SAMHSA Enhances Health Information Technology Efforts
By Sandy D. Cogan
Two of SAMHSA’s eight Strategic
Initiatives encourage the development
and expansion of health information
technology (HIT) and electronic health
record (EHR) systems that support
behavioral health care. (See Leading
Change: A Plan for SAMHSA’s Roles and
Actions, 2011–2014.)
Under its Health Reform Strategic
Initiative, the agency is spearheading
efforts to increase consumers’ access
to prevention, treatment, and recovery
services through the use of technologies
that support high-quality, coordinated
care, especially for people with behavioral
health disorders and co-occurring physical
health conditions such as obesity, diabetes,
heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.
In carrying out its HIT Initiative,
SAMHSA has launched a number of
activities to assist behavioral health
providers in adopting HIT and EHRs.
One SAMHSA-funded project—the Open
Behavioral Health Information Technology
Architecture project (OBHITA)—is
supporting the development of an opensource
software platform that is built
on common standards to facilitate the
effective sharing of information between
behavioral health providers and the
primary care system while ensuring
compliance with behavioral health-specific
patient privacy regulations. SAMHSA is
working closely with treatment providers,
consumers, and technology vendors to
identify and address the current priorities
of the community for advancing HIT.
Through other related initiatives,
SAMHSA is encouraging behavioral
health programs to leverage technology
to improve access to and coordination of
treatment for mental and substance use
disorders, especially for Americans in
underserved populations. In September
2011, the agency awarded more than $9.3
million in supplemental one-year grants
to expand the use of interoperable EHRs
with 47 existing Primary and Behavioral
Health Care Integration (PBHCI)
programs. The goal of PBHCI programs
is to improve the physical health status of
people with serious mental illnesses (SMI)
by supporting communities to coordinate
and integrate primary care services
into publicly funded community-based
behavioral health settings. This recent
HIT award funding has increased the
grantees’ abilities to identify the behavioral
health and primary care needs of their
patients, exchange health information
between PBHCI behavioral health
providers and physical health providers,
and document and track preventive health
efforts across both settings.
In October 2011, SAMHSA issued $25
million in awards to 29 substance use
disorder treatment programs under a
grant program known as Expanding Care
Coordination through the Use of Health
Information Technology in Targeted Areas
of Need (TCE Health IT). This program
has produced a number of innovative
products and services, according to
SAMHSA Public Health Advisor Wilson
Washington Jr., M.S., who oversees the
program. “We’re seeing groundbreaking
use of technology like mobile applications
and Web-based interactive sites that
help patients engage in e-therapy at
remote locations, track their progress,
communicate with caseworkers and
continue their care,” he said.
He highlighted the following three
innovative programs:
Macon, GA
River Edge Behavioral Health Center,
a community-based behavioral health
provider, has built a Web portal that
allows clients and clinicians to track
treatment progress. The site, launched in
collaboration with another grantee, View
Point Health in Lawrenceville, expects
to serve approximately 4,000 substance
abuse clients. In subsequent years, the site
will include animation “shout outs” and
questions to prompt patient participation.
The site will also support interoperability so
that other grantees with whom River Edge
collaborates can benchmark their substance
abuse clients’ treatment outcomes.
Chattanooga, TN
The Volunteer Behavioral Health Care
System (VBHCS) has built an interactive
Web-based e-therapy site that functions
as a virtual self-help support system to
provide treatment and recovery services.
“Many of our clients who participate in
our programs live in rural communities
that offer few face-to-face opportunities
for treatment and recovery programs,”
said Vickie Harden, LAPSW, Senior Vice
President of Clinical Services. “Our
interactive site is designed to provide aftercare
to these clients who complete residential
treatment. This helps bridge a critical
gap in their care by providing continuing
opportunities for recovery support.”
Ms. Harden explained that the Web site
also allows clients to blog, post positive
comments about one another, and
participate in group and private chats,
guided by a recovery coach. Embedded
in the Web site is a point system that gives
rewards and praises clients for program
participation. In addition to recovery
support services, the Web site allows
VBHCS-trained therapists to conduct
e-therapy sessions on a weekly basis.
Pittsford, NY
Loyola Recovery Foundation, an addiction
recovery service, has collaborated with
the Veterans Administration to develop a
Web portal and smartphone application
to support alcohol-dependent veterans
who have had multiple detoxification
hospitalizations. The technology, beta
tested in February, will allow patients to
receive outpatient addiction specialty
support via a smartphone platform.
For more information, read SAMHSA’s News Release.