On a busy day, a provider with Recovery Consultants of Atlanta may see as many as 40 patients at a homeless shelter. For each encounter, there are medical histories to review, consent forms to collect and clinical notes to complete, often outside the walls of a traditional health care facility. The Georgia nonprofit is turning to technology from eClinicalWorks to make that work more manageable.
"We're a small organization, [but] we make a big impact," Angel Jenkins, a practice manager at Recovery Consultants of Atlanta, told Newsweek during the health technology company's National Conference in Nashville on October 23. Founded in 1999 as a peer-led recovery support organization, Recovery Consultants of Atlanta has since expanded into primary care, behavioral health, medication-assisted treatment and infectious disease services. The organization operates as both a federally qualified health center (FQHC) and a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC).
Its services extend beyond traditional clinics. Three mobile units help the organization reach patients in the community, including at homeless shelters and programs serving people transitioning out of incarceration. For Jenkins, who has worked at the nonprofit for more than a decade, technology has become an important part of coordinating care across those settings.
One particularly valuable tool is eClinicalWorks' Prisma, which allows providers to access medical records from outside organizations. When patients are experiencing homelessness or frequently moving between care settings, that access can help fill gaps in their medical histories, according to Jenkins. Sometimes patients know they take several medications but cannot recall their names or dosages, Jenkins explained.
Seamless access to outside records can help clinicians identify those medications and review previous procedures, helping them make more informed treatment decisions. The Prisma system also helps the organization track referrals between its medical and behavioral health providers, reducing the risk that patients fall through the cracks. Other features have helped streamline administrative work.
Jenkins highlighted eClinicalWorks' reporting tools and electronic forms, which support documentation of quality measures and behavioral health screenings. Recovery Consultants has also begun experimenting with AI. After attending last year's eClinicalWorks conference, one provider began using the company's Sunoh.ai ambient documentation tool to generate clinical notes from patient encounters.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
