Test a corrected record after a detox transfer
Give every vendor the same fictional case. A detox assessment starts on paper and is scanned into the chart. After the patient moves to residential care, the sending clinician signs a corrected version. Ask each vendor to show the receiving team both versions and which one to use.
What counts as proof. The receiving clinician can find the signed correction, see who made it and when, and identify the earlier version. If someone has to review or file the correction manually, ask who owns that work and where it shows up.
Run the case once with a transfer between your own sites. Repeat it as an outside referral and ask how the receiving team can confirm the updated record arrived. The detox handoff scorecard has both scenarios.
What each team should verify
- Nursing and clinical documentation
- Have the receiving team find the latest signed assessment and identify its author, time, and program. Confirm that they can distinguish it from the earlier copy.
- Admissions and bed management
- Find the end of the detox stay and the start of the residential stay. Confirm which team owns the transfer and that the receiving location and placement agree.
- Prescribing and medication records
- Ask the prescriber to show the current medication list and the source of the update. For workflows your program uses, ask where staff review medication administration and where EPCS and PDMP checks take place.
- Authorization and billing
- Trace the first residential encounter to its service location and the sample authorization. Ask the biller to show where an unresolved record or coverage discrepancy would be reviewed before submission.
Save one example from each vendor’s demo and write down who follows up on any open item. Use the printable EHR demo checklist to capture the evidence.
How common are paper charts in detox and residential care?
In SAMHSA’s 2024 public-use survey, 280 of 1,192 EHR-using facility records offering both detoxification and non-hospital residential substance use treatment (23.5%) reported also using paper charts. Across all EHR-using records offering detoxification, 821 of 2,881 (28.5%) reported also using paper charts.
Detoxification
- All included facility records
- 3,127
- EHR only
- 2,060
- EHR and paper charts
- 821
- No EHR reported
- 140
- Missing or skipped EHR answer
- 106
Detoxification and residential treatment
- All included facility records
- 1,293
- EHR only
- 912
- EHR and paper charts
- 280
- No EHR reported
- 50
- Missing or skipped EHR answer
- 51
The residential group is a subset of the detox group. These self-reported responses describe record use at a facility location. The survey did not ask which paper records were used at a specific program or during a transfer.
How we calculated the counts
We included one record per responding facility in the 50 states and DC with DETOX equal to 1. The residential subset also had CTYPE7 equal to 1 and a yes to short- or long-term residential treatment (CTYPERC3 or CTYPERC4). EHR users had EHR1 equal to 1 or 2. Code 2 identifies EHR and paper charts. Codes 3 and 4 indicate no EHR use. The denominator for each percentage is the number of EHR users in that group. The counts are unweighted.
See the SAMHSA Delimited public-use release, codebook, and questionnaire. Small state counts can change substantially with one response.
Download national and state counts (CSV). See more analyses in the behavioral health research catalog.
Frequently asked questions
Which EHR is best for detox and residential treatment?
Choose a detox and residential EHR that lets the receiving team find the current signed record, see which program owns the next action, and trace the first residential encounter to the right site and authorization.
What should a detox center test when paper charts are still in use?
Give the vendor an original paper record and a signed correction that arrives after transfer. Have the receiving team find the corrected version, identify its source and signer, and show who follows up if the correction has not been reviewed.
How often did detox and residential facilities report using paper charts alongside an EHR?
In SAMHSA’s 2024 public-use survey, 280 of 1,192 EHR-using facility records offering both detoxification and non-hospital residential substance use treatment (23.5%) reported also using paper charts.
Can Ease Health support detox and residential treatment in one chart?
Ease Health supports detox, residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, and outpatient care in one patient chart.
See how Ease Health brings admissions, documentation, and billing together for addiction treatment.