Posts Tagged: data archiving

Pharmacy Record Archiving: Is It Right for You?

Posted by & filed under Pharmacy.

pharmacy record archiving

Pharmacies have patient records, just like hospitals and providers. They typically live in a pharmacy software management system, allowing pharmacies to monitor each patient’s prescriptions. There are often times when pharmacies need to offload some of these records rather than purge or delete them. When this becomes a need, pharmacy record archiving is a great option.

What Is Pharmacy Record Archiving?

Archiving pharmacy records is the process of migrating patient data from software to an archiving platform. It becomes a vessel for long-term storage that’s secure and compliant with HIPAA and HITRUST. 

What Prompts the Need to Archive?

There are several reasons pharmacies choose to archive. Here are common scenarios:

  • Moving to a new software: If you switch to a new pharmacy management system, you’ll need to convert and/or archive data. Typically, you don’t want to move all your data into your new system. Some you can purge, but other records you need to keep to follow medical record retention laws. 
  • Closing a pharmacy: If a pharmacy closes, someone still has to be the custodian of those records. In an acquisition, the buying pharmacy may select only the last few years to migrate to their software, archiving the rest. If the pharmacy shutters without a purchaser, the pharmacist in charge still needs those records to be accessible.
  • Creating more space in an existing system: Pharmacies that have been using the same software for years often consider archiving to free up space so that the platform performs better. 
  • Eliminating on-premises legacy systems: Some pharmacies have on-site servers from legacy software. They are still paying for the equipment and system and can eliminate this tool with a cloud-based archiving solution.

The Benefits of Pharmacy Record Archiving

Opting for data archiving can deliver many benefits for pharmacies. Those include:

  • Easy access: A web-based solution allows users to access records anywhere with a login.
  • Audit readiness: An archiving platform can offer print-ready audit reports if you need them.
  • Cost savings: Retiring legacy systems and physical servers will save you lots of money.
  • More secure: An encrypted archiving platform is more secure than a legacy system, which may not be supported any longer.
  • Storage for all: You can archive documents, images, and data in one spot.
  • Searchability: Need to find something fast? Robust search parameters reduce the time to find specific records.

Considering Archiving?

If your pharmacy is in a situation where archiving can be helpful, the next step is to find the best solution. Our archiving system, ViewMaster, offers all the features and functionality you need in a compliant manner. Check out how it works by downloading the ViewMaster for Pharmacy product sheet. 

Pharmacy Data Management 101

Posted by & filed under Pharmacy.

pharmacy data management

Data is a part of every business, and pharmacies are swimming in it. You have patient, prescription, and other data critical to your operations and profitability. But what does pharmacy data management really mean? As a company with over two decades of experience with pharmacy data, we know all about it and how to manage it in a way that makes sense. 

Pharmacy Patient Data

Within your pharmacy management system are all your patient records. In a few clicks, you can see everything about an individual and the prescriptions they take. The biggest challenge we see with patient data is moving it around when necessary.

Typically, the most important movement is when you decide to transition to a new platform. Data from your old system needs to flow into your new one. A pharmacy data conversion sounds complicated, and in a way, it is. There are many variables in these migrations. Field mapping and accuracy of the utmost importance. Compliance and security are as well. 

Luckily, we pretty much wrote the script for data conversions. Our founders were the first to do it way back in 1997! Since then, we’ve completed thousands of pharmacy data migrations, ensuring that the data is accessible and correct. 

Prescription Data

Pharmacies need clarity around prescription data for many reasons:

  1. It’s valuable to know volume and sales so that you can forecast future numbers.
  2. You may monitor it for drug shortage predictions, which are a concern for many pharmacies.
  3. You also have to be aware of the controlled substances that patients are using to ensure there’s no misuse or possible fraud.

Pharmacy analytics are critical for prescription data.

What Happens When Your Data Becomes Too Big?

