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Grant Funding for College health services

How Colleges Expand Health & Wellness Services Without Breaking Budgets

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

Key Findings and Their Impact on College Mental Health

It’s the same story on nearly every campus: more student demand, fewer dollars, and staff who are already maxed out. Rising student need for medical, counseling, and wellness services continues to outpace the resources available to deliver them. Counselors carry overwhelming caseloads, nurses and providers stretch to cover long hours, and leaders are asked to do more with less year after year.

At the same time, institutional budgets remain tight, leaving many campus health directors asking the same question: How can we expand services without adding unsustainable costs?

One answer lies in grant funding. With the right approach, colleges and universities can secure external funding to launch new programs, invest in technology, and scale student wellness initiatives—all without overburdening institutional budgets (yes – it’s possible!).

Grant Funding Strategies to Strengthen Student Health & Counseling

Grant funding provides colleges with flexible financial support to address urgent health priorities. Unlike tuition dollars, student health fees, or general operating funds, grants are often designed to support innovative or high-impact projects.

For campus health and counseling centers, grants can fund:

  • Hiring additional providers to reduce wait times
  • Launching peer wellness education programs
  • Implementing new technologies (like EHR solutions)
  • Expanding telehealth or after-hours services
  • Supporting targeted initiatives, such as substance misuse prevention, eating disorder, or suicide prevention programs

Aligning proposals with demonstrated student needs allows institutions to tap into a wide range of funding opportunities—from federal and state agencies, to private foundations and professional associations.

Where to Find Grant Opportunities

The first step in leveraging grant funding is knowing where to look. Some of the most common sources include:

Federal & State Agencies

Professional Associations

Organizations like the American College Health Association (ACHA) or NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education often highlight innovation grant opportunities relevant to student learning and success.

Private Foundations

Foundations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invest in programs that strengthen student mental health, resilience, and equity in care.

Institutional Partnerships

Colleges can also pursue joint proposals with local hospitals, nonprofit organizations, or community coalitions to broaden eligibility and impact.

Tips for Writing a Strong Grant Proposal

Grant writing can feel overwhelming, but breaking the process into manageable steps helps. Here are key strategies to increase your chance of success:

  1. Define the Need Clearly
    Use campus-specific data, such as rising counseling waitlists or immunization compliance gaps, to demonstrate urgency. Pair quantitative statistics with student stories to humanize the need.
  2. Align With Funder Priorities
    Funders want to know how your project meets their mission. If a grant emphasizes “mental health access,” be explicit about how your initiative expands access in a way that is relevant to the foundation or agency you’re applying to.
  3. Set Measurable Goals
    Funders value impact. Outline specific, trackable outcomes—such as reducing average counseling wait times from three weeks to one week or increasing flu vaccination rates by 20%.
  4. Build Partnerships
    Highlight collaborations across campus and with community organizations. It’s important to showcase projects with broad buy-in and shared responsibility.
  5. Plan for Sustainability
    Demonstrate how the program will continue after the grant period ends. For example, integrating new workflows into your health center’s EHR system shows a path to long-term efficiency.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

While grants can be highly impactful, there are challenges to watch out for:

  • Overcommitting staff: Whenever possible, assign a dedicated grant manager or team, rather than overloading providers.
  • Neglecting compliance: Many grants require careful reporting—failure to track outcomes can jeopardize future funding.
  • Short-term thinking: Avoid relying solely on grants for ongoing operations. Use them strategically to launch programs that can later be sustained with institutional or long-term funding.

Key Takeaways

Expanding student health and wellness services doesn’t have to mean stretching institutional budgets. With the right strategy, grant funding can open doors to new programs, technology, and staff capacity that can directly benefit students. And by tapping into federal, state, and private resources, colleges can meet rising student demand while building stronger, healthier campus communities.

Want to see how technology can support your grant-funded initiatives?

Connect with our team to learn how Medicat’s EHR solutions can help you expand services, measure impact, and sustain programs long after funding ends.

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Mind-Body Interventions for Student health

How Yoga, Meditation, and Breathing Exercises Improve Student Health

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

Mind-Body Interventions: How Yoga, Meditation, and Breathing Exercises Improve Student Health

Late-night study sessions. Mounting debt. Constant pressure to perform. It’s no wonder today’s students are reporting record levels of stress and anxiety. In fact, the American College Health Association’s Spring 2024 national survey revealed that over 76% of students report moderate to high levels of stress, and nearly half experience overwhelming anxiety.

For college health and counseling clinics, these numbers highlight the urgent need for accessible, preventative wellness strategies. And one effective solution lies in mind-body interventions. Practices like yoga, meditation, and controlled breathing help regulate stress while improving physical and mental well-being.

In this blog, we’ll explore what mind-body interventions really are and share practical strategies for bringing them to your campus.

What Are Mind-Body Interventions?

Mind-body interventions are techniques that use the connection between mental focus and physical state to promote healing and resilience. Unlike traditional treatments that address symptoms in isolation, these practices target the underlying stress response.

Some of the most widely adopted include:

  • Yoga: Combines physical postures, controlled breathing, and mindfulness.
  • Meditation: Focused attention practices that calm racing thoughts and improve emotional regulation.
  • Breathing Exercises: Simple techniques like box breathing or diaphragmatic breathing that stabilize heart rate and nervous system activity.
  • Massage Therapy: Physical manipulation of muscles and soft tissue to improve circulation, decrease anxiety, and support overall mind-body balance.

These interventions are low-cost, non-invasive, and adaptable, making them ideal for a higher education setting where accessibility and inclusivity are key.

