HITEQ Resources & Events

This decision tree, developed through funding from the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) helps organizations determine if Part 2 of CFR 42 applies to them. It should be noted that FQHCs will always be designated as “federally assisted” due to certified status as Medicaid providers and/or federal funding.

The timely exchange of health information between behavioral health providers and physical health providers to support care coordination is a critical element of the National Quality Strategy and health reform efforts. However, privacy and confidentiality concerns are currently limiting the inclusion of behavioral health data in electronic health information exchange efforts.

Patient privacy and confidentiality form a crucial component of the patient-doctor treatment relationship, particularly when seeking treatment for mental health or substance use disorders. Multiple federal privacy laws, in addition to state laws, provide privacy protections for mental health and substance use disorder treatment records, while permitting communication of these records to other healthcare providers, patients’ families, and others.

According to the Rural health Information Hub, the risk of contracting HIV can be greatly reduced through Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), but the medication must be taken every day and patients need follow-up appointments every 3 months. Some patients often don't have access to it due to stigma, distance from the nearest specialist, and a shortage of primary care providers willing to prescribe and monitor PrEP.

Provider satisfaction is of critical importance for health centers to promote safety and workforce stability. A 2013 survey found that dissatisfied physicians were 2-3 times more likely to leave medical practice than their more satisfied colleagues. This may be unsurprising given that another recent study found that physicians spend almost half of their day on the EHR and desk work. Even during the patient visit, 37 percent of the time in the exam room is spent on these tasks. The increase in clerical and documentation burden related to EHR adoption was cited as a contributor to provider dissatisfaction. This resource puts forth several options for assessing provider satisfaction or burden, with a focus on health IT. Results of recent research as to the challenges that providers experience are outlined, and then several possible health IT interventions are profiled.