Case Study: Milwaukee County Mental Health streamlines care for 6,000 patients with Netsmart myAvatar

MBCHD and CARS Use myAvatar™ EHR to Facilitate Care for 6,000 Patients

Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division and Community Access to Recovery Services (MCBHD/CARS) provide mental health and substance‑abuse treatment to about 6,000 people through 900+ staff and 81 partner providers. Because the organization serves as both payer and provider, it struggled with disparate systems, paper records in the inpatient unit, inefficient processes and complex authorization and reporting requirements that made it hard to access historical patient information and manage care consistently.

MCBHD/CARS implemented Netsmart’s myAvatar in a phased rollout to standardize assessments, enforce role‑based workflows, enable CPOE and interdisciplinary reporting, and move billing online. The EHR eliminated paper records, streamlined workflows, reduced clerical errors and claims denials, improved billing turnaround and care coordination (including real‑time alerts and electronic whiteboards), and produced more consistent, efficient documentation across the organization.

Milwaukee County Mental Health

Sushil Pillai

Program Manager of EHR Implementation