3 Overlooked Legacy System or Application Areas of Risk

By Shana Tachikawa

As a hospital or health system's technology evolves in the transition to value-based care, legacy EHR systems or applications are often overlooked, leaving organizations vulnerable to security, workflow and interoperability challenges. Today, let's address how to handle three areas of risk.

1. Network infrastructure initiatives
   
   For any major network infrastructure changes, like a core switch replacement, the legacy or healthcare managed IT services team should work hand-in-hand with the infrastructure team to strategically plan out project scope and proactive mitigation steps for potential outages. Ensure that departments dependent on your legacy systems have appropriate downtime procedures, as operations identifies a nursing unit and clinical department priority list for bringing the systems online. The legacy team should coordinate with clinical operations to help the communication department develop a communications plan to deploy at scheduled intervals notifying operational users of an outage event. During an outage window, legacy analysts should complete system validation tasks prior to end-user release, ensuring that all applications are fully functional within each clinical area as they come online.
   
   
2. System or application upgrades
   
   Coordinating with IS and system vendors, mitigate risk during system upgrades by identifying impacted systems or applications along with the date, time and duration of upgrade activities. Determine areas and workflow affected and their level of impact. During an upgrade event, legacy analysts must monitor their upgrade plan to ensure tasks are completed as scheduled, while communicating any deviations. Working with clinical users, they can identify if any workarounds are necessary to support operational workflow during upgrade activities.
   
   
3. Data identification, usage, validation and extraction
   
   To ease data conversion, a legacy systems analyst should work with the conversion team and new vendor analysts to identify data requirements, file transfer locations, naming convention and resources needed to support the project. The legacy team can then utilize a data sampling for validation, while confirming the requested file delivery schedule. Working closely with the conversion team, legacy analysts can thoroughly review sample data that is converted against the source legacy system for accuracy. The conversion and legacy teams should meet regularly, maintaining thorough communication. This will eliminate task redundancy, data accuracy and smooth transition as the organization prepares for the new system.

Network infrastructure, system upgrades and data identification and extraction are three risk areas often forgotten amidst the many moving pieces of a new system transition. By following these tips with strong communication, detailed documentation and proactive strategy, legacy system and/or managed IT service teams in healthcare can ease impact on end-users without thwarting daily patient care.