The Benefits of Mind-Body Practices for Students

The impact of stress on students extends far beyond mental strain. Chronic stress is linked to poor sleep, weakened immunity, and impaired cognitive function which can lead to lower academic performance. By integrating mind-body interventions into campus wellness initiatives, institutions can help students build healthier coping mechanisms that prevent crisis-level care needs.

1. Mental Health Improvements

A growing body of research shows that yoga and meditation significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in college students. One study in the Journal of American College Health found that students participating in an 8-week mindfulness program reported decreased stress and improved mood regulation.

2. Academic and Cognitive Gains

Moreover, mindfulness practices have been linked to better concentration, working memory, and executive functioning—all crucial for academic success. Regular meditation practice can help students feel calmer, more grounded, and better able to manage stressful times like exam weeks.

3. Physical Health Benefits

Mind-body practices don’t just calm the mind; they also improve the body’s resilience. Yoga can reduce back pain from long study sessions, improve posture, and alleviate headaches or digestive issues exacerbated by stress.

Furthermore, breathing exercises can lower blood pressure and improve heart health, overall improving symptoms associated with anxiety.

4. Healthy Coping and Resilience

Instead of relying on quick fixes like caffeine, students can turn to breathing exercises and meditation as practical, on-the-spot strategies.

Whether it’s before a big exam, after a conflict, or during a stressful moment, these practices help build lasting coping skills and resilience.

Practical Strategies for Campus Integration

Bringing mind-body interventions to campus doesn’t have to mean building a yoga studio or adding entirely new programs. Instead, colleges can embed these practices into existing health, counseling, and student life structures in ways that feel natural and inclusive.

Embedding Practices in College Health Clinics

Health clinics are often a student’s first stop when stress shows up as headaches, fatigue, or stomach issues. Clinics can use these moments to introduce students to practical mind-body tools.

For example, a provider might demonstrate a simple two-minute breathing exercise during an appointment or recommend yoga as part of a care plan for stress-related physical symptoms.

On a larger scale, clinics can display calming guided breathing videos in waiting areas, offer digital resources through patient portals, and share recommendations for trusted mindfulness or yoga apps. By weaving these interventions into medical care, students see stress management as part of overall health—not a separate, optional practice.

Expanding Counseling & Wellness Services

Counseling centers are uniquely positioned to integrate mind-body approaches into therapy. Counselors can open sessions with a brief meditation, use breathing exercises to help students ground themselves in moments of high anxiety, or suggest yoga in addition to talk therapy.

Beyond one-on-one care, wellness staff can host drop-in meditation groups or partner with recreation departments to co-sponsor yoga workshops. Training peer wellness leaders to guide short mindfulness practices can also help extend reach and reduce stigma, making these interventions more approachable for students who may be hesitant to seek counseling.

P.S. Check out three experts’ top tips for collaborating with other departments on campus.

Leveraging Technology to Support Mind-Body Interventions

Furthermore, technology can amplify the reach of these practices. With the right tools, staff can easily recommend and reinforce mind-body strategies:

  • Campus EHR systems can deliver post-visit resources or promote upcoming workshops through secure messaging.
  • Automated appointment reminders can include quick stress-reduction tips to engage students before their visit.
  • Telehealth services allow providers to guide students through breathing or mindfulness exercises virtually, ensuring continuity of care.

Key Takeaways

The key to lasting impact is consistency. When students see yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises woven into the fabric of campus life, they’re more likely to adopt them as daily habits. Over time, this builds a healthier, more resilient student body and reduces demand for crisis services.

By supporting both reactive care (counseling sessions, medical visits) and preventive care (mind-body interventions, wellness education), institutions can move closer to a truly holistic  model of student well-being.

Ready to bring holistic care to your campus?

Learn how Medicat’s EHR solutions can help your team streamline care and support a healthier student community.

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Smarter Medical Billing Efficiency

5 Strategies for Faster, Smarter Medical Billing Efficiency

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

Key Findings and Their Impact on College Mental Health

Managing billing in a campus health or counseling center can get overwhelming…fast. From insurance verification to claim submissions to patient billing, paperwork has a way of quietly eating up hours your team could spend with students. But with the right tools and strategies in place, campus wellness leaders can significantly improve billing efficiency and reduce headaches for both staff and students.

1. Streamline Billing Workflows with Integrated Tools

Billing processes often require staff to move between multiple platforms, which increases the chances of error and lost time. Utilizing built-in billing features can help centralize workflows by showing:

  • Billing History: Located directly in the student chart in MedicatOne, this feature makes it easy to track past tickets and add new ones without switching systems.
  • Ticket Screens: Allows staff to create, review, and correct billing tickets in one place, improving billing efficiency and accuracy.

2. Optimize Claims Management

Furthermore, Medicat provides the documentation and preparation tools needed to work with third-party billing vendors.

Here’s what’s included:

  • Ticket Management: Accurately completed tickets form the foundation for smooth claims processing.
  • Third-Party Vendor Support: Vendors like Waystar and Availity allow you to transmit all claims electronically. If an insurance company doesn’t accept electronic claims, the vendor will forward them on your behalf.

Tip: Establish clear processes for reviewing claims for accuracy before they leave Medicat and before resubmitting them through your billing vendor.

3. Ensure Accuracy with Insurance Data

Accurate insurance data reduces errors and delays in billing. For instance, ensure your EHR allows staff to quickly view, update, and verify student insurance details within the system.

