Behavioral Health Integration Project (BHIP)

An information and technology system to modernize treatment and business practices in Oregon's mental health system.

Project Goals

In early 2008 the Behavioral Health Integration Project (BHIP) was formed under the direction of Addictions and Mental Health Division (AMH). The BHIP team is seeking an information system for Oregon's state-operated system of psychiatric facilities.

 
The primary goals of the desired information system are:

• Improving patient safety.
• Replacing paper records and unconnected databases with a consolidated electronic record.
  Improving operational oversight and efficiency through vastly improved records of treatment and transparency of care.
• The implementation of the system will allow access to information at all campuses of OSH, as well as Blue Mountain Recovery Center and the Junction City facility when it opens in 2014.

The system will improve care for people receiving psychiatric treatment by:

• Tracking services, medications, lab results, dietary requirements, staffing resources and other data;
• Scheduling hundreds of patients for daily activities within the proposed treatment mall milieu;
  Facilitating the successful transfer of patients to lower levels of care in the community by providing electronic records and discharge plans to the community providers;
• Facilitating clinical decisions in the placement of patients in lower levels of care by tracking the availability of treatment resources (e.g., availability of residential setting or other options);
  Giving patients improved access to their health records, to which all patients are entitled under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act;
• Employees of Oregon State Hospital and Blue Mountain Recovery Center were actively involved in identifying and prioritizing requirements for the information system, including one-on-one interviews with all departments of the hospital.
  

Product evaluation and procurement

In May of 2009 the BHIP team issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the desired information system. A number of responses were received and evaluated over a 4 month period. This included evaluation of written proposals by over 100 stakeholders. The evaluators were primarily OSH staff AMH management and technical experts who reviewed sections of the proposals according to their specialty.

Site visits were made to locations which have implemented the proposed systems. These spanned 6 states and 9 locations over 3 weeks. The evaluation process was completed with day long proposer oral presentations which were evaluated by a cross section of stakeholders.

Netsmart Avatar

Netsmart's Avatar EHR is a highly configurable, behavioral health focused electronic health record and hospital administration system. The system was configured to suit the principals and practices of care within Oregon State Hospital with the guidance of dozens of staff representing the many disciplines and departments within the hospital.

Training and Implementation

There will be Just-in-Time training and on site help for go live. The training will be specific to staff role and will take place in a small classroom environment.
The initial rollout of Avatar is to take place in late 2011.

Technology at Oregon State Hospital

Several initiatives are currently underway to bring new software tools to OSH. The largest of these is the implementation of the Netsmart Avatar Electronic Health Record. The infusion of specialized software tools, like Avatar, into treatment practices will create a need for a new type of specialist. These specialists should be clinical subject matter experts who can help to bridge the gap between their clinical and technical colleagues. This role can be informal but many hospitals have found the role to be important enough to formalize it. Nursing Informatics is one variant on this type of role.