This article is sponsored by NextGen Healthcare. It is based on a discussion with Javier Favela, VP, Marketing & Segment Leader, and Nick Maynard, VP of Sales at NextGen Healthcare. This discussion took place on March 20, 2025, at the BHB VALUE Conference.

Javier Favela: I’m very excited to be here today. I’m now in my 24th year working in behavioral health. At NextGen, I serve as the finance and market strategist, so I oversee strategy and execution for our product roadmap—working with organizations across the country, understanding their pain points, and ultimately bringing solutions to the table.

Nick Maynard: I’m our national VP of sales and lead everything related to our behavioral health channels—both nonprofit and for-profit. Like Javier, I’ve spent more than two decades in this industry and kind of consider myself a “kid of the industry.” It’s all I’ve ever done, and I’ve been intentional about staying in this space. I love it. It’s a lot of fun. My responsibilities include working alongside Javier and our marketing team to build and grow our market presence across the country. I’m excited to be here to talk about one of my favorite topics.

Favela: Yeah, I think we were both kids when we started in healthcare. I was 19 when I first entered behavioral health and worked in finance. I eventually became CFO and COO of a large behavioral health organization. I like to think I bring a different perspective to technology because I’ve been on the provider side, working in integrated, whole-person care. That experience is really important to what we do at NextGen Healthcare.

Today’s topic is one Nick and I both focus on heavily. When we think about financial, operational, and clinical efficiencies—which are hot topics among executives—as we move toward financial sustainability and value-based contracts, AI-driven efficiencies will be critical. Our key focus today is what we call the next evolution. And while many people refer to it as AI, we often say “augmented intelligence” because, at the end of the day, it’s still the provider or clinician making the final decisions about care.

Maynard: What’s interesting about AI or augmented intelligence is that it’s still not mainstream. Just rewind the clock 12 months, and how we thought AI would impact healthcare is completely different from today. The growth curve has been exponential.

I’m a techie at heart. If you caught Nvidia’s keynote earlier this week, they showed how nearly every new data center farm is using their chips. Companies like General Motors are also moving things forward. AI is becoming part of everything we do. And we’re going to talk about the different containers—or “vessels”—of augmented intelligence. It’s not just about ambient listening. That’s only scratching the surface. We’re starting to look at this holistically and understand how it can really change the way organizations operate and deliver care.

Favela: One question we often get—especially as a traditional EHR tech company—is: “Is the electronic health record as we know it dead?” Is the on-premises or SaaS-based EHR model obsolete?

That’s why AI is front and center in our work. We’ve partnered with Amazon and Microsoft. These partnerships, and the AI work happening through them, are part of nearly every strategic discussion we have.

Maynard: Just think—five years ago, it wasn’t unusual to have your entire EHR sitting on a server in a closet. You could physically go touch it. Today, everything’s in the cloud—Azure, AWS, or another partner. Tomorrow? It’s going to be all AI-driven.

Where the data resides is becoming less relevant. It’s about access and intelligence—what AI can do with the data. That’s what’s advancing faster than most of us can even comprehend.

Favela: Right, and let me pose a question to everyone. Think about the current state of your EHR. Most are static. Workflows are linear. The EHR often serves simply as a data entry tool. Yes, the data is rich, but insights at the point of care? Not so much.

That becomes a problem as we move into value-based care. Data is king—but it must be actionable. The real question is: how do we turn that data into real-time insights that improve outcomes, reduce costs, and support financial sustainability—whether you’re nonprofit or for-profit?

Right now, providers—especially in behavioral health—lack decision support at the point of care. But AI lets us reimagine the full workflow, not just the clinical side. From intake to revenue cycle, we’re embedding AI across the entire process to improve efficiency and elevate the provider and patient experience.

Maynard: Let’s dive into the different areas where this plays out. I think of it like a car—you need all four wheels to move forward.

First, clinical usability. We’ll talk about clinician workflows and how augmented intelligence enhances them. Then we have patient access. I put on my consumer hat a lot—I hate when providers stare at a screen the entire time. We’ll also talk about outcomes—and finally, value. How do we tie these elements together to improve value through payer agreements?

Starting with clinical: we all know burnout is real, especially post-COVID. Ambient listening tools can remove some of that burden. Think about a tool that listens, captures diagnosis, orders, follow-ups—even nudges—so the provider can focus 100% on the client.

The accuracy improvements are big. Instead of documenting after seeing five clients and forgetting half of what happened, you get real-time notes, summaries, and insights—some the provider may not have noticed themselves.

And of course, some providers love this tech. Others are cautious. I’m the tech guy; I embrace it. Javier is more conservative—he’s the finance guy. That’s the next curve we need to get over—earning provider trust.

Favela: Yeah, worst case, the EHR is just a data collection tool. Best case, it’s still linear and requires tons of manual entry. What we and others in the space are doing is rethinking that entirely.

