Happy new year everyone! I hope you received that new computer you always wanted. If so, did it come with a brand new operating system? If you have not heard, Microsoft has released a new Windows version this year. Some computer manufacturers have already installed or included a free upgrade to Windows 11 with your purchase.
There are two versions of Windows 11: The Home edition and Pro edition. The difference is the Pro version contains additional networking and security features (such as Bitlocker), as well as the ability to join a domain.
 
If your organization is considering purchasing Window 11 Home or Pro edition and have a subscription to MyAccuCare.com then we want to reassure you that you should not have any problems accessing our website. To receive the best experience we highly recommend installing Chrome as your browser of choice when working with MyAccuCare.com. Go to https://www.google.com/chrome/ for the latest version.
 
Ron Alai, Director of Customer Support
Orion Healthcare Technology
 
Still have a support question about MyAccuCare.com? Contact our support staff by submitting a request or call 1-800-324-7966 ext. 6400 or 6401.
 
Are you thinking of subscribing to or adding new licenses/features to MyAccuCare.com? Please contact us at https://www.orionhealthcare.com/contact.html

​Just like marriage between a couple people, marriage between an organization/individual and one software solution has its benefits. “Marrying” your software means being fully vested into that product. It means having trust in that solution that it can fulfill your current business needs and also grow with your organization as the years pass by (similar to a marriage between 2 people). Below I have outlined just a few of the many benefits of marrying into one EHR solution.
 
First off, by marrying into one single EHR solution you can eliminate the need to have to remember multiple logins which can cause unnecessary confusion and headaches. Secondly, having all your clinical data in one system means easier access to files when you need it and where you need it. Moreover, clinical data can typically automatically crosswalk into other areas of the solution eliminating the need to spend extra time re-entering clinical data (if using multiple different solutions). Lastly, during times of staff turnover the onboarding process would be much quicker since you would only need to train the new employee on one solution vs. multiple solutions.
 
So please consider “getting married” to one EHR solution. By searching for and selecting one single product means you can reap the benefits I outlined above and more! AccuCare, powered by Orion Healthcare Technology, can be that one-stop solution. Call today for a free demo at 800-324-7966 to see how AccuCare can fulfill your business needs!
 
Dylan Lambrecht, Sales Manager
Orion Healthcare Technology

Businesses are about making money, yet focusing on this alone does not ensure a successful business. In therapy, the business is helping people find healing in their lives. The individuals’ needs should always be put first. The dynamic between running a business and helping people can create conflicting priorities. It is a balancing act between making money and helping the person in front of you. It has torn agencies apart and contributed to bankruptcy in private practice. So, the real question is how do you maintain healthy boundaries between running a business and still help the person in front of you?

In agencies, it is important to have both voices at the table. Conflict occurs when the money or census numbers always rule decisions. It causes burnout in staff and that creates bad care for the individuals in service. On the other hand, if you are too structured and cannot bend to allow for people to get in when they need, you miss opportunities to help someone. The balance is respect, knowing when boundaries are being set by one side or the other that there is a deeper meaning behind these boundaries. Having a check and balance system to review processes and admissions is vital to the health of an agency. You have to have equal voices in clinical and business to be successful.

In private practice so many go bankrupt because of the difficulty of managing the business side of treatment. Haggling with insurance companies, getting co-pays from clients, and discontinuing services when there is a lack of payment or frequent no shows. We don’t become therapists to not help people but often forget that healthy boundaries are part of what we teach. Respect for ourselves and our time is just as important as the care we provide for others. The world is changing and it is easier to get assistance with billing, but we struggle with spending the time, energy or money on an entity that can help with the business in private practice.

​There are no easy answers in this balance except respect for yourself, your peers, and your business to find and manage the ever-changing balance of care and making money. 

Attention AccuCare customers: currently, the offering for AccuCare/NAADAC webinars and CEU’s is on hold. We are in the process of working with NAADAC, as our agreement with them has expired. We are hoping to come to an agreement that will allow us to continue to offer some level of additional educational resources to our AccuCare users. We appreciate your patience, as we are always looking for ways to improve our benefits to our customers. Stay tuned for updates on this feature/benefit.

One very common question I receive from addictions, substance use and mental health treatment providers is how they can go COMPLETELY paperless within their organization. I would say a majority of providers understand that it’s not as simple as implementing an electronic health record and “poof” we’re there! Just like anything, there’s some proper planning and some questions to answer before moving towards that goal of going “paperless”.

What is your definition of going paperless?
Yes, ideally, every paper and pencil form that clinicians fill out would be in electronic format right? Well, from my experience, most of the time going paperless doesn’t really mean fully paperless. Many agencies have other stakeholders that influence their workflow. For example, an agency that contracts with a state authority or private contract, might have a paper form requirement, thus you still have a paper trail.

So what most agencies mean when they talk about going paperless, is to have a way, to replace the paper filing cabinet with an electronic filing cabinet. Therefore, even if you can’t fully replace paper forms with electronic ones, because of an outside authority or influence, you can still find a way to electronically FILE those records, so that the client’s CHART is paperless.

Basic features your EHR should have when going paperless

• Web or cloud based: At minimum on a local network. If the system can’t be accessible from multiple workstations, it limits accessibility. With today’s environment (and the work from home/remote access needs), secure cloud-based systems are an essential need.
• Create/customize your own forms and/or fields: This is a great way to convert your agency’s specific paper forms into a digital format. Other benefits include: capturing raw data for reporting and analysis, flexibility and scalability to meet grant reporting requirements, and standardizing data collection (i.e. making responses to certain fields restricted to certain answers). Some EHR vendors will convert your forms for you at a more efficient cost than having one of your staff do it.
• Upload external records/files/images: Client insurance, driver’s license, artwork, etc. Other external records you typically put in their file cabinet, should now be scanned and uploaded into their e-chart.
• Electronic Signatures: Use of stylus or other e-signature devices can allow your agency to store staff and supervisor signatures (from the stylus) so when they enter their password it automatically stamps their signature onto a document. It should also allow clients and/or collateral to physically sign off using the hardware for each record (it should NOT store the client’s signature).