4. Integrate Flawlessly to Collect Student Payments

Transparency and accuracy in student billing builds trust and supports timely payments. Your EHR should make it simple for staff to maintain accurate financial records and share that information with relevant departments on campus so that they can collect payment for services rendered.

5. Use Reporting to Drive Financial Insights

Billing efficiency isn’t just about faster processing—it’s about understanding where inefficiencies occur and improving them.

For example, MedicatOne reports give clinics the ability to track billing performance and identify opportunities for optimization. This includes:

  • Billing Reports: Standard reports that track key indicators of billing health, such as claim denials, rejected charges, and low reimbursement rates from payors or providers.
  • Custom Reports: Flexible options that allow staff to drill down into the data that matters most to your clinic, including which billing codes are used most frequently.

Tip: Review reports regularly with both clinical and administrative staff. This fosters collaboration and ensures billing aligns with broader student health goals.

Key Takeaways

When campus health and counseling centers simplify billing processes, they reduce staff burnout, improve claim turnaround, and ultimately reinvest more time into student care.

Leveraging Medicat’s billing history, ticket management, insurance data tools, and reporting features can transform the way your clinic operates, allowing staff to keep their focus where it belongs—on student wellness.

For more insights on operational efficiency, check out our blog on time-saving EHR features.

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Clinical Documentation

How Voice Dictation Speeds Up Clinical Documentation for Campus Providers

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

How Voice Dictation Speeds Up Clinical Documentation for Campus Providers

Webinar Highlights: Q&A with University of Illinois Providers Katerina Rosenbeck, Nurse Practitioner, and Kaley Hennigh, Mental Health Care Manager.

Paperwork shouldn’t take longer than patient care. Yet for many college health and counseling providers, clinical documentation consumes precious hours each week—time that could be spent directly with students.

To solve this challenge, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s McKinley Health Center began using a new voice dictation tool that integrates with Medicat’s EHR. For providers Kate and Kaley, the change has been transformative, giving them more time for students and less time tied to documentation. Continue reading to learn from their experience.

Documentation poll

Q1: Before using voice dictation, how were you documenting patient visits?

Kate: Honestly, it was mostly manual typing. That was just my default; sitting down after a session and typing everything out. I’d use templates sometimes to save time, but even with those, I felt glued to the keyboard.

Kaley: Same here. Typing was just the norm, but it wasn’t practical for mental health notes. Some of my cases are very detailed, so it could easily take me more than 15 minutes to finish a single note.

Most providers still rely on manual typing for documentation, according to our webinar poll.

Q2: After adopting voice dictation, what kind of difference did you notice in your workflow?

 Kate: The dictation tool sped up everything. Instead of clicking through boxes or typing endlessly, I can just say what I need and it gets entered. I was pleasantly surprised at how accurate it is, even with background noise. It also recognizes different accents, which is a big plus on a diverse campus like ours. For me, it cut my charting time dramatically and made the whole process feel less like a burden.

Kaley: It took a little practice at first, like any new tool, but once I got used to it, my note-taking time dropped by more than half. What used to take me 15+ minutes, I can now finish in under 5. Even for complex cases or crises, I can usually complete notes in 5 to 10 minutes.

Q3: What about working in shared spaces — does background noise interfere?

Kate: I work in a bullpen-style setup with two other providers, and it’s not an issue. The speech mic filters out conversations or background interruptions. Even if a nurse comes in to let me know a patient is ready, it doesn’t pick that up.

Kaley: I have my own office, so it’s quieter, but I still use the handheld mic with a stand. I just move it closer if needed. The nice part is you can control when it’s on or off, so you’re not accidentally recording things you don’t want to.

Q4: Dictation vs. Ambient Listening: What’s the Difference?

  • Dictation tools like FluencyDirect transcribe your clinical notes as you dictate them out-loud, with commands for punctuation and formatting.
  • Ambient listening tools record the entire encounter in real time (with patient consent), then auto-generate the clinical note.

Kate: I haven’t used ambient listening, but I can see the appeal. It could remove the need for saying things like ‘new paragraph’ or formatting manually. My one concern would be how it captures extra information. Students often bring up unrelated issues during a visit — like sore throat first, then suddenly knee pain. I wouldn’t want AI pulling in everything unless I decide it’s relevant to chart.

Kaley: From a mental health perspective, my concern is student trust. Some of our students — especially international students — are already cautious about platforms like Zoom because they fear being recorded. So having an AI listening tool could feel uncomfortable for them. Ultimately, I think it’s about finding the right balance and being transparent with students.

Q5: How does voice dictation fit into your daily schedules?

McKinley Health Center builds documentation time into each day—15 minutes per hour for medical providers and two 30-minute blocks for mental health staff.

Kate: I like to chart right after each patient while it’s still fresh. With dictation, those five minutes are enough, so I’m finished before the day ends.

Kaley: In our department, we have 30-minute morning and afternoon charting blocks. You can always tell who uses dictation. Their notes are wrapped up during that time, and their task lists are much shorter.

Q6: Beyond patient notes, do you use dictation for anything else?

Kate: Yes! I’ve also found it helpful for emails, letters, and project work. Basically, anywhere I’d be typing a lot, I use dictation.

Kaley: If I’m writing a letter for a student or drafting something longer in Word, I’ll use it. Once you get used to it, you realize how much time it saves beyond clinical charting.

Key Takeaways

Voice dictation has helped providers at McKinley Health Center reclaim valuable time, reduce documentation stress, and improve efficiency without compromising accuracy.

