrated, whole-person care,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “By leveraging the power of the Carequality framework with their Netsmart platform, they are taking a giant step forward in their journey to deliver the most connected care and treatment possible. Along with Denver Health, they are making a tremendous impact on the lives of the individuals they serve.”
Dr. Wes Williams of WellPower will be presenting at the Sequoia Project’s Booth discussing Carequality at HIMSS18 on March 7 at 4 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.
About WellPower
The WellPower is a private, not-for-profit, 501 (c) (3), community mental health center, provides mental health, housing, employment, educational and substance use services to the residents of the City and County of Denver since its founding in 1989. Known nationally as a model for innovative and effective community behavioral health care, our organization is a place for recovery, resilience and well-being. Mental Health Center of Denver provided treatment, prevention, outreach and crisis services to more than 60,000children, families and adults last year.
About Netsmart
Netsmart innovates electronic health records (EHRs), solutions and services that are powerful, intuitive and easy-to-use. Our platform provides accurate, up-to-date information which is easily accessible to care team members in behavioral health, care at home, senior living and social services. We make the complex simple and personalized so our clients can concentrate on what they do best: provide services and treatment that support whole-person care.
By leveraging the powerful Netsmart network, care providers can seamlessly and securely integrate information across communities, collaborate on the most effective treatments and improve outcomes for those in their care. Our streamlined systems and personalized workflows put relevant information at the fingertips of users when and where they need it.
For 50 years, Netsmart has been committed to providing a common platform to integrate care. SIMPLE. PERSONAL. POWERFUL.
Our more than 1,500 associates work hand-in-hand with our 600,000+ users in more than 25,000 organizations across the U.S. to develop and deploy technology that automates and coordinates everything from clinical to financial to administrative.
Learn more about how Netsmart is changing the face of healthcare today. Visit www.ntst.com, call 1-800-472-5509, follow us on our CareThreads Blog, LinkedIn and Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit us on YouTube.
Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDayMatters® Foundation, which was established for behavioral health, care at home, senior living and social services organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories.