The process of archiving healthcare data can be daunting. Aging, quirky applications to deal with. The threat of losing critical data. Unpredictable twists and turns for those who are unprepared.
This is precisely why LDA’s unparalleled experience benefits healthcare IT leaders and their teams.
With more than 350 unique applications retired in the past 20+ years, we’ve pretty much seen it all. Our deep knowledge of healthcare data archiving has led us to create a highly repeatable, proactive methodology that we employ during every system retirement.
Using this methodology as a guide, our operations team has compiled a set of key questions that project managers should ask during an archiving project and the likely source of the answers. We’ve also included the most common—but avoidable—project mistakes and delays.
Now, we’d like to share this wisdom with you. In the second of a three-part series, we look at early-to-mid phases of healthcare data archiving: data extraction and transfer, and conversion.
Phase 2: Data Extraction and Transfer
Key questions | Info source | Related mistake | Resulting delay due to… |
|---|---|---|---|
How will data be transferred (SFTP, encrypted hard drive)? | Extractor | Failure to secure an encrypted hard drive from the extractor | Obtaining an encrypted hard drive |
What is your data validation process at extract? | Extractor | Improper data inventory leads to gaps in required data for the archived system | Incomplete/unverified data set |
If a hard drive is used, will it be delivered to the data center and the key sent separately? | Extractor | Drive sent to wrong location and/or key not included | |
Who will complete the required data delivery form? | Extractor | Form not completed | |
If flat files are being used, are headers aligned with the data? | Extractor | Headers not sent or are incorrect | |
If a document repository is being used, has an index or crosswalk from document to patient been provided? | Extractor | Index is not provided or is out of synch | |
Is the data encrypted? | Extractor | Password not sent | |
If the archiver will extract, what is the process to provide access to servers and databases? | Security | Little/no understanding of the level of complexity of security protocols | Inability to access data |
Will data need to be converted from mainframe or XML? | Extractor | Archiver not aware of conversion need; additional work required | |
Do documents require a proprietary viewer? | SMEs | Archiver cannot convert documents to PDF or convert files with DiCom annotations | Document viewer unknown |
Do documents have accurate file signatures? | Extractor | Documents are delivered with no extensions | |
Are delimiters embedded in the context of data? Are there additional pipes or commas in the CSV? | Extractor | Embedded delimiters need to be solved for |
Phase 3: Conversion
Key questions | Info source | Related mistake | Resulting delay due to… |
|---|---|---|---|
If XML, is the style sheet available? | Extractor | Sheet not provided in a timely manner | |
If SQL, are the documents in varbinary or DiCom form? | Extractor | Inaccurate answers | |
If mainframe, can we obtain Copybooks or ExTrieve layouts? | Mainframe administrator | Project manager unfamiliar with terminology and/or systems | Extractor fails to send layouts and/or Copybooks are out of date |
If flat files, are there embedded delimiters? Are header-to-fields accurate? | Extractor | Inaccurate answers |