Posts Tagged: data conversions

What is a HIPAA Compliant Data Conversion?

Posted December 4, 2020 by Beth Osborne & filed under Healthcare.

As a healthcare organization, you’re well aware of HIPAA and its mandates regarding protected healthcare information (PHI). You likely have processes in place to ensure compliance when sharing, moving, or storing PHI data. But what about when you convert data from one platform to another? The process must be a HIPAA compliant data conversion.

What makes a data conversion HIPAA compliant? Let’s find out.

The HIPAA Security Rule

The HIPAA Security Rule establishes standards to protect the creation, reception, use, or maintenance of PHI. Three mechanisms must be in place to do this: appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards. To meet those standards in a data conversion, you, your data conversion provider, and software vendor must take certain actions.

HIPAA Compliant Data Conversion Considerations

Before you begin your data conversion, there are several considerations for you and your partners to ensure compliance.

HIPAA Business Association Agreement

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), any individual or entity that accesses PHI on your behalf is a business associate. Thus, you’ll need a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with all parties. The access data includes electronic transmissions. If providers you’re considering working with don’t begin conversations about a BAA, this could be a red flag.

Encryption

HIPAA does not explicitly state the use of encryption in PHI transfer. Rather, the HIPAA Security Rule states it must be secure. Encryption is not a requirement but an “addressable” implementation. Addressable means that you must act if a risk assessment reveals its necessity.

Even without specific language, encryption fulfills the technical safeguards requirement. However, not all encryption is the same. HIPAA doesn’t define the type of encryption, so it’s open to interpretation.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) at 128-, 192-, or 256-bit encryption. The number expresses the key length used for encryption and decryption. AES 256-bit is the strongest type of encryption

Also, keep in mind that the encryption must be end to end, not just active during transmission.

Two-Factor Authentication

When your BAA partners access your PHI, they should employ two-factor authorization. This adds another layer of security. Access will require more than just a password. An additional pin or piece of information is necessary to retrieve the data.

HIPAA Awareness and Training

It’s a good idea to make sure your partners know more about HIPAA than just sending you the BAA. Ideally, they’ll have compliance experts on staff that monitor the operations of your data conversion. It’s also a best practice for their employees to participate in yearly HIPAA compliance training.

Data Center Certifications

Your data conversion provider uses colocation data centers to store data in its cloud. Everything’s in the cloud now, no longer in physical servers on-site. However, you need to know about the certifications and security protocols of the data center. Ideally, the certifications will be more robust than just HIPAA compliant, such as HITRUST CSF, SOC 1, 2, & Type 2, and NIST 800-53. Enquire about this during an initial discussion.

Data Breaches and HIPAA Violations

Data breaches in healthcare are, unfortunately, an ongoing concern. Even with HIPAA compliant practices, an incident can still occur. It’s a good idea to ask about any previous data breaches and if they were the result of a HIPAA violation.

Have Questions about a HIPAA Compliant Data Conversion?

If you still have questions regarding a HIPAA compliant data conversion, you can contact our experts. Also, check out the data security protocols we have in place, which go above and beyond HIPAA requirements.

Data Conversion Service: What Healthcare Needs to Know About Switching Software

Posted November 19, 2020 by Beth Osborne & filed under Healthcare, Pharmacy.

Healthcare is still in the midst of its digital transformation. To digitize certain areas, they often switch to a new health information system (HIS) software. While this is standard practice for healthcare and any business, the act of moving data from one system to another isn’t easy. It requires you to contract for a data conversion service.

But what’s the right service for your organization? And what do you need to know before you choose a data conversion partner?

Data Conversion Service: The Options

There are several ways to commence a data conversion in healthcare. Let’s look at your options.

Manual Data Conversion

Manual data conversion options are still available. But this is 2020, and manual doesn’t feel very digitally transformative. The reality is that you can hire people to rekey all your patient profiles and other information.

Such a process is likely to be lengthy, expensive, and risky. In a fast-paced world, where healthcare is on the brink of no capacity, this isn’t going to work. Plus, it’s ripe with concerns about accuracy and human error.

Fully Automated Data Conversions

With sophisticated technology, a fully automated data conversion would seem superior. However, for it to be 100% accurate, there can be no field matching issues. Field matching describes how programmers map fields in the existing software to the new software. While HIS systems are similar, they are not without differences.

To have perfect field matching from one system to another is rather impossible. Going this route is fast, but you’ll have manual cleanup on the other side.

Customized Hybrid Data Conversions

The third option for data conversions is the most popular and accurate. There are elements of automation in it for field matching but also custom programming to align them. Further, this process includes validation and QA. It has a step by step workflow that takes into consideration compliance and security, as well.

This approach can occur quickly as long as each stakeholder meets their requirements. Your existing software needs to release the data. The data conversion service provider does a test pull and processes the data. Then they send it for validation to you and your new software partner. After validation, the data conversion company makes tweaks and sends it to QA. After final review, the final data pull occurs, and you’re live.

