Convenient and secure data access — A new chapter in healthcare archiving

From reams of paper stashed in filing cabinets to digital folders housing historical data, medical record archiving has changed dramatically in the last two decades. As organizations transition to new healthcare information systems, legacy information must be archived, but it still must be accessible.

Becker's Hospital Review recently spoke to Kel Pults, DHA, MSN, RN, Chief Clinical Officer at MediQuant, about the evolution of healthcare archiving and the role of archiving in healthcare mergers and acquisitions.

Active archiving provides secure access to legacy information for clinicians and patients alike

Active archiving is very different from storing data on tape, since it creates an environment where information access is easy and convenient. "When our current clients work in their new health information systems, they can click on a button, bring up historical information and look across a continuum of data," Dr. Pults said.

Active archiving of legacy data has become the standard when hospitals migrate to new health information systems. Active archiving supports regulatory requirements related to privacy, confidentiality, record correction, information blocking and patients' rights related to medical record access.

Viewing legacy information in one place is very useful when healthcare organizations replace separate lab, pharmacy and radiology systems with a new health information system. With an active archive, all the legacy information is immediately available when needed.

"From the clinical side, it's possible to add notes and make record corrections, amendments and strikethroughs," Dr. Pults said. "From the patient accounting side, teams can actively work down the accounts receivable data once stored  the old systems, and now available in the active archive to still collect revenue."

Active archives are also beneficial for patients. "As laws have changed and patients have been granted more rights to their medical information, healthcare organizations must create a safe, secure environment for patients to access their data," Dr. Pults said. "Consumers today are comfortable with technology and they want the autonomy to go online and retrieve their own medical records. Active archives allow them to do that."

Healthcare industry trends are influencing how organizations approach data archiving

Mergers and acquisition activity in the healthcare sector seems to be here to stay. To ensure a successful integration following a merger or acquisition, healthcare organizations must create a strategic archiving plan.

According to Dr. Pults, "After healthcare organizations merge or complete an acquisition, they often take the new organization's systems and add them to the existing instance of Epic, Cerner or Meditech. This creates a long list of legacy applications that the IT team must maintain and that the revenue cycle team must manage from an accounts receivable perspective. As part of M&A transactions, healthcare organizations need to take a step back and consider what will happen to all the clinical records. An overall strategic plan is essential."

Technology trends related to application and data hosting are also influencing how healthcare organizations approach archiving. In the past, many of MediQuant's clients wanted to use their own data centers. Now, however, clients prefer to have MediQuant host their applications and data.

This shift is due in part to the current cybersecurity landscape. "By combining legacy systems, organizations reduce their IT footprint and that reduces the security risk," Dr. Pults said. "The key is finding the right vendor to ensure that the data is secure."

Vendor-hosted applications and data can also have a positive impact on the bottom line. As Dr. Pults observed, "In today's environment, all healthcare organizations are looking for ways to reduce their costs. When we host our clients' applications, they minimize their IT footprint and eliminate support costs for systems that they don't need any longer."

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