5 Steps for Planning a EMR Data Migration

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5 Steps for Planning a EMR Data Migration

Proceeding with a EMR data migration is a major undertaking, especially in today’s high-speed business environment where even a few minutes of downtime could result in sizable financial costs. Whether a company is only relocating data or executing a full-scale data center migration, there is a wide range of factors that could impact the project’s outcome. Fortunately, taking the time to carefully plan every aspect of the migration and identify potential risks along the way can protect a company’s IT investments, minimize service disruption, and help the transition go more smoothly. Here are some considerations for business owners and IT staff members as they prepare to make a move.

5 Steps for Planning a EMR Data Migration

1. Understand What a Data Migration Is, and When to Plan One

The first thing for people to keep in mind is that many actions could encompass a data migration. In the simplest terms, data migration is the movement of electronically stored information.

One of the most common forms of EMR data migration is moving data to a cloud environment for the first time or switching to another provider. People may also transfer data to a new file type or system, especially during upgrades.

2. Select the Right EMR Data Migration Tools

Several possibilities exist for companies assessing the best options for moving their information. They might use import and export tools that make it possible to export data to a neutral format and upload it somewhere else. Alternatively, instead of doing that process through a user interface, the people handling a data migration may use database scripts. Other data migration tools make it possible to lift and shift data into the cloud with little change, although this may not maximize the potential of the cloud environment.

For other situations, there are extract, transform, load (ETL) tools that provide migration support for large collections of data. Many ETL options can connect to multiple sources and automate some of the steps. Other data integration tools have components that support initial migrations, especially in the case of enterprise networks.

3. Performing a Premigration Assessment Could Prevent Problems

Some companies want to begin a data migration without making any preliminary considerations. However, it’s much less risky to have a thorough data migration checklist that begins with a premigration assessment. That segment involves going through an impact evaluation to measure a project’s viability. The assessment should also include information about costs and necessary resources.

4. Recognize What Could Go Wrong

Hospitals may be overly confident about their abilities to have trouble-free EMR data migrations. Even if a business has an exceptionally experienced team and a firm grasp of the steps to take, pitfalls could still arise. For example, migrations could become problematic if enterprises don’t establish a data governance body early in the process and clarify the role each person in that group plays.

A company that’s going with an iterative approach may not keep previous versions of a system, making it impossible to refer to that earlier version when needed.

5. Don’t Overlook Security

Data migration can sometimes make it so file permissions and security settings don’t stay intact. Then, the information may be more vulnerable to attacks or unauthorized access.

Although some data migration tools keep security specifics intact, that’s not the case with all of them. Instead of making assumptions, company representatives should get clarification from vendors or other entities assisting with the migration.

Since planning for a data migration is vital, Santeware makes sure that they have the best in class resources who are experts in handling various situations for a variety of cases involving different EMR/ EHR vendors in the market. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for any concerns relating to your EMR migration plannings.

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