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Employee Satisfaction is Paramount to Employee Retention
The significance of employee satisfaction in social services and behavioral health has reached unprecedented heights. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, social services and behavioral health agencies have grappled with increased workloads, increased burnout, and many other stressors. The industry is faced with retention issues caused by decreased employee satisfaction, which can compromise quality care delivery. Technology now provides a promising solution to these problems in the form of EHR and case management software.
Is your organization struggling with low employee satisfaction rates, quiet quitting, or high turnover? If so, we suggest doing a processes audit to understand your team's day-to-day activities and identify pain points or hang ups. If employees are spending too much time on charting, documentation, and administrative tasks they may need an EHR software to streamline processes. One of the many advantages our customers notice after implementing EHR software is that their employees are much happier because they are working with a less time-consuming record-keeping and case management process.
Software for case management, such as Exym EHR software, extendedReach, and Stabilify, offer invaluable tools that can revolutionize the way social and behavioral health services are provided. These programs can streamline workflows, improve communication, increase accessibility to information, raise client engagement, increase security, and improve data analytics. Overall, case management software can solve many of the challenges providers, administrators, staff, and clients face in today's social and behavioral health services climate.
Case Management Software Streamlines Workflows and Reduces Administrative Burdens
There are numerous administrative tasks that are labor intensive and time consuming until automated processes are in place. With the right software for case management, these tasks can happen in the background with minimal oversight. Booking appointments, reminders, intake forms, and payments can all be handled without overwhelming front-desk staff.
A staff with automated administrative tasks has a manageable workload because they experience limited redundancies and manual paperwork. Client appointments are not backlogged due to limited resources, and workflows become more efficient. This means that agencies can see more clients per hour because the check-in process is streamlined, and records are seamlessly integrated into the EHR software platform. It also means less frustration for all parties who would otherwise encounter cumbersome manual workflows like scanning, faxing, and mailing.
One of the "silver linings" of the past few years is that most people are now accustomed to online life. Modern digital appointment booking and intake forms are much more normalized. As a result, there is less need for redundant data entry caused by paper intake forms. There is also less need for phone call reminders by live staff. The world is by and large used to text reminders and online client portals.
Clients now realize the benefits and efficiency of user-friendly software that is shared between themselves and their caseworkers or providers. The benefits of EHR software are time savings, organization, and clear communication, among many others. When EHR software for case management is integrated, all of the departments in an agency work together. For many employees, having integrated software is a first-time experience they welcome, as it has been such a challenge in the past.
Benefits of EHR Software: Improved Collaboration & Communication
When remote social and behavioral health services first became necessary during the pandemic, one of the greatest challenges was collaboration and communication between staff members. The lessons learned during that time have been encoded into modern EHR software and case management software. Today, case workers reap the benefits of EHR software that has been specifically designed to handle the ongoing hybrid environment.
With robust EHR software for case management, everyday tasks become easy. Communication is handled through caseworker hubs or messaging software that is accessible on multiple devices, including tablets and smartphones. Caseworkers and staff can deliver paperwork electronically and collect e-signatures from clients. Paperwork is not lost in the shuffle, and people who struggle with organization can quickly and easily provide information and receive reminders. The healthcare team and providers also have access to seamless and clear communication channels, which minimizes miscommunication and errors.
While back-and-forth communication is a major perk included in modern EHR and case management software, so is access to prior care, record information, and treatment plans. Providers can access these records at any time with software that catalogs record transfers and in-house records into an easily understood and organized database.
Finally, providers and staff can seamlessly share this information with those who need it most. By sending files and documents electronically, providers can easily sign charts and streamline continued care.
Software for Case Management Provides Enhanced Access to Information & Decision Support
Those who know the world of paper records understand how difficult it can be to access information and obtain decision support. When client records and clinical data are digitized, you no longer need to sift through lengthy case reports to find pertinent details related to an immediate action. Instead, the data is searchable, and clinical data is integrated into the EHR software.
Digitization with case management software ensures that providers have quick access to comprehensive client information. The vital details of clients’ records are quickly accessible, which provides decision support for cases that could be hindered by lack of access to information. Not only does this improve care, but it lessens provider and staff stress while ensuring that all the important information is at their fingertips. Staff members and providers are able to do their jobs more effectively, which in turn increases employee satisfaction.
