Best Practices for Secure Data Migration in Health Management

Introduction

Can you tell me what is the most valuable thing in today’s times? Is it money, No! Is it jewelry? No! It’s pure data and information. And with security breaches happening now and then it is extremely important to protect data, especially in certain industry verticals such as healthcare and finance. Do you even know how much data is produced in a day among these industries? Well, it’s certainly beyond our imagination. Massive amounts of data are stored, processed and analyzed so that healthcare professionals can come up with more well-informed decisions, especially regarding the betterment of their valued patients. 

Every day across the globe, healthcare organizations are making the most of such data to enhance their decision-making approaches. Now the only concern is to conduct an appropriate analysis, it is extremely important to ensure the data is used appropriately.  After all, a single erroneous piece of data in a provider’s EHR system can lead to improper treatment and can negatively affect patient outcomes.

So to deal with such highly sensitive information, strict measures must be taken, which is why the industry establishes proper healthcare data quality management. Now you must be wondering where exactly the valuable patient’s data comes from.

Well, it comes from a wide range of reliable sources. Earlier, the common source through which patient data was collected now and then was based on pure observation, intuition, theories, and even patient questionnaires. However, after the sudden inception of modern technology, and digital applications, it became more feasible to collect robust and accurate data. Some of the common systems now used to collect accurate data include:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Electronic health records (EHR) systems  
• Custom-built software and applications  
• Patient-targeted online or in-person surveys  

Significance of Collecting Accurate data in the healthcare industry

1. Enhanced Overall Experience
2. Reduce Operational Costs
3. Improved Decision-making process
4. Enhance patient and healthcare professional relation 
5. Gain a Competitive advantage

Now other than data collection, there is another important concept known as data migration in the healthcare realm. As mentioned earlier, the healthcare industry is one such landscape where tons and tons of data is not just gathered or analyzed but also migrated at times. Now imagine doing so, quite daunting and tiresome. Well, with the help of the following post, it won’t be daunting anymore. So whether you have just begun the procedure or are in the middle of the process, read the following post and find the best way out. 

First, let us understand the concept of healthcare data migration. As the name strongly implies, healthcare data migration is a process of transferring tons and tons of healthcare data from one system to another. Now migration is possible to conduct anywhere, from a previous hospital or an older electronic health record (EHR) system to a new one. 

You will come across a plethora of reasons when it comes to migration such as consolidating clinics or hospitals or the need to comply instantly with the new rules and regulations, enhance clinical procedures and patient care, and whatnot! Whichever the reason is, the important thing is to conduct secured data migration and make proper execution. What happens when you do so?

• Data migration can lead to saving ample time and money 
• All the clinical functions are well taken care of and not at all interrupted especially while conducting the process. 
• With proper data migration, all potential risks can be mitigated and the scope for potential risks automatically lessens. 

Best practices for migrating healthcare data

1. Creating a detailed plan for the moving data 

The first and foremost step to consider especially when conducting data migration in the healthcare realm is developing a sure-shot detailed plan to move data precisely. Now in case if you have already availed of proper data management services then it is fine, but initially, you need to successfully figure out where the healthcare data is located now, and where it is supposed to be going. Also, it is advisable to decide whether you are willing to move all the data at once or do you want to conduct this over time. You can even consider this a pure mix with some parts of data staying where it is and migrating others entirely to the new system or cloud.  

2. Examine the data that is being moved 

The next step to consider is to watch out where the data is being moved. Yes, this means you need to know where all the data is stored and this features everything from databases, files, and applications with healthcare information. If needed you might even have to turn paper records into electronic ones so that data can be seamlessly accessed by healthcare professionals for conducting proper diagnosis and offering accurate treatment measures. Now it is extremely important to figure out what data is moving and where it is by doing so you get to know in case all the changes made are appropriate according to the new system or not. 

3. Strictly follow the rules and regulations

Now every industry has its own set of rules and regulations and the healthcare industry is not an exception. Certain rules must be adhered to, especially when it’s about availing data management services in the healthcare industry. Now while moving the healthcare data, make sure you follow all the predetermined rules such as HIPAA and other local requirements. Also, it is advisable to make use of data encryption and secured channels which can assist in keeping the patient’s information safe irrespective of its storage whether it is cloud or any other platform. Also, it is recommended to add some more layers of security against cybersecurity threats. Another important aspect to take into account is conducting a thorough risk assessment, which is where it is possible to find any weaknesses and potential risks that can be fixed right before moving the data.    

4. Checking for any kind of issues

Of course, it is quite better to double-check the data and look out for potential loopholes such as missing or incomplete information. Now fixing issues is extremely important before moving the data. Try correcting all possible errors, getting rid of all duplicate content, and ensuring the data is accurate and appropriate. Also, make sure you have cleaned up everything prior. Keeping data accurate and clean means there is no scope for details to be lost or changed due to any negligence. The quality of the data also must be given importance.   

5. Creating proper backups

Last but certainly not least, this is a must-do practice to follow when conducting data migration in health management and that is creating appropriate backups. Now this practice must be done without saying because not doing so can result in huge disasters.  

Final words

Above all, if you are conducting a data migration process for the first time or for the fifth time, it is always recommended to be extremely patient and provide yourself ample time to complete it. Unnecessary rushing or speedy movements can certainly lead to unwanted mistakes and mishaps.