With AI, the provider can engage with patients in a natural way, and the system creates structured documentation from that interaction. We’re doing this today—not just imagining it.

We started on the medical side—prescribers using ambient tech on mobile or desktop to listen to sessions. The system captures medications, labs, diagnoses—even procedure codes—without the provider needing to touch a keyboard.

Our next launch is really exciting. We’ve developed a solution for therapists where the system listens to sessions, builds treatment plans (goals, objectives, interventions), and maintains the golden thread—all with AI.

This is innovative. There’s not much out there supporting the full clinician workflow from start to finish. And it’s not just for therapists—case managers and social workers can use it too. We’re running a beta with about 20 organizations and plan a general release within six months.

Maynard: Let’s shift to access. We can create the best clinical experience, but if patients can’t access their info, what’s the point?

Portals are outdated. No one wants to click a link, make a username, and jump through hoops. We’ve embedded secure URLs that take users straight to what they need. Confirm appointments, reschedule, complete assessments like PHQ-9s—all before the visit.

That’s free labor—letting clients input data directly, which is scored and analyzed automatically. Even co-payments can be made and posted in real time, eliminating manual steps. It streamlines the experience.

Favela: Exactly. That pre-visit workflow is typically clunky and labor-intensive. With AI embedded on the front end, we automate those tasks, reduce labor costs, and make the process more efficient.

We’ve covered clinical and front-end access. Our next focus is the back end—coding, revenue cycle. There’s AI tech for that, and we’re moving toward embedding it there too.

Maynard: Also, waitlists are a huge issue. Tools now embed waitlist logic directly into the client engagement system. If someone cancels, the next person can be notified and fill that slot. Keeps provider schedules full and improves client satisfaction.

Let’s move into outcomes and revenue cycles.

Favela: This is a value-based care conference, and 20% of our clients are in performance-based or alternative payment models. Show of hands—how many of you are in value-based contracts? Not many, but it’s accelerating, especially for integrated care providers.

AI plays a huge role in engagement and population health under value-based contracts. Today, most population health tools are external to the EHR. We’re embedding that insight into the provider workflow—so care managers don’t need to leave the system.

That’s what providers want: real-time data, at the point of care, to close gaps, manage labs, improve outcomes, and secure incentive payments. AI is delivering that.

Maynard: Let’s get into real-world examples. Think about wildfires earlier this year. Using geospatial tools, we identified at-risk clients and sent mobile units to them. Same with North Carolina floods—understanding where clients are and meeting them where they need care. That’s real care. That’s proactive healthcare.

Favela: Final thought before questions. Providers often worry AI is making decisions for them. But it’s not—it’s suggestive. The provider still makes the call.

We always emphasize: AI is a means to an end. It helps providers make better decisions and be more efficient. That message is starting to land with executives across the country.

Maynard: I joke about Javier being cautiously optimistic—but AI is here, and it’s only going to grow. For me, it all comes down to one word: engagement. Engaged providers create engaged patients. And that drives better outcomes.

Let’s get to some questions. One I see here is: Why does behavioral health still feel the need to validate itself and its value? I assume that’s about AI.

Great question. There’s still distrust and a lack of understanding. Even the tech you use matters—phones can feel intrusive. An iPad or tablet feels less so. So, think about what kind of tech you bring into the room.

Favela: Or a laptop, right? Providers should use tablets. Keep the process seamless—no barriers to engaging with the patient.

Maynard: Another question—how do we define and measure value-based care? What are some examples?

Favela: When we work with organizations in APMs or VBCs, we provide a full ecosystem—interoperability, HIEs, and in-practice data to stratify risk and identify patients who need care coordination.

Many behavioral health orgs don’t even know what to measure. We return to basics—define KPIs, utilize standard metrics (such as those used by CCBHCs), and establish a governance structure for ongoing quality improvement. That’s critical for sustained success.

Maynard: One thing I’ll add—behavioral health data used to live in a silo. That’s changing fast. With data interoperability, we now have longitudinal records that help bridge behavioral and medical care.

That means when someone shows up at your crisis center, you can immediately see their medical history—like a diabetic with a blood sugar of 600. You can treat faster and better because you have the full picture.

And when you have the full picture, you can love your client in a way you never could before. That’s real care.

For the second year in a row, NextGen® Behavioral Health earns the #1 spot in the 2025 Best in KLAS Report.
NextGen Healthcare continues to set the standard with the industry’s only platform that fully integrates behavioral health, primary care, oral health, addiction treatment, and human services—empowering providers to deliver whole-person care across outpatient, residential, and community settings.

In addition, for the seventh consecutive year, NextGen Healthcare is the highest-rated EHR vendor for physician groups with 6–99 providers and the top-ranking provider of PM solutions for physician groups with 1–50+ providers.To learn more, visit: nextgen.com.