Meridian Behavioral Health Services, Inc. recently received grant funding from the Evergreen Foundation to purchase “state of the art” electronic health record (EHR) and business management software. Healthcare reform will necessitate that all healthcare providers, including behavioral health organizations like Meridian, utilize EHRs in the forseeable future. In fact, organizations that aren't using EHRs and aren't capable of electronic billing will be penalized with lower rates for Medicaid and Medicare services. Meridian's selected two products, Qualifacts CareLogic Enterprise solution and Tyler Technologies Munis Software. The CareLogic software is certified as an EHR module and meets all applicable meaningful use, interoperability and CCHIT requirements for Behavioral Health and Human Services. Munis is a robust and scale-able business management solution that addresses the following functional areas: finance, accounting, payroll, human resources, distribution, supply chain and project-costing. By converting to a new EHR that meets the standards for interoperability and meaningful use, Meridian will be positioned to respond favorably to future healthcare reform requirements. For example, the EHR software will enable Meridian prescribers (psychiatrists and nurse practitioners) to electronically submit prescriptions to local pharmacies. Additionally, EHRs perform immediate allergy and adverse drug interaction checks with every prescription written.

The Evergreen Foundation, is a local non-profit agency, that provides infrastructure support, start-up and service provision grants and scholarships that expand and improve the delivery of high quality prevention, treatment and support services to individuals with mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability challenges.