Retire Legacy Systems, Keep Your Data

Investing in a new healthcare information system (HIS) offers you the opportunity to streamline processes and work more efficiently. However, with any software change, comes the question of what to do with your legacy system data. Keeping your old data is necessary for many reasons, including medical retention requirements. While you may choose to convert the most recent data to your new system, you may think that the only way to maintain old data is to keep the old system up. That’s not your only option. You can retire legacy systems and keep your data.

Legacy Systems Cause Challenges

Many healthcare organizations keep legacy systems running in parallel with their new HIS. If this is a model you’re currently experiencing, then you know it’s not sustainable. First, you have the additional costs each month of keeping the system operating. These extra costs are basically wasted, and those dollars can’t be allocated to other tools.

In addition to dragging your budget, legacy systems also impact workflows and productivity. Information may be hard to find, creating greater inefficiencies. But how can you officially retire legacy systems?

Archiving Is a Unique Process in Healthcare

Archiving your data isn’t as simple as purchasing archive software. Extracting data and moving it to a platform that’s easy to use and readily accessible can be complex. There are many considerations when dealing with protected healthcare information (PHI), privacy and security being the most important. Plus, you may have numerous legacy systems to retire and aggregating all that data into a new home while ensuring its integrity is not an easy job. You need a team of data experts.

Your Legacy Data Is Too Valuable to Leave in Inexperienced Hands

While many companies offer archiving solutions, most aren’t specifically built for healthcare. Working with a team of healthcare data stewards ensures that you get the archiving solution you need. There are seven crucial elements to seek out in an archiving solution:

• Extraction and transferring data must be secure and meet all compliance regulations
• Ability to aggregate data from multiple sources
• Capability to archive multiple formats, including images and documents
• Healthcare-centric approach to data management
• Experience with all types of healthcare software systems
• Easy to use web-based platform that has robust filters for easy searching
• Systems should satisfy record retention and report requirements

You don’t have to be chained to your legacy system. Free your data and ensure it is accessible and portable with ViewMaster archiving from InfoWerks. You can archive, retain, and protect your healthcare data.