Chapter IV: Incarceration and Reentry
Policy Statement 18: Development of Treatment Plans, Assignment to Programs, and Classification/Housing Decisions
Recommendation n: Identify appropriate technology and protocols for the development of an electronic patient records system.
Several jurisdictions have developed electronic data systems to improve records management and facilitate the instant flow of clinical records. To ensure a successful records transfer, electronic communication should be used in conjunction with the personal transfer of information between clinicians at the institutions. Officials should be mindful that most confidentiality regulations apply equally to paper and electronic records (HIPAA regulations specifically cover electronic records), and thus develop their electronic information protocols accordingly.
Example: Mental Health Record and Referral/Evaluation Systems, Michigan Department of Corrections
The Health Management Information System (HMIS) is a computer-based management system, which contains health care data for persons incarcerated in Michigan correctional institutions. Two mental health-related components of HMIS are the mental health record system and the referral/evaluation system. Staff from DOC Psychological Services and DCH Corrections Mental Health Program use these components. The Mental Health Record system enables mental health care services providers to systematically identify and track prisoners with mental illness at different levels and units within the correctional system. The referral and evaluation system ensures the identification and tracking of prisoner referrals for evaluations as well as the evaluation outcomes.
Example: Process of Transmitting Mental Health Treatment Histories of Inmates When Transferred to Other Facilities, New Jersey Department of Corrections
The New Jersey Department of Corrections uses an electronic medical record system that allows any professional health care practitioner within the Department to view any inmate's health record at any time. When an inmate is transferred from one facility to another, mental health professionals send an e-mail stating that the inmate has been transferred and the health record can be immediately accessed. Case conferences occur on the more difficult management cases.
Example: Interagency Case Conferencing, New Jersey Department of Corrections
When the New Jersey Department of Corrections participates in interagency transfers (e.g., between correctional and mental health agencies), it often organizes case conferences, in conjunction with the electronic transfer of data between the agencies, to enable clinicians from both sending and receiving institutions to meet to discuss and develop individual treatment plans.
State mental health agencies recognize the benefits to be gained from the development of an integrated and automated patient records systems that is operated system wide. The establishment of such a system is expensive, however, and the work on such systems in most states is far from complete. Indeed, implementation of electronic patient record systems is inconsistent across local agencies, making it impossible for state mental health authorities to gather complete information or to realize the gains that could be reaped from a statewide system. Additionally, seemingly simple problems such as the incorrect spelling of a patient's name or an inaccurate social security number can create significant headaches for staff. In some states, efforts are under way to include state correctional agencies in the development of electronic patient/inmate record systems.