Questions to Ask Before Making the Leap to a New EHR System

Switching EHR systems can be one of the most disruptive (and expensive) decisions a healthcare organization can make. Whether your healthcare organization is outgrowing its current platform, going through a merger, or evaluating vendors after years on the same system, the questions you ask before signing a contract will shape everything that follows, from data migration timelines to staff adoption to long-term costs. Below, we walk through the key questions to ask about new EHR systems covering data migration, cloud hosting, security, and interoperability, so your organization can go into the transition informed and prepared.

How Will Existing Records Be Migrated to the New EHR, and What Should You Expect?

Data migration is one of the most complex and high-stakes parts of implementing a new EHR system. You need to know upfront: which data will be migrated (demographic, clinical, financial), what will be archived for legacy access, and what the timeline looks like from test migration to go-live.

MTS’ data conversion team handles the heavy lifting: we extract data from your old system, “cleanse” it, convert it to meet the new system’s requirements, and populate it. MTS supports full PM and EHR data conversions, partial conversions (selected data only), and multi-system conversions for organizations coming from several legacy platforms. They begin with a test migration and full validation — checking the application, interfaces, connectivity, and support modules — before scheduling a production migration over a weekend to minimize disruption.

For data that doesn’t need to move to the new system, MTS offers CareFinity EHR Archive, which provides compliant, long-term access to legacy patient and financial records without maintaining the old application. This can significantly reduce the scope and cost of a conversion.

Learn more about our EHR data conversion and archiving solutions.

 

Does a New EHR System Require New Hardware, or Is Cloud Hosting an Option?

This is a critical cost and infrastructure question. On-premise EHR deployments require hardware purchases, ongoing maintenance, and internal IT resources. Cloud hosting eliminates that burden and typically provides better uptime, security, and scalability.

MTS offers HITRUST Risk-based, two-year (r2) certified, HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting designed specifically for healthcare. We support private, public (AWS and Azure), and hybrid cloud configurations, with data centers located on both coasts and in the Midwest. MTS is a certified hosting partner for both Microsoft Azure and AWS, and provides full administrative rights to your EHR environment.

Learn more about our cloud services.

 

What Security Measures Protect Patient Data During and After an EHR Transition?

Security should be non-negotiable in any EHR evaluation. During the transition itself, patient data is at heightened risk — records are being extracted, transferred, and loaded into a new environment, often across multiple systems simultaneously. Ask your vendor and implementation partner about encryption protocols for data in transit and at rest, who has access to patient records during the migration window, and what audit trails exist to verify data integrity post-conversion.

Beyond the transition, evaluate the new system’s ongoing security posture. Key questions to ask your vendor about EHR transition security include:

• Is the hosting environment HIPAA compliant?
• Does the vendor hold third-party security certifications like HITRUST or SOC 2?
•  What does their incident response look like, do they operate a dedicated Security Operations Center (SOC), or is monitoring outsourced?
• How are software patches and security updates handled, and how quickly are critical vulnerabilities addressed?
• If you’re moving to the cloud, ask whether the provider offers multi-factor authentication, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and 24/7 network monitoring as standard.

MTS’s cloud hosting platform holds HITRUST Risk-based, two-year (r2) certification, and operates a 24/7 SOC and NOC with an in-house incident response team. MTS also holds HITRUST r2 Inheritance Provider Status, which can accelerate your own certification process.

Learn more about our security & compliance solutions.

 

Will the new EHR System Integrate With Other Health IT Systems Your Organization Uses?

EHR interoperability is essential for organizations that work with external labs, pharmacies, hospitals, or health information exchanges. Before committing to a new system, ask specifically about interface capabilities:

• Does it support HL7 and FHIR standards?
• Can it exchange data with your existing lab vendors, imaging systems, and e-prescribing networks without costly custom interface builds?
• If your organization runs multiple EHR platforms (seen after mergers or acquisitions), ask how patient data will be unified across those systems so providers aren’t toggling between applications to get a complete picture.

Also consider how the system connects with payers and registries. If your organization participates in value-based care contracts, you’ll need your EHR to share quality data with health plans and HIEs reliably. Ask whether interoperability features are included in the base price or if interface fees are charged separately per connection.

MTS developed CareBridge, an ONC-certified integration platform that connects your EHR with other health IT systems to create a unified view of the patient across disparate systems. CareBridge breaks down the barriers of proprietary technology, combining patient data from various systems into one interconnected network. This is especially valuable for organizations running multiple EHR platforms after acquisitions or mergers.

Learn more about Carebridge.

 

Is there an end in sight to EHR (electronic health record) system switching for healthcare facilities?

The pure cost associated with EHR transitions across the healthcare industry over the past 10 years easily rivals the GDP of many developed countries. The acute care early adopters of the 1990s have likely moved on to their third or fourth EHR system at this point. Throughout the last few years, many ambulatory organizations have switched EHR systems as their practices evolve in size, are acquired, or join part of an integrated health system. With these major moves comes internal disruption for a healthcare organization’s providers, partners, staff, and patients.

Why do healthcare organizations switch EHR systems?

Still, in addition to the above-mentioned market conditions, switching EHRs remains reasonably prevalent for a variety of reasons. For example, a recent KLAS Research study identified the biggest strengths and weaknesses of the top five ambulatory EHR vendor systems. Included within the weakness category were system downtime, stability, lack of training, and slow support responses. As such obstacles stack up, they may provoke consideration to switch systems. However, these weaknesses were largely mentioned within all five of the top ambulatory EHR systems, conveying that the grass is not always greener when moving to another. So what can ambulatory care organizations do to overcome EHR utilization barriers?

How do EHR migration & optimization vendors help?

Companies like Med Tech Solutions (MTS) exist to help providers and their healthcare facilities elicit the full value from their EHR systems. Focused on improving the provider experience, managed services offerings span hosting, IT outsourcing, cybersecurity, data archiving, disaster recovery, application stability (upgrades, patches), and service desk, as well as clinical workflow and revenue cycle optimization for provider facilities of all sizes. Through a combination of service level and uptime commitments, along with the predictability and accountability, many healthcare organizations find dependability in MTS offerings above what they may experience from their EHR vendors or current support firms.

By fully realizing the capabilities of their EHR system through partners like MTS, healthcare facility leaders also eliminate the time, cost, and frustration associated with needing to switch EHR systems. So, is there an end in sight to continued EHR switching across the market? Probably not, but it’s important to know that your organization has options before making that costly leap.

To learn more about generating the full value from your current EHR and IT systems through MTS Managed Services, click here.