Take Action Against the Risks of Legacy Systems
Dear Colleague,
We surveyed healthcare CIOs and found 94% have legacy applications up and running. In fact, the average legacy system IT footprint within healthcare delivery organizations can be upwards of 20% of all the technology assets in use.
It is not a secret that it is challenging to keep legacy data in old EMRs/EHRs.
There are inherent risks in keeping vital data you still need housed in legacy systems. Technical vulnerabilities, ongoing costs, outdated capabilities and cybersecurity risks are just a few. These are some of the reasons why 77% of those same CIOs shared that application rationalization is a medium to high priority.
In your organization, you play a pivotal role in keeping active and legacy health data secure, accessible, compliant and shareable—while responsibly managing costs. We can help.
Tackle legacy data management like a champ.
Since 2006, our team at Harmony Healthcare IT has pioneered data management solutions. We have experience in moving and storing data from more than 550 unique clinical, financial and administrative software brands. We have helped small clinics to some of the largest healthcare enterprises meet their lifecycle data management goals.
In a recent KLAS Data Archiving Report, we were recognized for our success in archiving some of the healthcare industry’s largest and most complex clinical and financial software systems. Our team received all A’s in the six customer experience pillars of culture, loyalty, operations, product, relationship and value. Further, 100% of our customers report they would purchase our services again.
We take great pride in the outstanding reviews from our customers. And we look forward to an opportunity to serve you and your team.
This booklet highlights 6 risks associated with maintaining legacy systems and shares how an active archive can address them.
Don’t wait to reduce your risk. Let us provide an estimate to implement an archive for your upcoming budget.
To set up an introductory call, contact us at harmonyHIT.com or email info@harmonyHIT.com
Best Regards, Erik Johnson
Erik Johnson
Vice President of Marketing, Harmony Healthcare IT
P.S. Legacy data management is challenging, but not taking action is risky. I believe you’ll find the following information valuable.
Risk: Legacy systems are costly.
On average, up to 64% of a healthcare IT budget is allocated to managing and maintaining legacy systems. Most of the cost is appropriated to trying to keep the systems operational.
Action: Reduce cost and save resources
with archiving.
The cost of an archive can be significantly less than maintaining legacy systems—with both hard (maintenance contracts, servers) and soft (IT labor, operational) cost savings. ROI of moving to an active archive and decommissioning old applications is typically realized within 12-24 months.
55% of CIOs report that cost is a significant or very significant pain point in legacy data management.
Risk: Legacy systems are ripe for cyberattack.
Cyber criminals target legacy applications as they are considered weak links. These applications are compared to open doors and windows for hackers because they lack modern security tools.
Action: Fortify security with an active archive.
A consolidated active archive for legacy data reduces the number of entry points. A strong vendor solution will have hundreds of controls in place to address security, HIPAA, HITRUST, system change, business continuity and more.
81% of CIOs surveyed report security is a top concern when using legacy applications.
Risk: Legacy systems can buckle under pressure.
Healthcare organizations still using outdated technology experience more frequent and longer downtime compared to those with updated systems. Outdated applications are difficult to update and maintain. This can lead to errors and downtime.
Plus, sluggish performance can bog down every step of data retrieval and cause delays that impact business operations.
Action: Implement an active archive to decommission legacy systems.
A consolidated active archive for historical records is key to improving day-to-day operations. Users benefit from improved workflows and less downtime. The IT footprint is easier to manage as legacy systems can be shut down after the data is migrated to an archive, or in some cases, converted to a new go-forward application.
Downtime in high-risk healthcare enterprises can cost $5 million per hour.
Risk: Legacy systems leave data spread out and separated.
Data stored in multiple, disparate silos makes records complicated to access. This affects nearly every department in the organization (HIM, clinical, legal, HR, billing, and more).
Patients are burdened with trying to remember all their medications, problems and historical information. Clinicians must log into multiple systems to access historical records.
Improve accessibility with a consolidated active archive.
Historical patient, employee and business data stored in an active archive like HealthData Archiver® remains accessible and usable.
Archive features support improved workflows. Single Sign-On provides clinicians with instant accessibility to the historical patient record from within the go-forward EHR. The new Legacy Record Indicator provides a visual cue within the active EHR signaling there are patient records linked to the archive.
On average, clinicians spend just over using an EHR for each patient visit.
16 minutes
Risk: Legacy systems can hinder compliance.
The landscape of healthcare compliance is continuously expanding and changing. There are retention laws, HIPAA rules, and the 21st Century Cures Act to keep up with and legacy data often needs to be kept for decades. This can be a problem as older applications can struggle to meet the organization’s policies.
Action: Enable compliance with an active archive.
Archiving supports current and long-term HIM and compliance efforts to meet regulatory guidelines and retention policies. Key features include search ease, strong security, audit trails, user access rules, and enhanced interoperability.
69% of Compliance Officers report that the pace of changing regulations is their top stressor.
Risk: Legacy systems can trap records in non-interoperable
silos.
Interoperability roadblocks include a lack of standardized data and unfriendly user interfaces. Healthcare providers are grappling with how to keep track of their data, keep it secure, store it appropriately, and share it within and outside their organizations.
Action: Facilitate comprehensive record sharing with an archive.
A key ingredient in interoperability success is application rationalization. A consolidated archive enabled with APIs supports the secure exchange and accessibility of data. With discretely archived data, it can be enabled for USCDI, FHIR, C-CDA, HL7, XML, Direct or other standards-based protocols for a variety of use cases.
48% of hospitals can share patient data with other providers, but they do not receive data from them.
Let us provide an estimate to implement an archive for your upcoming budget.
To set up an introductory call, contact us at harmonyHIT.com or info@harmonyHIT.com.