Duke University.
To some professionals, that prestigious institution means a lot to the mental health field, simply because they have a program for professionals to earn a degree that’s stamped “Duke”“. That, in itself can mean a lot when the professional seeks a job, and to the consumer who really wants to find a well-educated professional to help manage and resolve difficult mental health problems. To me, “Duke’ means “MindLinc” an Electronic Medical Record (EMR). Note the difference from my usual software designation of Electronic Health Record (EHR). MindLinc is a quite complete EMR, however I see no billing component.
That may be a drawback or not, depending on an organization’s needs or not. If a mental health or addictions treatment facility has a billing system they absolutely love (strange thing to love, that), or wants to use AccuMedic’s billing software (see my previous post), MindLinc is an expert in interfacing. Interfacing is the skill, talent and result of a lot of hard work that makes two different software products talk to one another, and from what I saw, MindLinc’s folks have mastered that.
Although not all companies can boast such expertise, that’s not the impressive thing discovered during the initial overview I received recently. MindLinc customers have universally opted into a de-identified sharing of data from the MindLinc data warehouse. The value is evidenced in thousands of cases treating mental illness diagnoses’ common to mental health clinics and hospitals across the nation, and the results that have been entered into that database. This tool offers tremendous treatment guidance based on real treatment results. The implications of this to consumers is obvious…if the professional a consumer is seeing is using MindLinc, they both benefit from a tremendous number success stories; if that data is being leveraged in daily treatment, people might have an improved chance to feel better.
Families frequently participate in their loved ones’ treatment. In fact, family can deliver the greatest support because they are in closest contact with the consumer. A number of software programs have been challenged by connecting family records to a consumer’s records, however MindLinc appears to have an effective method of including those records as a vital, easily accessible aspect of treatment documentation.
From what I saw, MindLinc uses measurement scales in every form to measure progress and outcomes. The idea is to monitor treatment and how the consumer is doing, and if this monitoring shows a statistical trend of a declining payoff in successful treatment, the measurements may guide the professional to a more successful path. The scales tend to be a few simple questions asked that can be quite revealing and are asked regularly. The answers can be graphed to show increasing or declining results of treatment.
The User Interface is what I would call “old school”, and any facility looking for an EMR should take a close look at MindLinc to assure the fit will be easily grasped by the professionals who will be using the software…If users find software easy to use, they are more likely to add it into their daily routine as opposed to becoming reluctant users.
MindLinc has a singular approach to some documentation, like the treatment plan. “Problems”, which are a key part of treatment that needs to be focused on in most sessions, are stored in a different place than the treatment plan. Some professionals will love this, some will want to gravitate toward the traditional “tree” approach to documentation. It’s a matter of choice, so be sure to have both schools weigh in if your organization is looking for an EMR.
The software includes 350 forms and reports, so you theoretically don’t spend all your time developing forms. This is a plus on one hand, and says a little about the software company. Since they are part of Duke University, I’m certain a lot of thought has gone into the approach of the software and the forms that are included.
MindLinc has a different approach to the EMR than some of the other vendors out there. Especially if you’re not seeing what you like for your professionals, check them out.
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