Need versus cost: understanding EHR data migration options.

Over 50% of physician offices and group practices are replacing their electronic health record (EHR) systems. Dissatisfaction with first-generation systems, physician practice mergers, and hospital acquisitions are all driving the move from legacy EHRs to newer, more sophisticated software. With this painful decision comes the same challenge experienced with a medical practice's original EHR implementation--getting data into the new system. However, now practices have decades of data, terabytes of information, and multiple vendors to manage. Time and cost requirements to migrate data from one EHR to another must be weighed against the benefits of physician productivity and continuing patient care. Core areas for practices to consider include staff stress, financial risk, and physician productivity. This article helps practice directors navigate new data-migration decisions when replacing their EHR system. Key considerations and "must-haves" for effective data migration decisions are included. Conversion, vendor neutral archive, and document imaging options are reviewed along with practical best practices for identifying which data should be included in the go-forward EHR.