For both medical and mental health providers, it’s not just about saving time— it’s about creating space to focus on what matters most: student care.

Interested in hearing the full conversation? Watch the full webinar replay.

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EHR Features

7 EHR Features Clinic Leaders Love

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

College health and counseling centers have a tough job: meet the complex needs of today’s students while keeping operations smooth, compliant, and efficient. The right electronic health record (EHR) system can make that job much easier — and certain features consistently stand out as game changers for campus staff.

So let’s dive into the seven EHR features that win the most love from our campus clients.

1. Automated Immunization Tools

Verifying student immunization records can be one of the most time-consuming tasks for campus health teams — especially when those records come from multiple states or healthcare providers.

With VeriVax, universities can automatically verify over 90% of student immunizations for both in-state and out-of-state students.

How it works:

  1. Students request vaccine history within VeriVax from the state(s) where they received immunizations.
  2. They receive a secure, digital version of their official immunization record.
  3. Records flow directly into Medicat’s Immunization Compliance Management system for tracking and reporting.
  4. Compliance is verified automatically — no manual review.
  5. Noncompliant records are flagged for quick follow-up.

Instead of spending 20 minutes reviewing a single student’s paperwork, a nurse can see compliance status instantly. Multiply that across hundreds of students, and the hours — and headaches saved — are immense.

MedicatOne Dashboard

2. Dashboards That Go Beyond the Basics

MedicatOne dashboards are more than static displays — they’re active command centers for student care, providing quick access to critical information:

  • Customizable Alerts: Flag important details (e.g., medical conditions, billing reminders, cancellation policies) with start/end dates, visibility controls, and auto-dismiss or manual removal settings.
  • Risk History: View a student’s historical risk levels — academic, homicidal ideation, or suicidal ideation — with customizable categories and color codes.
  • Consolidated Attachments: See all files linked to a student’s chart in one place.
  • Hospitalization Tracking: Record admission/discharge dates, visit reasons, and status, with the option to hide details until clicked.

By consolidating insights, dashboards help staff make faster, better-informed decisions with minimal searching.

MedicatOne Risk Management

3. Centralized Risk Management

Quick access to accurate risk information can be life-saving. The Risk Management Tab stores all historical and current risk data — including notes, dates, and any changes over time.

Risks can be categorized as:

  • Academic
  • Homicidal Ideation
  • Suicidal Ideation

With default levels of:

  • Low
  • Moderate
  • High

Custom categories and color-coding allow for even more precision — for example, “Low – no intent, no plan, no history.”

Suppose a drop-in student presents to a counselor who’s never met them. In that case, the counselor can instantly see that two weeks ago they were assessed at “Moderate – suicidal ideation with prior history,” along with notes from that assessment — helping prioritize safety and coordinate follow-up.

4. A Modern, Intuitive Interface

In a busy campus setting, technology should speed up care, not slow it down. The MedicatOne (M1) interface is designed to be clean, organized, and easy to navigate, so staff can find what they need without unnecessary clicks.

A modern design isn’t just about aesthetics. It shortens onboarding time, reduces errors, and frees providers to focus on students.

Instead of toggling between multiple screens to locate a student’s notes, immunization status, and care plan, providers can access everything in just a few clicks, ensuring smoother appointments and better continuity of care.

MedicatOne Appointments

5. Appointment Lists at a Glance

Not every provider prefers a traditional calendar. The Appointments Tab offers a simple, scrollable list of upcoming appointments for the day, week, or month.

For example, a counselor can start their day by scanning the list, spotting that their third appointment is a follow-up risk assessment, and reviewing the student’s chart beforehand — saving time and preventing missed details.

6. Supervision & Training Tracking

Managing interns and trainees takes more than tracking hours — it’s about supporting development and staying organized. MedicatOne’s Supervision & Training module includes:

  • Supervisor Dashboard: A live snapshot of supervisee tasks, assigned clients, and open notes.
  • Training Dashboard: Track hours, store contracts and consents, and document supervision meetings.
  • Granular Permissions: Give appropriate access to additional supervisors while keeping sensitive records protected.
  • Feedback & Sign-Offs: Route notes for supervisor review and approval to streamline oversight.

These tools help supervisors stay connected to supervise progress while maintaining complete, compliant records.

7. Granular Permissions for Better Privacy

With granular permissions, administrators can control exactly who can view, edit, or share certain data.

A nurse might have access to a student’s immunization records but not counseling notes, while a counseling intern can see only their assigned clients. This precision supports HIPAA, FERPA, and internal policies while ensuring staff have the access they need — and nothing more.

Key Takeaways

Each of these features speaks of a shared priority: more time with students, less time wrestling with technology. From automated immunization compliance to risk management and supervision tools, MedicatOne helps campus health and counseling teams work more efficiently, stay compliant, and deliver better care.

Interested in learning more? Explore our Product Gallery to see some of these tools in action!

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College Health Clinic Efficiency

3 Key Features to Save Time and Improve Care in Your College Health Clinic

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

Key Findings and Their Impact on College Mental Health

You became a campus healthcare provider to heal, counsel, and support students through their most vulnerable moments. Instead, you’re drowning in documentation, clicking through endless screens, and racing against the clock to squeeze in actual patient care between administrative tasks.

You’re not alone, and you’re not imagining the burden. Research reveals that primary care physicians spend nearly 50% of their time buried in EHR systems and paperwork—almost double the 27% they spend caring for patients.

That imbalance takes a toll—not just on clinicians, but on overall clinic performance. But with the right tools in place, it’s possible to reclaim that time and refocus on student care.