Medical record retention laws require pharmacies to keep patient data for at least 10 years. Some states have even longer intervals. However, many of those records may no longer be active, so they’re just taking up space in your pharmacy software. Other times when you decide to convert to a new system, you don’t want to bring everything over to the new platform. 

When data becomes too big, the easy solution is data archiving. We offer a web-based archiving system. It’s easy to use and meets compliance and retention mandates. It lives in the cloud so that you can access it from anywhere with credentials. Our archiving solution also accepts multiple file formats—documents, images, and data.

Having an archive takes the strain off your system. It allows you to eliminate a legacy system or on-site server completely. It saves money and time. 

Pharmacy Data Management Best Practices

As with any discipline, there are best practices to consider with pharmacy data management. Here are some tips to always keep in mind.

  • Work with partners that have robust security and encryption protocols.
  • Require that all vendors that access your patient data sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA), which is a requirement. 
  • Ask about provider experience with pharmacy data—it’s a lot different than any other industry and has many caveats. 
  • Look for flexible platforms or workflows that are customizable to your needs.
  • Discuss concerns, challenges, and processes before you convert or archive.

We Are Pharmacy Data Management Experts

We are proud to serve the pharmacy industry, helping chain, independent, specialty, and LTC pharmacies manage their data with conversions, archiving, and analytics. Find out more about how we work by downloading our eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Pharmacy Data Conversions.

6 Healthcare Data Archiving Best Practices

Posted by & filed under Healthcare.

The digitization of the healthcare industry ushered in a new era. Paper was no longer the lone way to manage patient records. While the use of EHRs and pharmacy management systems reduced the paper, the amount of data exploded. To manage all this and remain compliant with HIPAA and record retention laws, healthcare data archiving has become a go-to for organizations.

The practice offers many benefits for healthcare entities. You can retire legacy systems, which reduces costs. Such a system also makes the information easily accessible for audits or requests. Further, it lives in the cloud, so it’s not on a physical on-site server. You can enjoy all these benefits with many different solutions, but there are some best practices to keep in mind. 

Healthcare Data Archiving Best Practices

Before you choose a platform or devise an archiving strategy, consider these best practices.

Ensure You’re Compliant with Record Retention Regulations

Do you know how long you must retain records? The statute varies by state. In most cases, it’s 10 years, but some states like Massachusetts and Oregon require lengthier periods. Compliance with this doesn’t just mean you have the records somewhere. They need to be in a storage system that protects the protected health information (PHI). Be sure that the digital archiving service you choose does that.

Have a Backup 

Back up everything! That’s the mantra that every organization understands in a digital world where ransomware attacks happen regularly. If hackers were to seize your archive, the backup would be your failsafe. (Check out this story of an organization losing their patient data archive.) Be sure your provider backs up all your data in the cloud. 

Select an Option that Can Handle All File Types

Healthcare data archiving includes more than documents. You likely have lots of images as well or other formats. When you transfer your records to an archive, it won’t be suitable if it can only accept a limited number of file types. Go over the types of files you have and get assurance the system can handle them.

Seek Out a System with User Level Permissions

You may have multiple locations and lots of different users. However, you may not want all to have the same permission levels. Thus, you’ll need an archiving solution that lets you manage who has access and what kind of access.

Be Sure About Security

Healthcare data is very attractive to hackers. You need a robust system that goes beyond standard cybersecurity methods. Inquire about encryption. You’ll want to know that it’s in use when data is in transit and at rest. Further, you should discuss their co-location partner and the security protocols they have in place, both digitally and physically.

Find a Platform That’s Intuitive 

You don’t need a complex system to handle your archive. If it’s going to require hours of training, adoption will be low and frustration high. Instead, you’ll prefer a web-based, easy to use interface that anyone can figure out in a few minutes. Features like search and filtering should be simple to use, as well. 

Healthcare Data Archiving with ViewMaster

Healthcare data archiving doesn’t have to be cumbersome or expensive. Our system, ViewMaster, has all the features you need with all the security you expect. See how it works today by watching our video.