7 Must-Have Features for Health System Enterprise Data Archival

Health systems need a reliable way to preserve and retrieve records from legacy EHRs and other retired applications. An enterprise healthcare data archiving solution should help protect historical information, control access and support retrieval for care, audits and other approved needs.

Now, 15 years since the Meaningful Use program began to fuel the national push to electronic health records, more than 50% of EHR vendors have gone out of business or merged into larger vendors. As a result, the number of deprecated systems has increased astronomically, making now is a great time to consider a move to a vendor-neutral, cloud-based archival solution. 

Here are seven important features to look for when choosing a data archival solution for your healthcare organization:

1. Meeting Legal and Regulatory Standards

Healthcare organizations must manage records according to applicable federal and state requirements, organizational policies, contracts and legal holds. Requirements can vary by record type and jurisdiction, so a data archive should support the organization’s retention schedule rather than assume one timeline applies to every record.

Look for capabilities such as:

• Configurable retention rules by data type or record category
• Role-based access controls
• Audit logs that show access and activity
• Processes for legal holds and authorized disposition
• Documentation to support compliance reviews

Automated deletion should only occur according to approved retention policies and after applicable legal, regulatory and organizational requirements have been reviewed.

2. Easy Integration and Compatibility

Healthcare systems often use multiple tools and applications. A good data archival solution should work smoothly with existing systems, especially EHRs. It should also support standards like HL7 and FHIR, which allow for easy sharing of data between systems. This integration helps ensure that archived data remains accessible and useful across different platforms, leading to improved patient care.

3. Scalability and Performance

Healthcare data is growing at an incredible rate. A strong data archival solution needs to be able to handle increasing amounts of data without slowing down. A scalable platform means your system can grow along with your organization, maintaining fast performance even as data volumes increase. This ensures that your data management processes stay efficient, no matter how much data you’re dealing with.

4. Strong Security Measures

Protecting patient data is a top priority. A good archival system should have advanced security features to protect data from being accessed by unauthorized people. These features include encryption, strict access controls, and regular security checks to help keep patient data safe and prevent breaches that could damage trust or cause expensive legal issues.

5. Customizable Data Retention Policies

Different types of data need to be kept for different amounts of time. Proper data archival allows you to set customized rules for how long different kinds of data should be stored. The right technology can automatically move data to archives when it’s no longer needed for daily use and delete data when it’s no longer required. This helps healthcare organizations stay in compliance with laws and makes storage more efficient.

6. Easy Access and Retrieval

Although archived data isn’t often needed, it’s important that it can be quickly retrieved when necessary. A good data archival solution should have an easy-to-use interface that allows authorized users to search and access the archived data quickly. This ensures that important information is available when required for patient care or audits, without causing delays in the workflow.

7. Cost-Effectiveness

Data archival should save money in the long run by reducing the need for maintaining old EHR licenses, specialized staff for legacy applications, or even on-premises hardware to keep the data accessible. A cost-effective solution balances the initial implementation cost with savings over time. With cloud storage, healthcare organizations can also lower the costs associated with physical storage and hardware maintenance, all while keeping data secure and accessible.

Archive with Confidence

By focusing on data archival features like regulatory compliance, easy integration, scalability, security, customizable retention, easy access, and cost-effectiveness, organizations can improve their operations while ensuring that important data remains secure and accessible. A good archival strategy helps healthcare providers maintain compliance, streamline their processes, and improve patient care.

When picking a data archival solution, make sure it fits your organization’s long-term needs for security, performance, and cost savings. With the right technology, you can manage healthcare data with confidence, ensuring it stays secure, accessible, and cost-effective for years to come.