In this article, we highlight three powerful features that can dramatically reduce admin time and help your staff refocus on what matters most: your students.

1. Smart Calendar Syncing for Seamless Scheduling

Juggling schedules between providers, counselors, and especially departments can be a logistical headache. Double-bookings, miscommunications, and the need to check multiple platforms (email, personal calendars, sticky notes) can significantly slow down the process.

With smart calendar syncing, providers can integrate their EHR with existing tools, like Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, or Apple Calendar.

Benefits of utilizing calendar syncing:

  • Instant reflection of schedule changes across platforms
  • Elimination of overbooking, no-show risks, and human error
  • Streamlined cross-team coordination without the back-and-forth

For campus health clinics that offer both medical and behavioral health services, calendar syncing also helps align staff across departments while maintaining the appropriate boundaries and permissions for privacy and access.

2. Built-In Dictation to Speed Up Documentation

Documentation is a vital part of every student encounter, but it doesn’t have to lead to working overtime. Manually typing SOAP notes or intake summaries eats up provider time that could be spent directly with students.

That’s where built-in dictation tools come in. Modern voice recognition tools allows providers to speak notes in real-time.

These tools can:

  • Accurately transcribe spoken words into structured notes
  • Cut down on redundant typing, formatting, and late-night charting
  • Improve a provider’s ability to focus on the patient

In fact, one study found that providers using speech recognition software completed documentation in just over 5 minutes per form—nearly cutting their time in half compared to manual typing.

And for multitasking providers who split time between appointments, monthly clinics, and drop-in visits, that time saved is invaluable.

P.S. Schedule time with our team to see our new dictation tool in action!

3. Streamline Intake & Care with Smart Automations

Let’s face it: no one enjoys handing out clipboards, scanning PDFs, or calling no-show students. And yet, these administrative tasks take up large portions of staff time every day.

However, with a modern EHR system, clinics can leverage digital intake forms and automated appointment reminders to take the manual work off your plate.

Look for these key features when selecting an EHR:

  • Customizable pre-visit forms sent automatically via email or secure message
  • Digital signature capture for consent and compliance documentation
  • Automated appointment reminders that cut down on no-shows and late arrivals can be sent via email, secure message, or SMS

With automation in place, the connection between communication and care becomes faster, clearer, and more reliable.

Key Takeaways

Choosing an EHR with time-saving tools like calendar syncing, voice dictation, and digital forms can transform your clinic’s daily operations. These features reduce burnout, streamline care delivery, and free up your team to focus on what matters most.

Want to see how Medicat’s campus EHR helps clinics like yours save hours each week? Schedule a demo with our team

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Boarding Schools

How 4 Boarding Schools Are Rethinking Wellness

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

How 4 Boarding Schools Are Rethinking Wellness With Medicat

The residential nature of boarding school life presents both unique opportunities and challenges for student wellness. Unlike day schools, these institutions are responsible for supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally within a 24/7 community environment.

To meet these evolving needs, many boarding schools are reimagining wellness from the ground up. Through peer-led support networks, DBT skills groups, and structured life skills programs, they are creating flexible systems of care that reflect the realities of residential life.

In this article, we spotlight four schools that are transforming student wellness and setting a new standard for comprehensive support in boarding communities.

Berkshire School

1. Berkshire School – Developmental Wellness & Peer Leadership

Berkshire School models what it means to take a whole-student approach, embedding wellness into every aspect of the four-year student experience. Their Wellness and Growth Program deliberately develops traits like character, inclusion, and resilience across four years of education.

Through intentional workshops, classroom curricula, and insightful speakers, students gain science-based tools to help them flourish both academically and personally.

Moreover, their counseling services are highly accessible. The school’s licensed clinicians are readily available, and students are introduced to these resources during orientation and campus-wide events.

Additionally, the school champions peer-led initiatives through its Peer Listeners program. These student leaders, trained in active listening and crisis response, host campus-wide events and foster a culture of openness, greatly reducing stigma and encouraging mental health awareness.

Berkshire also incorporates relevant wellness media into its programming, including films and documentaries on topics like substance abuse (“Tough Guise”), gender identity (“The Mask You Live In”), and mental health (“Screenagers”). This strategy helps normalize critical conversations and equips students with coping skills for real-world challenges.

George School

2. George School – True 24/7 Care & Community Support

Furthermore, George School also takes a fully integrated approach to student wellness. The Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) offers a 24/7 staffed facility complete with exam rooms, isolation spaces, and private counseling suites. With registered nurses available around the clock and mental health professionals on call, students have access to comprehensive care whenever they need it.

Additionally, George School partners with reputable organizations like the Jed Foundation for suicide prevention and the Caron Foundation Educational Alliance for substance-use programming. These collaborations reinforce the school’s commitment to evidence-based care, which is especially vital in the boarding context where student needs are often continuous.

George also prioritizes community wellness through engaging events, such as their “Spring into Wellness” Book Fair and mindfulness activations like DIY glitter jars and bibliotherapy. These thoughtful initiatives provide low-pressure ways for students to connect, de-stress, and learn self-care techniques.

Hebron Academy

3. Hebron Academy – Whole-Student, Embedded Wellness

At Hebron Academy, wellness is intentional and interwoven. From orientation onwards, students encounter programming that spans everything from nutrition and sleep hygiene to LGBTQIA+ awareness and healthy relationships.

Weekly meditation and yoga sessions are available to both students and faculty, promoting well-being across the campus community.

