The process of moving your clinical data from an existing system to your new Meddbase system is called data migration; perhaps no part of changing software feels as daunting as the data migration process may appear at first glance.
Yet with some careful pre-planning and data analysis our motivated team of experts can work in partnership with you to deliver a seamless, stress-free data conversion strategy, as we have been doing with clients for the past 16 years.
After reading this data migration document you should have a better idea of:
1. Your Data, Your way
First things first, we understand that data, especially in a healthcare context, isn’t just about numbers, it’s about people. We have worked with hundreds of clients and imported millions of patient records in the past but we won’t make assumptions about your business, workflows or data sets.
‘We’ve moved clients to Meddbase from most of the systems you’ve heard of, and many that you haven’t: DGL, Lumeon, PPS, PPM, Midex Pro, e-clinic, Genie, Healthy Practice, PHF, TM2 and TM3, HeyDoc, Meditech and Crosscare plus countless bespoke and legacy software.’
We know that when working with vital healthcare information step one is to assess and learn about your emr data and your requirements. Even though we have converted practices from just about every system out there, you know your data better than anybody so we start by consulting with you.
"In June 2020 Meddbase imported over 360,000 patient demographics for a single client in 24 hours"
2. A Clean Data Slate
Next we will identify who on your team will be working with us most closely – this is usually the person who will be your super user but ultimately, we will select the right staff members together. We will then go through your data migration needs with them in fine detail.
This is actually the perfect time to clean up your entire data set, by removing duplicates, merging records, streamlining your configuration and making your data better overall. One of the real positives of doing a data migration is this rare opportunity to design your data to your specifications and start with a clean data slate.
3. Create Your Test Environment
Once we both have a clear understanding of what data needs to be brought over, our team will do a test import using the pre-built tools which we have developed. The test environment we use is a clone of the live environment including any configuration; this is necesary so we can perform a meaningful simulation and assess how the data aligns with your desired workflows.
What this means in real terms is that we take your data and import it to a custom-built siloed environment which exists separately from your new system, protected from configuration changes and general system testing.
This bespoke environment is custom built for each and every client and allows us to examine the sample data in a safer way. We will ask you to check over the data and complete testing of it in this environment to ensure you’re happy before we progress onto the live import.
4. Full Data Migration Day
Once we get approval on the data in the test migration, then and only then will we go ahead with a full data migration – and your Project Manager (PM) will work with you on suitable timescales along the way.
On an agreed date prior to your move to Meddbase, we will do a final conversion so that you can begin working in Meddbase safe in the knowledge that your data is complete, up to date, and clean.
5. Let’s Talk Timescales
A basic patient demographic import can be done in a matter of hours, while a full-scale set of data including medical and appointment histories, invoicing, pathology and prescribing may be handled over a longer transition period to ensure absolute integrity of the data.
Even our in-depth data conversion processes have an average project duration of 10-12 weeks in total – from initial meeting to final delivery, including the test import phase.
There are a number of factors that determine the timings, such as availability of staff at either end of the process, coordinating training with your personnel and how much cleanup we need to do on the data itself.
But from beginning to end, our goal is to move you through the conversion process as safely, thoroughly and smoothly as possible, remove the fear factor, and demystify the process of data migration along the way.
