EHR Data Conversion Best Practices for New System Go-Live Preparation

As patients and providers alike push for better access to data for informed care management and decision-making, healthcare organizations are making significant investments in their EHR systems for cohesive care coordination in the transition to value-based care.

If you are like many leading health IT professionals today, your organization has made a multi-million-dollar purchase of a new EHR system. Now what? How can you smooth the new system adoption process? In part I of this two-part blog series, consider the following three takeaways for EHR system data abstraction and conversion:

1. Data conversion preparation

After month, and possibly years, of planning for your new EHR system, one of the biggest issues for IT end users has been the first ambulatory visits with patients. Why? As with anything new, the system is a major change for your providers and staff. It will take time for them to learn the new system functionality and develop muscle memory to navigate through seamlessly.

One of the most important things you can do to improve the EHR go-live process is to make sure key patient data is entered prior to both the go live and the first patient visit. Minimum key data points on each patient should include schedule visits, allergies, active medications, active problem list, immunizations and preferred pharmacy.

2. Legacy system data cleanup

Starting 12 months before your EHR go live, begin cleaning up the key data in your legacy system. Why so early? Many patients only visit their doctors once a year. By beginning the cleanup processes one year prior, your organization will have plenty of time to ensure the most accurate information is transferred into your new system. This is especially pertinent for the problem lists and medications. Doing so greatly speeds up data load into the new system, ensuring that with each subsequent visit, providers can address active patient problems.

3. Data pre-loading best practice

How soon do I begin entering this data into the new system? The best practice is to (at a minimum) pre-load your first 2-3 weeks of scheduled patients into the new EHR prior to go live. Typically, working with a data migration and conversion vendor like MTS can help ease data transition and grant peace of mind for data accuracy and process efficiency. This allows your staff to have the patient data ready during the first few weeks of actual new system use. It also reduces stress on your staff, allowing them time to learn and adapt to the new system.

Ready to learn more about the new EHR system data conversion process? Check back for Part II, covering EHR data conversion staffing solutions, CCD load, data archiving, and auditing.

 

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