Supporting these wellness efforts is a dedicated team and network of services, including:

  • A full-time on-campus mental health clinician
  • A child & adolescent psychiatric nurse practitioner
  • Weekly yoga and meditation sessions for students and faculty
  • DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skills groups

The Student Support Team, which meets weekly, coordinates care plans involving faculty, counselors, and nursing staff—ensuring comprehensive, individualized support for each student.

Wellness is woven into nearly every facet of campus life, from athletics to advisory meetings, reinforcing healthy habits holistically and consistently. This is especially effective in residential environments, where wellness must be accessible and visible at all times.

Hotchkiss School

4. Hotchkiss School – Comprehensive Safety & Life-Skills Framework

The Hotchkiss School exemplifies how boarding schools can create comprehensive wellness environments through systematic programming, extensive training, and clear policies that prioritize student safety and development.

Furthermore, Hotchkiss’s Human Development (HD) program delivers weekly, age-appropriate lessons that evolve over time:

  • 9th grade: Transition support and social-emotional learning
  • 10th grade: Identity development, emotional health, and interpersonal skills
  • Upperclassmen: College preparedness and advanced life skills

Moreover, Hotchkiss focuses heavily on training. Faculty, proctors, and staff receive guided instruction on healthy relationships, consent, bystander intervention, and gender identity.

Weekly “consent talks” led by professional staff demystify policy frameworks and empower students to advocate for their well‑being. Such training and programming cultivate a campus culture where safety, respect, and mental health literacy flourish.

Curious how Hotchkiss is using tech to strengthen student care? Check out the webinar recap featuring their Director of Health Services and our new eMAR in action.

Key Takeaways

These innovative wellness programs highlight what works in residential school communities:

  • Peer support matters. When students are empowered with the right training, it fosters a lasting culture of openness and collaboration.
  • Consistency is key. A mix of daily, weekly, and monthly wellness touchpoints meet students’ diverse needs and schedules.
  • Clear structure builds safety. Policies and training empower students to seek help and trust the system.
  • Support should evolve. Age-appropriate programming ensures relevance as students grow.

As boarding schools continue to evolve their wellness approaches, these programs demonstrate that comprehensive student support requires intentional community building, consistent programming, and keen attention to both individual and collective well-being.

Continue Reading: Learn how schools like yours are using EHRs to deliver smarter, more responsive care.

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Campus Health Clinic

Is Your Campus Health Clinic Ready to Serve Faculty and Staff?

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

Key Considerations by College Size

As colleges place more focus on whole-campus well-being and talent retention, many are asking: Should our health center also serve faculty and staff?

Extending care beyond the student population can strengthen community health, build campus cohesion, and boost the visibility of your clinic. But it’s not a simple decision. From credentialing to capacity, there are important operational, legal, and financial factors to weigh.

Let’s walk through:

  • Key questions to ask before expanding services
  • The benefits and drawbacks of serving faculty/staff
  • How your college’s size and structure can impact the decision
  • Alternative models that allow for flexibility without overextending

Key Questions to Ask Before Expanding Services

Assessing Your Campus Clinic’s Current Capacity

Before expanding services to include faculty and staff, it’s important to evaluate your current operations.

  • Are your exam rooms consistently in use?
  • Do you have sufficient providers to support additional visits without affecting student access?
  • Could extending hours into the evenings or weekends increase flexibility?

Understanding your capacity for space, staffing, and scheduling will help you determine whether expansion is realistic and sustainable.

Credentialing To Bill Employee Health Insurance Plans

Unlike student health services, which often operate under different billing models, providing care to employees typically requires credentialing with commercial insurance plans.

If your clinic isn’t already set up to accept a range of health plans, you may need to:

  • Establish payer contracts
  • Train staff on new billing workflows
  • Implement claims processing systems

These changes can be complex, but they are essential for reimbursement and the financial well-being of your clinic long-term.

Recognizing Existing Informal Care Patterns

Are faculty or staff already asking your providers for quick advice or informal care?
This may indicate both a need and an opportunity. Formalizing those services:

  • Helps clarify provider roles and liability
  • Enhances continuity of care
  • Builds trust in a more structured employee wellness offering

Aligning with Existing Employee Health Programs

If your institution already has an Employee Health or Occupational Health department, take time to assess how your clinic could complement, rather than compete with, those services.

Look for opportunities to:

A strong partnership can enhance the well-being of your entire campus community.

Top Benefits of Offering Faculty and Staff Care

Promotes Campus-Wide Well-Being for Faculty and Staff

When your institution offers healthcare to faculty and staff through on-campus clinics, it demonstrates a strong commitment to holistic wellness. Employees feel supported—and wellness becomes a shared institutional value.

This approach also reinforces existing well-being efforts, such as:

  • Employee wellness programs
  • Campus mental health initiatives
  • Preventive care campaigns

Strengthens Interdepartmental Relationships

Serving faculty and staff creates more natural engagement between the health clinic and other departments. These touchpoints foster:

  • Increased communication across campus
  • More frequent and effective referrals
  • Greater collaboration and buy-in for student health initiatives

By being part of the care ecosystem for all campus members, your clinic becomes a central resource for students and the wider campus community.

Supports Expansion of Services and Staffing

Extending services to employees can help justify:

  • Hiring additional clinical staff
  • Investing in new equipment or telehealth platforms
  • Expanding evening or weekend hours

Demand growing beyond the student population may provide the data and use cases needed to advocate for clinic growth.

