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IT's place in tough times: executives share their organizations' IT plans during a rough economy.

Article Excerpt
Behavioral healthcare providers that rely on public financing are facing an extremely tough year. The economy's nosedive is leading to steep state budget deficits, and many mental health and substance use care organizations are bracing for deep funding cuts at a time when many are trying to upgrade their information technology infrastructure.

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Behavioral Healthcare talked to several members of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare about their IT plans during this rough time. While some have had to delay their IT plans, others are finding ways to move forward--even if more slowly than they'd like--as they recognize that effectively implemented IT is essential to reducing long-term costs and improving care.

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Henrietta Weill Memorial Child Guidance Clinic in Kern County, California, was ahead of the curve when it adopted an electronic medical record (EMR) system in 1999. The private nonprofit outpatient mental health center had customized a vendor solution to provide the data and reports it needed. Then, in 2006, the county purchased an EMR system from a different vendor for all of its contracted providers, including the clinic, to use.

The organization planned on purchasing its own license of the software so it could transition all of its clients, not just those whose care was paid for by the county, to the new system. However, after public funding cuts in 2007, the organization could not afford to purchase the license. Thus, earlier this month it adopted the county-supported EMR system...

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