Hello Reader,

Tuesday Telehealth Tip: Outcomes Without Spreadsheets

Last week we talked about getting your EHR to play well with others. This week, we’re putting that connected setup to work on one of the most useful (and most avoided) habits in behavioral health: measuring whether clients are actually getting better.

Measurement-based care isn’t new. Clinicians have used tools like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 for years. What usually goes wrong is the logistics. A paper form gets handed out in the waiting room, someone types the score into a spreadsheet, and by week six nobody can find the spreadsheet. It isn’t a clinical problem, it’s a workflow problem.

Here are three takeaways for behavioral health organizations:

1. Measuring is a standard now, not a nice-to-have

If your organization is accredited by the Joint Commission, measurement-based care is already on your to-do list. Standard CTS.03.01.09 requires behavioral health organizations to track outcomes over the course of care with a standardized instrument, use the results to guide treatment, and roll the data up for performance improvement. Payers are asking for outcomes data more often too. Practices that can show results have a stronger hand in contract talks.

​Read the Joint Commission’s measurement-based care FAQ →​

2. Let the system do the asking

The best measurement-based care setups don’t depend on anyone remembering. A day or two before each session, the client gets a short questionnaire by text or email, the scores land in the chart on their own, and the clinician opens the session with a trend line instead of a guess.

This is where last week’s interoperability work pays off. If your scheduling, EHR, and Telehealth tools are connected, the measure can go out with the appointment reminder and the session link. One message, no clipboard.

The common screening tools are free to use, so cost isn’t the obstacle. Get the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and other free screeners here →​

3. Bring the scores into the room

Collecting data that nobody looks at is just paperwork with extra steps. The value shows up when the clinician shares the trend with the client: “Your anxiety scores have dropped six points since August. What do you think changed?” Clients tend to engage more when they can see progress, and when scores stall, it’s an early sign to adjust the plan before the client quietly stops showing up.

​See NCQA’s take on why measurement-based care matters →​

Where Secure Telehealth comes in

Most practices already have the pieces: an EHR, a Telehealth platform, and a reminder system. They just aren’t working together yet. Secure Telehealth helps you pick the right measures for your client population, automate when and how they go out, and set up your Zoom for Healthcare sessions so the data and the conversation stay connected. You keep doing therapy and the system handles the tracking.

This week’s tip: Pick one measure and one client group, like the GAD-7 for new anxiety referrals. Run it for 30 days before adding anything else. Small and consistent beats ambitious and abandoned.

Missed last week?Read Part 1: Your EHR Should Play Well With Others →​

Next Tuesday: Telehealth for every patient. That includes the client whose only device is a flip phone and who has strong opinions about it.

Talk soon,
Dan
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P.S. Not sure how your practice’s outcomes tracking (or lack of it) compares? Book a call for free to apply for a Virtual Care Operations Assessment → We’ll map out what can run on autopilot.

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