Enhances Public Health Efforts on Campus

Faculty and staff are an ideal audience for preventive health programs. Expanding services to employees allows clinics to:

  • Promote flu or COVID-19 vaccination clinics
  • Offer health screenings like blood pressure or cholesterol checks
  • Increase participation in seasonal wellness initiatives

Offers Continuity of Care in a Familiar Setting

For many employees—especially those working closely with students—an on-campus clinic is already a trusted space. By formalizing services for faculty and staff:

  • Care becomes more accessible and less intimidating
  • Earlier intervention is more likely
  • Clinical relationships are strengthened across the board

Challenges to Address Before Expanding

Navigating Insurance Billing Complexities

Unlike student health plans, employee benefits often span multiple networks with varying reimbursement rules. To successfully bill for faculty and staff visits, clinics may need to:

  • Contract with new insurance payers
  • Adapt claims processing workflows
  • Train billing staff on commercial insurance codes and timelines

Without these systems in place, clinics risk delays, denied claims, and administrative strain.

Understanding FERPA and HIPAA Compliance Differences

Student health information is protected under FERPA, while employee health records fall under HIPAA. For clinics serving both populations, this distinction can create compliance risks.

To stay aligned with privacy laws, your clinic will need:

  • Clear protocols for managing records
  • Staff training on confidentiality differences
  • Policies to prevent data mishandling across groups

Assessing Current Clinic Capacity

Before expanding, take a close look at how your clinic is functioning today:

  • Are exam rooms regularly booked?
  • Is your staff stretched thin?
  • Are appointment wait times increasing?

If resources are already tight, serving more patients—however well-intentioned—could affect student access and satisfaction. Consider phased growth or infrastructure upgrades first.

Addressing Credentialing and Liability Requirements

Expanding your scope of care often means navigating new provider requirements. Depending on your clinic’s setup, this could include:

  • Obtaining additional state or payer credentials
  • Adjusting malpractice coverage
  • Ensuring privileges align with expanded duties

These details are essential for compliance, provider protection, and the long-term sustainability of new services.

Tailoring Your Strategy by Campus Size

Small Colleges

Pros:
Smaller campuses often have streamlined communication and a tight-knit community. This environment can make faculty and staff more comfortable seeking care through an on-campus clinic.
Cons:
With limited staff and exam room space, small clinics may struggle to scale services. Without the economies of scale of larger institutions, sustaining faculty and staff care year-round may not be feasible.

Large Universities

Pros:
Larger institutions typically have bigger budgets, more facility space, and existing healthcare infrastructure. Thus, this makes it easier to dedicate specific staff or resources to employee care.
Cons:
Coordinating with HR, compliance teams, and other departments can be more complex. Securing buy-in may require aligning across multiple stakeholders and navigating institutional bureaucracy.

Community Colleges

Pros:
Offering services to faculty and staff at community colleges can help reduce health disparities—particularly in rural or underserved regions with limited provider access.
Cons:
Many community colleges don’t yet have formal health centers, making implementation more logistically challenging. Starting small with limited services or partnerships may be the most realistic path forward.

Flexible Models That Support Faculty and Staff Without Overextending

Seasonal or Event-Based Services

Provide targeted offerings such as flu shot clinics, biometric screenings, or health fairs during specific times of year.

This approach:

  • Keeps staffing needs minimal
  • Helps gauge interest from faculty and staff
  • Supports public health initiatives without overextending resources

Referral and Navigation Support

Rather than becoming a full-service care provider for employees, your clinic can offer:

This model builds trust while allowing your clinic to remain student-focused.

Designated Hours or Staff for Employee Care

If your clinic decides to offer year-round care to employees, consider separating visits by:

  • Designating specific appointment blocks for faculty/staff
  • Assigning certain providers to handle employee care

This preserves student access while ensuring employees receive care respectfully and organizationally.

Key Takeaways

There’s no universal model for expanding college health clinics to serve faculty and staff. But with thoughtful planning and a scalable approach, it’s possible to enhance campus wellness, strengthen institutional culture, and extend the reach of your clinic.

Start by asking the right questions about capacity, policy, and demand. Pilot small programs, gather feedback, and scale gradually to ensure success.

Take the next step in your clinic’s growth: Read our guide on optimizing your college health billing processes.

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Student Health Texts

Text Your Way to Better Student Health Engagement

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

How Mobile Messaging Improves Access, Reduces No-Shows and Supports Student Well-Being

The Reaching students with timely, actionable information is more than convenient. It’s a necessity. Today’s students live on their phones, and communication methods that meet them where they are can transform how college health centers deliver care.

Texting has emerged as a powerful tool to engage students in their wellness journey, starting before they even walk through the door.

Why Should You Text Students?

Let’s be honest. Email is often ignored, voicemails go unreturned, and paper reminders? Forget it.

Students have made it clear they consistently prioritize emails related to their coursework and known senders, while mass messages are frequently overlooked.

That’s exactly why texting is so effective. It’s direct, personal, and more likely to reach students where they are.

Here’s why texting works:

  • Students are much more likely to read and respond to texts than email
  • Messages are short, easy to digest, and require minimal staff time to send
  • Helps make important info easy to understand and act on

More than speed, texting makes communication clear and convenient for both students and staff.

How Texting Enhances the Student Health Experience

Whether it’s a routine appointment reminder or an immunization compliance message, texting can improve the student experience and reduce no-shows. Think of it as the new front door to your clinic (one that opens right from their phones!)

Additionally, with 54% of students saying they don’t always read emails from their university or academic departments, it’s clear that relying solely on email can leave students out of the loop.