Key Things to Consider for a Data Conversion Service

No matter which option you choose, there are some critical things healthcare organizations need to know.

Your provider should have specialized experience in healthcare data conversions, not just general capabilities.
Security and compliance are mandatory, so the provider’s process should be HIPAA and HITRUST compliant.
Custom programming is almost always necessary to account for field mismatches, so your provider should be capable of this.
Testing and QA are necessary; if you want to ensure accuracy, your vendor can’t cut corners.
Validation is the responsibility of you, your new software company, and your data conversion company. It’s a team effort to get it right for your go-live.
Data conversion companies shouldn’t nickel and dime you. Many organizations find that out of scope charges mount quickly. Define the scope and have in your contract the fees in full so that you’re fully aware of the fiscal responsibility.

A Data Conversion Service You Can Trust

Migrating to a new platform could improve your workflows and help you deliver better care to patients. But it starts with accuracy in your data conversion. After two decades of mastering data conversions for healthcare, we’d love to provide you more information.

Download our eBook, The Definitive Guide to Healthcare Data Conversions, to learn more.

What Happens After Pharmacy Bankruptcy?

Posted November 5, 2020 by Beth Osborne & filed under Pharmacy.

In the realm of healthcare, bankruptcies seem unlikely and rare. After all, healthcare is a for-profit business in the U.S., and every consumer needs it. Unfortunately, pharmacy bankruptcy is rather common. When this occurs, there are many different scenarios as to what happens next. In this post, we’ll explore those options and offer commentary on the rising trend.

Independent Pharmacies Are Closing at High Rates

According to an article in JAMA Internal Medicine, one in eight pharmacies closed from 2009 to 2015. The overall number of pharmacies increased, but the study revealed independent pharmacies to be the most at risk. They were three times more likely to close than chains. Those most vulnerable include rural and urban, in low-income areas, pharmacies.

Chains Not Immune

Chains aren’t immune to closures. One of the hardest-hit areas is grocery store pharmacies. Grocery stores once found pharmacies to be revenue drivers, but major declines began in 2017. The expected returns kept dipping, while the pharmacy department’s payroll remained the highest of all others.

Grocery store chains found it too hard to compete with new alternatives like digital pharmacies. Many also found they didn’t have any negotiation prowess to receive more competitive reimbursements.

Further, the top chain pharmacies in the U.S. have also closed low performing stores or consolidated after acquisitions.

Consequences of Closures

There are some unfortunate side effects of pharmacy bankruptcy. Another study published to the JAMA Network Open included an analysis of over 3 million consumers over age 50 who take a cardiovascular medication. Approximately 3% of those patients used a pharmacy that had subsequently closed.

For the first three months post-closure, medication adherence plunged by 5.9%, 5.71%, and 5.63%, respectively. The research concluded this continued for one year after closure. Medication nonadherence is an epidemic in the U.S. It costs the health system billions every year and causes deaths, hospitalizations, and worsening chronic diseases.

If a pharmacy goes bankrupt and no acquisition occurs, this creates pharmacy deserts. This term describes areas in the country where consumers have limited access to prescriptions. They aren’t just in rural areas. Metro areas like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit have them as well.

The consequences of pharmacy bankruptcy or closure is a ripple effect. Independent pharmacy advocate groups like NCPA (National Community Pharmacy Association) are trying to minimize closures to ensure care continuity, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it harder. It’s been an economic disruption, unlike any other, and created a host of new challenges for all pharmacies.

Pharmacy Bankruptcy or Closures: What Happens?

Several scenarios can play out when a pharmacy files bankruptcy or closes.

Acquisition of Patients

Another organization can acquire the pharmacy’s patients. They still close the location but “buy” the patient records and become the custodian. The new pharmacy of record then sends communications to the patients, advising them of the change. Acquiring pharmacies use patient data sets to create target outreach for groups, especially the most vulnerable.

Store Takeover

Acquisitions of bankrupt pharmacy can also include a full store takeover. The acquirer purchases all assets of the pharmacy. They can then rebrand and reopen under a new name and hopefully retain loyal customers. They’ll also need to communicate with patients to let them know what’s happening. Data conversions and archiving are often part of this process as well.

Records Go to Archive

In some cases, there is no acquisition of patients. However, the pharmacy must still legally retain patient records for a set amount of time. They can archive these records in a secure, web-based platform that leaves them accessible to auditors or patients.

Supporting Pharmacy Transitions of Any Kind

As a partner to the pharmacy industry, we’ve helped bankrupt and closing pharmacies transition with data management solutions. From easy archiving to the most complex data conversions to rebranding and communications, we are pharmacy transition specialists. Contact us today to learn about our pharmacy transition services.