About
The Echo Group has been serving the information management needs of the behavioral health and human service markets since 1980. Since that time, Echo has implemented systems in many different areas of the country. Implementations have included agencies and organizations across the continuum of care and of every size, from small counseling centers to comprehensive statewide systems.
A History of Innovation
The hallmarks of The Echo Group’s history are industry changing technical innovation, rock-solid financial and management stability. For over 28 years, Echo has set the bar for behavioral health information systems. Our firsts include:
The first relational database system for behavioral health (1981)
The first PC networked comprehensive system (1981)
The first multi-payer “Waterfall” Billing System (1983)
The first vendor to offer a critical indicator management dashboard (1988)
The first to integrate clinical and administrative Windows™ systems (1995)
The first comprehensive electronic clinical record (1998)
The first new-from-the-ground-up Web-based clinical/fiscal system (2002)
In 2005, Echo began installing the first-ever Clinical Outcomes Tool Set. This groundbreaking technology uses statistical modeling to identify which treatment interventions provided to which clients result in the most successful outcomes- outcomes that can help your agency help to meet the Meaningful Use criteria of Electronic Health Record funding.
The Echo Group continued its technical innovation in 2007, with major enhancements to clinical records functionality effecting scheduling, forms management, treatment planning, progress noting, medication management, and imaging.
In 2009, Echo released the Visual Health Record™, an innovative timeline-based approach to viewing the clinical chart. Providing greater ease of use, visual alerting, and complete case management, the Echo VHR™ can assist your organization in adopting an enterprise-wide electronic health record.
Echo continues to Innovate moving forward. Our fully certified EHR provides complete support for the ARRA Meaningful Use incentive program. Our product received complete Ambulatory Certification in 2011. Grand Lake Mental Health Center in Nowata, OK were the first Behavioral Health organization in the country to receive Meaningful Use funds. They have been an Echo customer since 1994.
Echo has dedicated Subject Matter Experts that stay on top of industry trends and regulations. In 2013 we released a complete E/M Progress Note to support the requirements around CPT Code changes.
Customer Focus
Echo values the input of its customers. Late in 2002, The Echo Group started to discuss a new event for its customers. Some initially described the event as a “user group”, but as the event took shape, we began to believe that it could be much more and chose a name accordingly… The Peer to Peer Summit.
Peer to Peer has continued to evolve, becoming an event where customers, and Echo staff share insights, learn from each other, and find new ways to challenge their organizations to improve.
In 2009, participants from 50 agencies gathered together. One third of the sessions were presented by customers, peer to peer.
Financial Stability
Echo’s array of software design and development, implementation, training, and technical support resources are strengthened by our history of financial strength. No other organization in the field can tout a record of profitability in 29 of the past 30 years.
Echo has the staff experience and industry expertise, the intellectual property, and the management and the financial resources to ensure that we will continue to provide industry-defining products and services for the next 30 years, just as we did for our first 30.
