Behavioral health, Human services and Addiction Treatment software vendors

I have been a member of the Software and Technology Vendors Association (SATVA) for seven years and a board member for six.  My background; licensed clinical social worker, school social worker and information management within non profits certainly shapes my impression of what SATVA is and its value to our industry.  However, I have to admit many if not all persons in my former professions would be absolutely astounded on the focus and intentions of the vendors within SATVA.  While we all are in business and are charged with all the responsibilities of meeting those challenges of providing livelihoods for staff, returns for shareholders, and day to day office duties-SATVA members are so keenly visionary and focused on where and what the behavioral health, social services and addiction treatment industries need and will need to meet the challenges of the unfolding requirements of an interoperable electronic health record.
Many of my friends and family still are front line care providers in behavioral health, addiction, medical professions.  The concept that a software vendor is focused yet alone cared on how the market sustains federal challenges today is not their picture of my current profession-software.  While it is true we-software vendors-are in business and in business to make profit-unlike nonprofit organizations-I am amazed at the care and respect SATVA members show with regard to the utilization of data, standards and overall market aptitude of technology on our markets; behavioral health, addiction treatment, psychiatric services, juvenile justice, homeless, social services, MR/DD, and many others.

SATVA was a co-sponsor of the Behavioral Health Summit along with SAMHSA in October 2005.  That invitation only event of industry leaders within addiction and behavioral health was the first forum focused on how, what and where BH and other care providers need to travel to embrace the Executive Order calling for an interoperable health record within Human Services.  Since that date the SATVA membership has written whitepapers, shared technology industry insights thru conference IT tracks and presentations and delivered valuable content to government actions that will soon dictate the data standards of a clinical record.  Software vendors tend to be the butt of jokes and tales of woe within the behavioral health and human services industries; I am not diminishing bad experiences-however there is something remarkable about a vendor lobbying, advocating and volunteering to improve the process and politics that so directly impact the markets they serve.  The SATVA membership is more than a group of colleagues discussing the pains and tribulations of a technology challenged industry.  It is a group of professionals that seek to better support the needs of its clients and add their valuable perspective to the challenging and daunting task of national standards and interoperable health records.  Why do we do it-yes it will broaden the use of our products, but the underlying passion that motivates the voluntary efforts of SATVA is more mission driven than money driven.  I have seen family and individual stories, cases unfold within a therapeutic environment so I have experience at seeing the story behind motives and it is a pleasure to watch the SATVA story unfold and be a part of it.