Brattleboro Retreat (Brattleboro, VT) has signed to deploy MEDITECH’s Expanse EHR using the company’s cloud-hosted MEDITECH as a Service model. This private, not-for-profit, psychiatric hospital offers comprehensive services designed to meet the mental health needs of its rural and urban communities. The MaaS subscription-based platform will enable Brattleboro Retreat to expand its services by offering an innovative, mobile, and scalable solution.
"Investing in our electronic health record will enhance both the efficiency and quality of our work while also improving employee satisfaction,” said Brattleboro Retreat Interim CEO Steve Cummings. “Expanse enables us to incorporate new technology like handhelds and tablets, which our old system couldn't support, greatly benefiting inpatient and outpatient services. With these new tools, we can expand our services, remain competitive, and address the significant challenges of retaining and recruiting high-quality staff."
The Brattleboro Retreat team will work with MEDITECH to connect communities and reshape access to mental health services. The organization will connect with other referring healthcare facilities using Traverse, MEDITECH's robust interoperability toolset. This open connectivity solution enables them to maintain autonomy as a unique care provider in their community while ensuring seamless care transitions.
"We are very excited about our upcoming transition to MEDITECH Expanse. We anticipate the new system will improve efficiencies in workflows, safety monitoring, and the delivery of high-quality patient care,” said Brattleboro Retreat Chief Medical Officer Dr. Karl Jeffries.
“Expanded mobility will bring the new EHR into the interview rooms with our patients, and decrease the need for our providers to travel back and forth between patient encounters and a workstation located elsewhere."
The Brattleboro Retreat is currently leading several innovative programs designed to support the mental health needs of its community, including group therapy and specialized treatments to help first responders and other healthcare professionals cope with depression, anxiety, stress, or PTSD. Solutions like Expanse Care Compass to manage population health, virtual care to improve accessibility of services, and Expanse Patient Connect to increase patient engagement through secure text messaging were all critical factors in the selection of Expanse.
“By leveraging modern technologies, we will improve collaboration and ensure the best outcomes for our patients,” said Brattleboro Retreat VP of Revenue Cycle Valerie Ostrander. “Enhanced data collection and validation will help us to identify patient needs, ensure insurance coverage, track our services, and maintain our focus on quality excellence. And with our new Expanse patient portal, we will be able to increase transparency and invite patients to participate actively in their care and financial management.”
Ostrander also expects MEDITECH’s Revenue Cycle solution will significantly streamline operations and improve the patient experience. “The system will enable us to track patient payments efficiently, benefiting both our patients and the Retreat. By optimizing our workflows, we will enhance job satisfaction, staff retention, and ultimately, our capacity to better serve our clients.”
The organization also plans to leverage Expanse’s advanced clinical decision-support capabilities to support the specific dosing and patient observation protocol needs of its outpatient Spravato clinic.
“The volume of Americans struggling with mental health has risen exponentially since the pandemic,” says MEDITECH Vice President of Customer Experience Carol Labadini. “Innovative organizations like Brattleboro Retreat are critical to helping patients improve their overall health and well-being. We look forward to partnering with them to streamline their processes and support the robust behavioral services they bring to their community.”