There are other features to consider, however, I believe these are some of the core things you should look for when evaluating your workflow and readiness to “go green”.

Dylan Lambrecht, Account Specialist/Orion Healthcare Technology

If you are looking for an EHR system to go paperless, Orion Healthcare Technology can help! We offer an EHR cloud-based clinical and billing software suite called AccuCare which can integrate with your daily processes and procedures. This product offers features to customize your own forms, upload external files and capture electronic signatures. This secure, HIPAA ready software, can take the worry out of clinical documentation and record keeping. They offer multiple options for cloud-based storage which we would be happy to discuss with you in detail. If you don’t have the staff or the time to build the forms yourself, you can hire us to build the forms within your database. The option is yours!

Due to the national health crisis, there has been an increased need for telehealth services in the addictions, mental health and SUD field. Orion Healthcare Technology, the makers of the AccuCare EHR, has offered some information concerning the use of Telehealth within your agency. In addition, Orion has published a guide to implementing video conferencing/telehealth with the AccuCare System.

To our loyal customers and the healthcare field:
As COVID-19 makes its way across the globe, it’s affecting our communities including the addictions, mental health and substance use disorder community. As we continue to monitor Coronavirus (COVID-19) developments closely, I wanted to take this opportunity to keep you posted on our developments concerning COVID-19 for business continuity and the future of telehealth with AccuCare.

Business ContinuityWe implemented our business continuity plans to maintain a safe work environment for our staff while also ensuring our operations run as smooth and effectively as possible for our customers. Some of those actions include:

• We have ensured that our staff can work from home as needed, in order to prevent the spread of any illnesses, so we can continue to operate smoothly
• Help Desk (Tier 1) and Tier 2 support are capable of working remotely, allowing us to provide uninterrupted customer support to those in need
• Our AccuCare servers continue to provide secure and fully backed up access to your system
• We ask that you continue to use our support ticketing system (via www.myaccucare.com or email [email protected]) to submit your issues, or call us at 800.324.7966

Telehealth and AccuCare EHR
In addition to our support and operations, we have escalated our efforts in adding a Telehealth component to work with our AccuCare EHR System. We understand the need for this feature and how valuable this can be, especially with the current health crisis the world is facing. With that said, we are working diligently with our development team and several partners, to provide a telehealth feature that can work with our AccuCare System along with an implementation guide to help you get started. Stay tuned.

Thank you again for your continued support. We appreciate what you do for the field, and we will continue to use every effort to deliver uninterrupted services to all of our customers. We hope you, your staff, your clients and your families, remain safe and healthy through this time.

Sincerely,
Sandra A Jones
President, Orion Healthcare Technology, Inc.

America’s opioid crisis places a severe burden on public health. However, early intervention can prevent abuse and addiction before they happen. Health professionals have many opportunities to identify abuse and address it before it worsens. Learn how to pinpoint potential opioid use disorders and save lives.

The Opioid Abuse Epidemic
Our country has an opioid crisis that affects everyone’s well-being. Between 1999 and 2016, the public dangers posed by opioid addiction skyrocketed. In 2016, fives times as many opioid-related overdose deaths occurred as in 1999. Over the course of nearly two decades, more than 630,000 people died from drug overdose. Now, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. We haven’t lost all hope, however. Health professionals like you can save patient lives with early detection.

Preventing Substance Abuse by Recognizing the Signs
Opioids change the brain chemistry of someone who uses them. They create imbalances in the pleasure-reward system that can result in a reliance on opioids to feel positive feelings. The longer that someone takes opioids, the more likely they are to build dependency. Withdrawal symptoms become more severe when a patient has to stop taking opioids after an extended time.

Many patients can handle the effects of opioids without developing an addiction. However, the nature of this drug makes it easy for dependence to escalate into abuse. Health professionals need to identify the risk of abuse happening before it turns into a dangerous condition.

Opioid Abuse Risk Factors
Certain patients have a higher chance of developing opioid abuse and addiction than others. These opioid abuse risk factors include:

• Past or current personal substance abuse
• Past or current family substance abuse
• Untreated mental illness
• Younger age (between 16 and 45 years of age)
• History of sexual abuse

Not all patients with these traits will abuse opioids or become addicted. However, they should have extra care and attention to ensure they have a positive treatment experience.

Anyone with a high risk of opioid use disorder benefits from early intervention. However, specific populations have a critical need for it, including:

• Patients who drive under the influence
• Pregnant patients
• Adolescents who could develop lifetime addictions

Using the Opioid Risk Tool for Abuse Prevention
The AccuCare EHR’s Opioid Risk Tool (ORT) uses a research-supported assessment to identify the risk of abuse in your patients. After you answer a few questions, the tool calculates a score indicating their likelihood of aberrant behaviors, which are actions that suggest abuse and addiction. AccuCare’s ORT can help you monitor at-risk patients and potentially save lives.

About the AccuCare EHR SystemWe developed AccuCare to assist behavioral health professionals in managing their practices. This online application lets you:

• Organize patient records
• Schedule appointments
• Conduct assessments
• Manage treatment plans
• Write progress notes
• Prescribe medications
• Bill co-pays and insurance
• And more

Our team adds regular free updates such as the ORT to help you serve your patients more effectively. To learn more about the AccuCare system, contact us today. Request a free software demo to test out AccuCare’s features yourself.