EHR and billing operations for LA County DMH providers on ProviderConnect NX.
LACDMH requires contracted Legal Entity providers to use ProviderConnect NX, the web interface to the county's Avatar NX record, for admissions, financial eligibility, authorizations, and concurrent review. It is the county's system for those steps, not a facility operating system. Navix keeps your clinical record and your other lines of business, and CollaborateMD, our RCM partner, processes your claims.
Last verified: August 19, 2026 · sources belowAvatar NX, the web interface, and where your EHR fits.
ProviderConnect NX (PCNX) is a web interface that communicates in real time with Avatar NX, LACDMH's Netsmart EHR system. Anything submitted through PCNX or via Web Services updates the county record immediately.
Your own EHR has a submission path
Contract providers need a Contractor ID (C-Number) to access DMH systems. A client must have an open Admission and Financial Eligibility in Avatar NX, submitted through the provider EHR via Web Services, before an authorization can be created in PCNX. Claims follow the LACDMH 837 5010 companion guide, and are sent to the state when the financial eligibility flag is verified.
What still happens in ProviderConnect NX
Authorizations, including the DTI authorization process, and Concurrent Review for residential services — the Crisis Residential Treatment Program (CRTP), Adult Residential Treatment (ART), and Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) — are performed in PCNX. Corrections after submission and functionality issues are handled through a HEAT help-desk ticket.
Double entry, and the correction loop.
- Double entry: clinical notes in one system, re-keyed admissions, eligibility, and updates in ProviderConnect NX
- Post-submission corrections that require a HEAT help-desk ticket
- Authorization and concurrent-review overhead for residential programs (CRTP, ART, PHF)
The pattern is the same one every parallel-operations county creates: a clinical record in one place, and a county portal that has to be fed by hand. The goal is one operating record that produces the county submission instead of a second job.
One operating record. County submissions from it.
Navix is the EMR your team works in: clinical documentation, group notes, scheduling, and your commercial and cash census. It is designed to fit the Avatar NX Web Services and 837 5010 workflow, so admissions, financial eligibility, and claims come from the same record rather than a second round of data entry. CollaborateMD, our RCM partner, processes the claims.
ProviderConnect NX remains the county's system for authorizations and concurrent review, and Navix reduces the double entry around it while keeping documentation audit-ready. Confirm current integration specifics with the Navix team and against LACDMH's own materials, which change over time.
Straight answers.
What EHR do LA County DMH providers have to use?
LACDMH's system of record is Avatar NX, a Netsmart electronic health record. Contracted Legal Entity providers use ProviderConnect NX, the web interface that communicates with Avatar NX in real time, for admissions, financial eligibility, authorizations, and concurrent review. Providers can also run their own EHR and submit to Avatar NX via Web Services and 837 EDI.
Can I use my own EHR with ProviderConnect NX?
For clinical work, yes, and you can submit admissions, financial eligibility, and 837 claims to Avatar NX via Web Services and the LACDMH 837 5010 companion guide. Authorizations and concurrent review are still performed in ProviderConnect NX. Navix is designed to fit this workflow, and CollaborateMD, our RCM partner, processes the claims.
What is Avatar NX?
Avatar NX is LACDMH's Netsmart EHR system. ProviderConnect NX communicates with it in real time, so anything submitted through the interface or via Web Services updates the county record immediately. A client must have an open Admission and Financial Eligibility in Avatar NX before an authorization can be created in ProviderConnect NX.
Which programs use concurrent review in ProviderConnect NX?
The concurrent review process in ProviderConnect NX covers residential services: the Crisis Residential Treatment Program (CRTP), Adult Residential Treatment (ART), and the Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) program.
How does Navix fit with ProviderConnect NX?
Navix is your operating EMR: clinical documentation, group notes, scheduling, and your commercial and cash census. It is designed to fit the Avatar NX Web Services and 837 5010 submission workflow, and CollaborateMD processes the claims. ProviderConnect NX remains the county's system for authorizations and concurrent review, and Navix reduces the double entry around it.
Related.
See Navix alongside ProviderConnect NX.
We will walk the path from clinical documentation to the county submission and the claim, on a real chart.
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