While the majority of those in the healthcare industry moved from paper to electronic health records (EHR) years ago, a merger or acquisition or a system wide upgrade to a new EHR system means converting patient information from one platform to another. Over the past few years, healthcare mergers and acquisitions spiked in numbers, but recent statistics show M&A transactions cooled during Q1’2022. This cooling period is an opportunity to tackle EHR conversions correctly and methodically for a smooth transition.
Managing an EHR Migration Isn’t Simple
It’s a good thing most healthcare professionals will only need to endure the process once or twice throughout their careers, if they’re lucky. While automating the conversion can ease the transition, it’s never as straightforward as just clicking a button. Make no mistake. There will be gaps in the data, which will require manual entry. There will be incomplete charts when unstructured data is transferred or documents are orphaned.
Missing patient data in medical charts can diminish care management and increase the risk of medical errors. Not to mention lower patient satisfaction, frustrate providers, and ultimately sabotage widespread acceptance and overall approval of the new EHR system.
Taking Shortcuts During an EHR Conversion Can Cause Problems in the Future
Relying solely on automated processes and foregoing entering legacy patient data does speed up converting to a new EHR system. Even though it’s possible, it can cause problems in the long run.
Leaning on internal staff to gather and input patient legacy data after the conversion puts stress on them, as well as patients for a few reasons, including:
- Staff might need to toggle between the old and new systems to locate past records, then enter them into the new system, which reduces time spent on patients and their care
- Patients’ memories aren’t reliable, especially in cases of extreme illness or long-ago events, which can lead to unknown medications, surgical histories, allergies, etc.
The way to avoid these issues is to commit to including all patient legacy data during the conversion. Your staff and providers have access to data. Your patients are safer with their records in providers’ hands and less frustrated with having to repeat information over and over again. Your healthcare organization protects its reputation and patient satisfaction scores.
How to Ensure a Smooth, Seamless EHR Migration? Rely on an Experienced Partner
You could hire part-time staff or temp workers to help with the EHR migration. However, that creates challenges in terms of training and managing them, as well as ups your HIPAA risk if they aren’t experts in compliance. That’s why you need an experienced partner.
ScanSTAT offers EHR conversion professional services. Our team of trained and experienced data abstraction specialists moves all patient data from your old system to the new one, efficiently and accurately. And, working with us couldn’t be easier.
Together, your team and ours map out your desired processes and document handling instructions. Once those are established, our team works consistently and reliably to meet your deadline.
Other benefits of partnering with ScanSTAT’s EHR conversion team:
- Cost Savings: Upfront discovery enables you to weigh the value of information versus the cost of entering it to maximize your budget.
- Quality Assurance: Proven workflows and internal audit procedures enable an unparalleled accuracy rate.
- Preparation: Chart prep completion from your active schedule ensures that your charts are ready prior to patient appointments.
- Record Transfer: Move historical documents into your new EHR, separating out those necessary for patient treatment and compliance.
- Liability Transfer: Move the compliance burden to us as your trusted business associate and rely on our compliance team to handle HIPAA liability issues.
Let ScanSTAT Make Your EHR Conversion Process Easier.
A smooth transition to your new EHR system is critical for efficient operations and provider adoption, and often requires an element of manual labor even after an automated migration has taken place.