Mental health suite at Ramsey County dept

JUNO BEACH, US: Ramsey County Community Human Services Department, based in Minnesota, has selected DSS, Inc., a provider of software, integration, installation, project management, training, support and development of VistA, to provide open source vxVistA electronic health records (EHR) technology, the mental health suite and the MEDfx Practice Management System. The applications, which will be used by the county’s Mental Health Center, will help staff optimize clinical and financial efficiency, improve quality of care and increase patient satisfaction for the county’s more than 500,000 residents as per a press release.

Ramsey County’s selection of DSS software and services signifies the importance of cost-effective, proven technologies as well as the value of fully integrated systems to reengineer administrative and clinical processes for a better performing organization,” said Mark Byers, president and CEO of DSS, Inc. “We look forward to seeing the associated workflow and financial benefits Ramsey will experience once fully implemented on the systems and, most importantly, the way it will change the center’s interactions with patients.”

Through its partnership with DSS, Ramsey County will gain access to a suite of fully integrated applications that connect administrative and clinical communications from before the patient arrives to care delivery to remittance. vxVistA, which is based on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VistA EHR foundation, provides Ramsey County with the ability to customize the system based on its specific needs, collaborate with other users across the country and receive meaningful, ongoing product updates. vxVistA includes functionality such as computerized patient medical records, diagnostic assessments, clinical note templates, progress and discharge notes, e-prescribing, laboratory orders, medication management and referrals.

Ramsey County will also utilize the mental health suite, to automate the process of producing an accurate, consistent, intra-disciplinary treatment plan for its mental health patients. In addition, the selection of the MEDfx Practice Management System will facilitate patient registration, online eligibility verification, scheduling, billing and collections.

The selection of these technologies, as the release adds, will help satisfy The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 guidelines for “meaningful use” of certified EHRs, enabling Ramsey County to become eligible for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services financial incentives. The DSS systems will also help the center meet Minnesota State Department of Human Services Rule 29, which is related to quality assurance standards for mental health facilities in Minnesota and required for certain types of private insurance reimbursement.