An AI platform that helps therapists write progress notes has just been launched

Artificial intelligence (AI) is drastically changing the landscape across industries, and healthcare isn’t far behind. Accenture report estimates that artificial intelligence could potentially save the US healthcare sector as much as $150 billion annually by 2026. Before the pandemic, the healthcare industry was already combating physician burnout, which resulted in significant documentation requirements contributing to emphasize. In a recent survey, over 55% of therapists mentioned this administrative tasks, reminiscent of documentation, as one among the causes of their burnout. Most therapists will let you know that their calling is to assist people. However, they’re overwhelmed by the necessity to meticulously prepare clinical documentation and sometimes work late into the evenings and on weekends. This requirement, imposed by government and insurance regulations, isn’t only time-consuming, but in addition places a major emotional strain on their demanding career.

Dr. Dionne Mahaffey, an interdisciplinary entrepreneur, founded Behavioral Health Notes to scale back the documentation burden on mental health practitioners and reduce burnout.

This documentation burden prompted Dr. Dionne Mahaffey to launch Behavioral Health Considerations, an AI-powered clinical documentation and progress note creation tool for mental health clinicians. The tool is simple to make use of: therapists simply enter the suitable session details or use the speech-to-text transcription feature, press the generate button and receive a compliant progress note in seconds. They can pick from SOAP, DAP or BIRP formats, popular clinical formats within the mental health industry.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as emotional statephysical and mental exhaustion attributable to excessive and long-term stress. It occurs when an individual feels overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted and unable to fulfill constant demands.

Her interdisciplinary knowledge of technology and mental health allows her to handle the concerns of therapists the phenomenon of documentation burnout, using technology.

“I initially developed Behavioral Health Notes as a tool for my private practice because I wanted to help my collaborating therapists reduce burnout by improving the writing of progress notes. They really liked the tool and noticed that it reduced their documentation burden by up to 50%, so I decided to create a platform that would be publicly available,” Mahaffey said.

Because Mahaffey also writes code, she created the software in about per week. “Listen, I’m a programmer too, so at any time when I provide you with an idea, I normally get to work because I haven’t got to seek the advice of with anyone. I can construct and design what I dream of,” she added.

Dr. Brandon Gillespie, a therapist from Georgia, emphasizes the transformative impact of artificial intelligence: “It turns hours of work into minutes.”

Traditional clinical documentation can take as much as 20 minutes per session – a waste of time that quickly accumulates over weeks and months.

“Behavioral Health Notes allows me to simply enter an abbreviation and then it turns it into comprehensive, as-scripted clinical reports in a matter of seconds. It also follows HIPAA privacy protocols, which is very important,” Gillespie continued.

The Platform doesn’t store, transmit or retain any protected health information (PHI). It is designed so that physician-generated notes reside only of their respective electronic health record (EHR) systems.

“We generate the note and then physicians copy it directly into their HIPAA-compliant electronic health record (EHR) system,” Mahaffey confirmed.

For the sake of efficiency, reducing burnout, and protecting safety, behavioral health notes enable physicians to spend more time with their clients and patients.

“The time this platform saves me can be spent on the meaningful work of helping clients improve their well-being and self-expression,” said Cicely Roberts, a clinical and fashion therapist.

“It’s worth recognizing that this tech platform developed by a black woman is in some way helping other black entrepreneurs level the playing field. Many of us are sole proprietors and do not have clinical technicians or other staff to help us with administrative tasks. This alleviates many health problems caused by stress,” concluded Roberts.

Mahaffey’s journey isn’t just about innovation; it is also a story about breaking the glass ceiling in a largely male-centric tech industry. Armed with a novel combination of technological acumen and psychological insight, she redefines what is feasible when performance meets empathy.