POLITICO: MENTAL HEALTH DIGITAL DIVIDE
As the Biden administration pushes to make insurers cover mental health care on par with physical care, there’s a similar push from lawmakers and advocates for electronic health records, Ben reports.
Mental health and substance-use providers weren’t allowed to get billions in federal subsidies for adopting EHRs in the 2009 HITECH Act, which advocates argue has led to significant disparities in uptake between behavioral and physical health providers. While data varies, one recent federal estimate found that 49 percent of psychiatric hospitals have certified electronic health records compared to 96 percent of general and surgical hospitals.
Without the funding, the behavioral health industry didn’t invest in robust behavioral health-specific electronic health systems, said Alisa Chestler, a Baker Donelson attorney with digital health expertise.
Legislation from Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) and Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) would add $20 million in annual grant funding through ONC for behavioral health EHR adoption. Advocates hope it will get into the final SUPPORT Act reauthorization package aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic. The package expires Sept. 30 without Congressional action.
Al Guida, a lobbyist speaking on behalf of the Behavioral Health IT Coalition, said the lack of EHR adoption in behavioral health prevents such care from being integrated into primary care. David Bucciferro, chair of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association, added that it hurts care coordination.
Some are more skeptical that a lack of incentives is the main driver of the lack of adoption. Dean Sittig, a top EHR researcher, said that patients’ views on behavioral health disincentivize data-sharing.
“Many patients want their behavioral health treatment to be kept secret, and they know that once in a computer, it is available to more people, both for good and bad purposes,” Sittig told Pulse.
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