Survey highlights IT gap between general, psychiatric healthcare

WASHINGTON – Lack of financing has caused mental health and human services to lag far behind general healthcare in access to health information technology, according to a national survey of more than 400 organizations.

The Behavioral Health/Human Services Information Systems Survey was conducted by the Centerstone Research Institute on behalf of the Mental Health Corporations of America, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare and Software and Technology Vendors Association and involved 440 organizations representing varied segments in the behavioral health and human services field.

The survey revealed that mental health/addictions services spend only half as much as primary care on healthcare IT and employ only about a third as many IT professionals. Fewer than half of all behavioral health and human services providers have fully implemented clinical electronic record systems.

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