Behavioral Health Integrated Provider System (BHIPS)

Executive Overview

The Behavioral Health Integrated Provider System, or BHIPS, is a nationally-recognized, Davies Award-winning, Internet-based computer system for behavioral health providers that supports a comprehensive service delivery system.  BHIPS offers tools for clinicians to ensure provision of consistent, quality services.  Using BHIPS, providers can easily meet state and federal requirements for reporting, including capturing required client and billing data.

Research, trend analysis, and management information for decision-making all require significantly more data to be collected from a greater number of sources within an organization.  To minimize duplication while efficiently addressing customer and service delivery system needs, the legacy agency Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) developed BHIPS. The program was released June 11, 2001, beginning a phased rollout to providers that was completed in November 2002. Many of the business processes designed in BHIPS are modeled on input from provider focus groups as well as the Target Cities model. The Target Cities model emphasizes linkages of information and communication among assessors, case managers, providers, utilization review staff, quality assurance staff, evaluation staff, etc.  This solution combines the case management and reporting capabilities of previous legacy TCADA software and adds additional tools making BHIPS a comprehensive information management network to facilitate cooperation and coordination among providers.

Background

Today’s healthcare industry faces the challenge of delivering quality care in an increasingly cost-sensitive marketplace.  Industry leaders, including behavioral health providers, have responded to these demands by increasing the focus on cost control and overall financial and outcome performance measures.  The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is working to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of services and information systems.  Each day, providers assess client needs in order to provide the services necessary to help individuals begin and sustain recovery.  BHIPS is designed to model a provider’s natural workflow. Provider focus groups were used to gather input for the design of BHIPS to ensure that the system works in a clinical setting.

Objectives

Goal

The purpose of BHIPS is to provide a management information system that offers cost efficient support of provider networks, web-based computerization of record keeping, data sharing within a service network, and support of state and federal reporting requirements.

• Improve the system for service providers to perform their clinical business. This includes:
  • Client Screening:  The ability to collect initial client engagement information.
  • Client Assessment:  The ability to capture demographic, service and clinical data.
  • Problem List:  The ability to generate a problem list based on the responses to specific questions on a completed assessment.
  • Treatment Plan:  The ability to complete a treatment plan from the problem list on-line.
  • Client Admission:  The ability to record client admission disposition and other documentation required at admission.
  • Referral:  The ability to track and refer selected client documentation to a provider as authorized by the client.
  • Service Delivery:  The ability to record services rendered in support of the client’s recovery process.
  • Capacity Management:  The ability to track and manage bed/slot availability.
  • Client Discharge:  The ability to record client discharge disposition, ending diagnosis, plans, summaries and other documentation required at discharge.
  • Follow up:  The ability to capture and track a client’s recovery process after discharge.
  • Prevention/Intervention:  The ability to track prevention/intervention activities at the event detail level.
• Extend system capabilities to include targeted vouchers as a part of DSHS billing and client demographic data.
• Extend statistical analysis and reporting capabilities.

Web-Based Application

BHIPS is a web-based system accessed via the Internet.  The only elements needed to use BHIPS are a personal computer, access to the Internet, and a standard Internet browser that may be downloaded free from Microsoft or Netscape.  No local file servers are necessary for an organization to access the system. 

Quality of workstation performance depends on the Internet connection; however, the system was designed to perform efficiently over a 56 Kbps modem.  Using the accessibility and stability of the Internet allows the system to yield lower training, installation, and recurring administrative costs.

Computer Specifications

• Please see BHIPS Computer Specifications

Development/Support

The legacy TCADA developed BHIPS, and DSHS will support and enhance the application.  Data gathered through BHIPS will reside at DSHS and access will be controlled by a state-of-the-art security system that ensures only authorized users are granted rights to access the data.

For assistance in navigating BHIPS, please call one of the BHIPS Helplines at 1-866-373-1253 or 1-866-214-0547.

Functionality

• Please see BHIPS Functionality Description

Security

Overview

BHIPS requires strong, secure communication between the DSHS server and the user’s web browser to ensure data privacy and integrity.  First, users are required to use a unique login ID and password to gain access.  These IDs and passwords will be maintained and updated by the user through secure processes.

• Eavesdropping – Information remains intact, but its privacy is compromised. For example, someone could view the classified treatment information for the client.
• Modification – Original information is changed or replaced and then sent to the recipient, who is unaware of the modifications. For example, someone could alter information when a client is referred to another provider.
• Impersonation – Information passes to a person who poses as the intended recipient.

Privacy on the Internet is accomplished through data encryption.  The industry standard for data encryption is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).  DSHS uses SSL technology by VeriSign, the same as that used by more than one-half million web sites worldwide including major e-commerce and banking sites.

SSL provides the following security benefits:

• Privacy – Data is encrypted to and from the browser; so privacy is ensured during transactions.
• Message validation – An encoded message digest accompanies data to detect any message tampering.
• Server authentication – A server certificate accompanies messages to assure the browser that the server identity is authentic.

BHIPS also implements role-based security that allows individuals access to specific data based on their “role.”  For example, assessors will have access to only the data that they author or have been allowed to access through the consent of the client.  Data is secure to the screen level on each document based on that individual’s role with the client and the organization.

This page was last modified May 05, 2009Tuesday May 05 2009