Posted by Karen Grace Larsen
Since their introduction in 1965, community health centers (CHCs) have provided affordable healthcare for 31.5 million people annually.
As CHCs continue bridging healthcare access gaps, the demand for efficient and effective patient care has never been greater. Electronic health record (EHR) systems stand at the forefront of meeting this demand.
Cutting-edge EHR solutions, like Meditab’s flagship software, IMS, empower CHCs to deliver comprehensive care while optimizing operational efficiency and promoting health equity.
If you’re curious about how IMS can elevate your CHC operations and quality of care in a single platform, our EHR experts would be happy to show you! Book a free personalized demo and see our award-winning platform in action.
Why Do I Need a Community Health Center EHR?
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) defines community health centers (CHCs) as facilities that provide care to all patients, regardless of one’s ability to pay.
Your CHC serves as a lifeline for underserved populations, increasing access to crucial patient care by reducing obstacles such as cost, lack of insurance, distance, and language. A tried-and-tested community health center EHR can help you do that. Here are a few ways how:
- Enables Personalized and Holistic Care: With comprehensive patient data at your fingertips, you can tailor care plans to address diverse populations' specific needs and conditions.
- Prevents Fragmented Care: EHR software systems ensure that all these providers have access to the same up-to-date patient information, which is crucial for maintaining continuity of care.
- Enhances Data Collection and Reporting: With advanced data collection and reporting capabilities, your CHC can track health trends and outcomes among patient populations. EHRs also help facilitate reporting and regulatory compliance, ensuring you continue to receive support and improve your services.
- Boosts Patient Engagement and Education: EHR portals, like IMS Care, enable patients to access their health information, schedule appointments, and communicate with their healthcare providers.
- Streamlines Administrative Processes: Efficient data management through EHRs helps you optimize scheduling, billing, and referrals. For patients facing time constraints due to work or family commitments, streamlined processes help them access care without significant disruptions to their daily lives.
By leveraging the efficiency and accuracy of EHR systems, your community health center can significantly enhance its ability to provide high-quality, culturally competent, and patient-centered care to diverse populations—all while saving time and money.
Read More: Top 5 Features Your FQHC EHR Software Needs
The Best EHR System Templates for Your Multispecialty CHC
Community health centers are community-based local clinics that provide a full range of care. They have doctors, dentists, therapists, social workers, eye doctors, obstetricians/gynecologists, pediatricians, case managers, and other medical staff.
If you run a multispecialty CHC, you can’t settle for a generic EHR solution. You need a powerful and versatile platform that seamlessly integrates diverse services, accommodates the complex needs of your patient population, and optimizes operational workflows.
IMS offers specialty-specific features in a modular EHR design. Completely customizable, it gives you the freedom and flexibility to configure the perfect system for your community care practice. Here are the top specialty templates IMS offers.
Mental Health
Given the prevalence of mental health conditions and the need for comprehensive care, many CHCs offer mental health services. These services may include counseling, therapy, psychiatric evaluations, and medication management for conditions such as substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.
If your facility offers mental health services, IMS is fully equipped with mental health-specific templates that enable faster and more convenient charting. These include fully customizable templates for addiction, anxiety disorders, dementia, schizophrenia, and more.
IMS also automates the assessment and diagnosis process through built-in screening tools, such as self-scoring assessments and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).
Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN)
CHCs also offer obstetric and gynecological services to support women's health throughout their lifespan. These services may include prenatal care, family planning, pap smears, breast exams, and menopausal care.
IMS’s OB/GYN-specific module is meticulously designed to help your team provide comprehensive care to women of all ages and backgrounds. It features:
- OB/GYN-Specific Visit Note Templates
- OB/GYN-Specific Treatment Plans
- Full ACOG Antepartum Module
- Customizable Flowsheets
- Clinical Documentation Tools
Dental
Because oral health is an essential component of overall well-being, dental services are commonly integrated into CHCs. These include preventive care, routine cleanings, fillings, extractions, and, in some cases, more advanced procedures.
The IMS dental module is suitable for all fields of dentistry, from general dentistry to periodontics. It features customizable dental templates for fast and easy documentation, easy-to-use dental charts, a periodontal charting screen, and imaging device integration.
Chronic Care
Community health centers frequently focus on managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and obesity, which disproportionately affect underserved populations. Specialized programs may offer disease management education, monitoring, and support services to help patients better manage their conditions.
IMS is one of only a few certified EHR software systems participating in Medicare’s Chronic Care Management (CCM) program. It offers two chronic care management tools CHCs can choose from:
- A comprehensive CCM module fully integrated into the system
- A CCM dashboard that allows Clinii users to access their data through IMS
[When] IMS came out with a chronic care management module, it changed [our program]. I first started with two patients in that program, and now, with the module and the tracking system, we have around 145 patients who roll over every month. It's been a lifesaver for this program…[IMS] helps me keep on task and on track.”
Stephanie Clark, Director of Chronic Disease, Big Sandy Health Care
Navigate Community Care with Confidence and Compassion
As community care practices continue to evolve and adapt to meet the dynamic demands of their communities, they require tools and technologies that can keep up with the changes. With its intuitive design and robust features, IMS remains a trusted CHC partner in driving innovation and advancing healthcare access for all.
By leveraging IMS’s integrations, automations, and specialty templates, your CHC can confidently embrace the future of healthcare delivery and thrive in its mission of serving healthier communities.