Texting bridges that gap with timely, direct communication they’re more likely to see and act on.

Popular texting use cases:

  • Confirmations, reminders, and cancellations for appointments
  • Immunization compliance status updates and reminders
  • Post-visit surveys or care instructions
  • Outreach around events, vaccine clinics, or health initiatives
  • Notifications for weather-related closures or urgent updates
  • Self check-in prompts and pre-appointment instructions

Thus, texting keeps students in the loop and your clinic operating smoothly.

Enabled Texting? Next Step: Maximize Student Opt-Ins

Unfortunately, not every institution can automatically opt students in for texting, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. There are creative ways to boost opt-in rates through smart outreach and communication.

Try these methods:

  • Use email campaigns to invite students to opt in
  • Share a quick post on your health center’s social media explaining how students can check their texting preferences
  • Prompt students to update their communication preferences in the Patient Portal

Pro Tip: Keep it brief! Messages under 150 characters have proven to boost reply rates with our users.

Texting + Mobile Self Check-In = A Seamless Experience

Furthermore, texting becomes even more powerful when combined with mobile check-in capabilities.

For instance, imagine this: A student receives a text on the morning of their appointment with a reminder and a convenient link to check in before leaving their dorm.

When they arrive, they head straight to the waiting room and are seen within minutes. No lines, no waiting for the front desk to finish a call, etc. When students are navigating healthcare without a parent for the first time, that kind of simplicity matters.

Take the Stress Out of Student Health Messaging

Texting has become an essential way to connect with college students, delivering quick and clear communication that improves appointment attendance, boosts engagement, and supports students managing their health away from home.

With Medicat’s Enable Text feature, you can reach the right students at the right time, whether you’re promoting a vaccine clinic or sending out appointment reminders. When combined with mobile check-in, texting creates the seamless, hassle-free experience today’s students expect.

Looking for better engagement without more effort? We have the tools. Schedule a demo to see how we can help.

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Medicat One EHR

5 Features Your Current EHR is Missing

Written by Medicat on . Posted in Industry Articles.

Here’s How Medicat One Fills the Gaps

Medicat One

We don’t create features just for innovation — we build them based on direct feedback from real users. College health centers face many challenges, from overbooked walk-in hours to rotating staff and limited IT support. In this overview, we’re diving into the nitty-gritty details of specific, practical features in Medicat One, our cloud-based EHR platform, that our customers find the most useful.

Let’s explore these five targeted, impactful improvements that are helping college health directors run more efficient and responsive clinics.

1. Form Builder with Auto-Posting: Automate Tasks That Used to Take Hours

Here’s how it works in practice:
You’ve created a new intake form for students scheduling travel consultations. With Medicat One’s Template Transaction Linker, if a student lists a medical condition that requires special vaccines or precautions, the system automatically posts a relevant note, applies the correct billing code, and alerts the appropriate staff member.

Tip: You can also improve the student experience by cleaning up form layouts, hiding unanswered questions, and replacing confusing labels with plain language responses like “Yes” or “No.”

Why does this benefit your workflow?
Eliminates repetitive tasks, improves accuracy, and speeds up care delivery without sacrificing compliance.

2. Order Manager: Track All Lab and Diagnostic Orders in One Place

How does this enhance clinic efficiency?
Your clinic likely handles a mix of in-house labs and external diagnostic orders. Previously, you might have had to search through different screens or rely on manual entry to get access to key lab results.

However, with our new Order Manager tool, your staff can view and manage all open orders. This includes lab tests and x-rays, all from a single dashboard.

Furthermore, the dashboard also allows your team to flag abnormal results, initiate follow-up actions, and even manage billing—all in one location.

Why does this benefit your workflow?
This feature closes care loops more reliably, reduces missed follow-ups, and gives directors better visibility into clinical lab operations.

3. Built-In Document Manager: No More Jumping Between Systems

Picture this: You’re collecting important student documents like immunization records and consent forms. Instead of scanning and managing these files in a separate system or email, Medicat One integrates a Document Manager right into the Activity menu, so your staff can upload, scan, and organize paperwork directly inside your EHR.

Why does this benefit your workflow?
Improves organization, reduces time spent searching for documents, and supports accurate, secure record keeping for smoother daily operations.

4. Self-Service Password Reset: Empower Staff and Lighten IT Workloads

A common experience during the first week of classes:
Several new part-time staff and student employees are trying to log into your EHR, but some of them forget their passwords.

But now…

Instead of submitting help desk tickets or waiting for IT, they can now reset their credentials using a secure, self-service process.

Why does this benefit your workflow?
Reduces login delays, prevents unnecessary downtime, and decreases IT support volume—especially during high-traffic times like the start of the semester.

5. Smarter Tab Navigation: Multitasking with More Control

Consider this scenario:
You’re juggling multiple tasks during a busy morning, switching between a patient chart, lab results, and an urgent message from your nursing team.

The enhanced tab navigation in Medicat One helps you stay focused. You can easily close unrelated tabs and reorder remaining tabs by priority using drag and drop.

Why does this benefit your EHR workflow?
Improves efficiency, reduces errors caused by tab confusion and overwhelm, and supports fast-paced clinical decision-making.

P.S. Grab our top tips on simplifying immunization compliance on your campus here.

Key Takeaways

At Medicat, every feature we release is rooted in real conversations with college health and well-being professionals. These updates aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re designed to simplify your daily workflow, support your team, and improve the student experience.

If any of these new tools could help your clinic operate more efficiently, we’d love to connect and show you how they work.

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