Survey of 1,104 behavioral health professionals finds denials and prior authorization burden rising as AI adoption accelerates.

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / February 17, 2026 / Black Book Market Research released its 2026 State of Behavioral Health IT report, a comprehensive market benchmark spanning over twenty behavioral health IT categories and scored using Black Book's 18‑KPI performance framework.

The report's 2026 Behavioral Health IT User Survey (n=1,104) captures the lived experience of frontline clinicians, prescribers, revenue cycle leaders, IT analysts, and executive decision-makers across outpatient, community-based, inpatient, residential, and payer-adjacent behavioral health operations. Frontline therapists/counselors/social workers represented 38.0% of respondents, with additional representation from prescribers (9.0%), revenue cycle/billing/coding leaders (11.0%), and IT/EHR administrators and analysts (12.0%). Within this year's rankings and vendor spotlight, Netsmart was identified as the client-rated #1 vendor in Behavioral Health and Community-Based Care and ranked #1 in core platform categories including Specialty Behavioral Health EHR Platforms (Ambulatory/Community/Agency), Enterprise/Community Behavioral Health Practice Management, and Behavioral Health Platform RCM suites.

To request the full report, benchmark data, or media materials, contact Black Book Research at research@blackbookmarketresearch.com or download directly with registration at https://blackbookmarketresearch.com/state-of-behavioral-health-it-2026

The findings reinforce a market reality that provider leaders are experiencing daily: reimbursement friction and administrative burden are increasingly limiting access. In the survey, 61.0% of respondents reported denials increased in the last year, and 79.0% ranked prior authorization among their top three administrative burdens. EHR satisfaction remains mixed, with 54.1% satisfied or very satisfied, 28.0% neutral, and 17.9% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. As reimbursement models evolve, 22.0% reported at least one outcomes-linked contract, 40.9% are evaluating outcomes-linked contracting, and 37.1% remain primarily fee-for-service.

At the same time, technology investment is accelerating in areas directly tied to workflow efficiency and revenue protection. AI adoption has moved decisively into mainstream planning: 28.0% of organizations reported AI tools in production, 43.0% are piloting or evaluating, and 17.0% plan adoption within 12 months (88.0% combined). When asked to select the single most important AI investment priority for 2026, respondents ranked documentation automation first (32.0%), followed by RCM automation (18.0%) and intake/triage routing (15.0%).

Netsmart's leadership position reflects broad-based performance across the buyer lenses that determine successful deployment in behavioral health: daily clinical usability and documentation defensibility, access workflow support, interoperability and data readiness, and revenue integrity with governance. In addition to anchor platform categories, Netsmart ranked #1 in Behavioral Health Interoperability within BH platform ecosystems (CareConnect), Population Health/Outcomes and Value-Based Enablement (behavioral context), Compliance and Audit Readiness within BH platforms, and AI documentation/workflow automation.

"Behavioral health organizations are under extraordinary pressure to expand access while managing workforce constraints and rising payer scrutiny," said Douglas Brown, President of Black Book. "The 2026 findings show that buyers are prioritizing platforms and services that reduce documentation burden, prevent denials upstream, operationalize outcomes, and support safe, governed innovation. Netsmart's #1 client-rated performance reflects consistent results across these requirements in community-based and specialty behavioral health delivery models."

Results incorporate Black Book's direct respondent panel and validated online survey instrument, designed to measure end-user experience and operational performance across a standardized 18‑KPI framework. The KPIs emphasize clinical usability, documentation defensibility, access workflow performance, interoperability and analytics readiness, consent and privacy governance, revenue integrity, security posture, vendor support maturity, and measurable value/ROI.

About Black Book Market Research

Black Book Market Research is an independent healthcare technology research and benchmarking firm recognized for transparent, respondent‑driven evaluations. Black Book's behavioral health benchmarks are built from a direct respondent panel and a validated online survey instrument designed to measure real‑world performance across end‑user roles and operational settings. Vendor performance is assessed using Black Book's 18 perfected KPIs for Behavioral Health, refined to reflect what matters most in modern delivery: clinician usability, documentation defensibility, access throughput, outcomes enablement, interoperability and analytics readiness, consent and privacy governance, revenue integrity, security posture, implementation and support maturity, and measurable value. Black Book is dedicated to publishing results that promote better patient care, stronger provider usability, and higher satisfaction across clinical, administrative, financial, and IT teams. Visit https://www.blackbookmarketresearch.com

SOURCE: Black Book Research