Another perk of using software for case management is that many errors can be avoided due to more readily available information. When information is available and processes are streamlined, providers and staff experience less errors, which improves client care while decreases stress and burnout.
EHR Software Improves Client Engagement & Satisfaction
Now that the world has mostly transitioned to digital records, many clients find EHR software accessibility to be a preferred experience. These clients can easily fill out forms remotely at their convenience, and they can access their own records at any time. This builds trust in the social services and behavioral health sector, and it is easier for clients to comply with information requests.
When clients can access and input their own information into the EHR software, they feel empowered by actively taking part in their own care. This increases their own satisfaction in the process, which can also improve outcomes for agencies.
Not only are clients more satisfied, but clinicians and social workers are more satisfied. They are spending less time on administrative tasks, which frees up more time to focus on clients. Improved client engagement and satisfaction has a reciprocal effect on providers and staff because their workflow has more focus and purpose. When staff waste less time on data entry and searching for lost files it leads to higher employee satisfaction.
Case Management Software Increases Data Security
EHR software secures data by encrypting files, so they can only be accessed by authorized care providers and staff. With case management software, the sensitive subjects involved in social services, behavioral health, and health care in general, are guarded from outsiders. Another one of the benefits of EHR software is that it enables documents and files to be shared securely, giving providers and clients more peace of mind. The reduced risk of security breaches and HIPAA violations also allows clients to maintain heightened confidence in their own privacy.
Unsecured paper files put clients at risk of privacy breaches. In the most benign offenses, files may be left out on desks and catch the eyes of those passing by. In more major offenses, files may be transported to places where they are not secure and then copied or stolen. Most HIPAA violations are unintentional mistakes, and these mistakes are eliminated by secure electronic health records and case management.
Software programs that encrypt files to prevent unwarranted access provide legal assurances to administrators and managers. These programs also decrease the chance that a staff member will inadvertently leave personal information out where someone can see it. That way, another HIPAA violation is prevented.
Enhanced Data Analytics & Performance Measurements
Clinical data for case studies and treatment decisions leads to better outcomes in the behavioral health setting, and enhanced software brings that evidence right to your fingertips. Data tools and dashboards allow clinicians to evaluate performance, find areas for improvement, and come up with solutions that make a difference for the client and the agency. Data can also be used to secure targeted grant funding without having to comb through records to meet specific grant parameters.
With EHR software, providers and administrators can easily view client demographics and data to make improved decisions based on usable evidence. This data can also be shared to contribute to an ever-growing body of social service and behavioral health knowledge, without compromising client privacy. This improves local and global care by contributing to a wealth of knowledge that can improve treatments and outcomes for everyone.
Additionally, when case management software systems are integrated, reports can be automatically created without the user having to export data into a separate system. This is a valuable tool for clinicians who are short on time and adequate staffing, and have ever-increasing client loads. EHR and case management software is providing the resources needed to bridge the gaps in social services and behavioral health care.
Case Management Software Improves Employee Satisfaction
When given the tools to do their jobs efficiently, both providers and support staff enjoy heightened employee satisfaction because they are no longer tasked with the impossible. With the proper software for case management, they are able to streamline workflows, improve communication, engage clients, access decision support, and securely manage information in ways that improve outcomes.
The benefits of EHR and case management software in the social services and behavioral health realm is circuitous. EHR software increases employee satisfaction, which improves outcomes, which increases client satisfaction, which increases employee satisfaction. Without case management software, providers are left working in a system that cannot adjust to the increasing demands of life in a post-pandemic environment.
If you'd like to request a demo of our user-friendly software platforms, which provide the tools needed to improve employee satisfaction and client outcomes, simply fill out this form.
KCare is a suite of innovative software solutions designed for behavioral health and human services organizations. Our industry-leading EHR, case management, and analytics products are designed to boost employee efficiency while improving client outcomes. For over 25 years, providers have trusted KCare to transform how they deliver care through our software solutions, including extendedReach, Exym, and Stabilify.
As a certified B Corporation, we operate our business in accordance with the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. We are also part of the global Pledge 1% movement, donating 1% of our profits to the communities served by our customers.
