The SIM Grant

State Innovation Model Grant

When our phone starts ringing off the hook with questions about additional funding for mental and behavioral health providers and organizations, we pay attention.  We have put together some information for our providers and have created our Behavioral Health EHR recommendation list for organizations applying for this funding.  It is important to make sure the EHR is right for your practice.  In one phone call we can help you determine which vendors you should be working with and those you shouldn’t.  Contact us for a complete assessment.  

The State Innovation Models Initiative will be awarding as much as $300 million to participating states and will focus on healthcare organizations that have a high number of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

There are about 2,500 electronic health record systems. There are quite a few that specialize in behavioral health and others that cover just about any specialty but may include behavioral health. As a consultant to the EHR industry I have watched endless demos and received pricing that ranges from free to a sixty thousand dollar setup fee. Salespeople are a funny breed, especially those in the EHR industry. I spent about three years selling several EHR’s myself. What I found interesting is not what a consumer will find on Software Advice or Capterra. There is a lot of demo trickery, so buyer beware.