Hospitals and Healthcare Providers Simplify IT Landscape With DataArk

"Active archive" takes migrated data from old HIS to allow decommissioning of the old application; retention of complete access to, and management of, stored records and live accounts; diverse functionality of centralized data repository supports complete A/R functions—post payments, drop bills, add notes, and more

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MediQuant

Mar 01, 2011, 10:00 ET

RICHFIELD, Ohio, March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to operate a legacy health information system (HIS) following a system conversion is a costly proposition for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Typically, critical functionality and end-user access to records must be maintained, but the associated expense and effort to support the legacy system often creates financial burden and administrative headaches. Maintaining many old applications, meanwhile, can give rise to a virtual legacy system junkyard. DataArk, a pioneering "active archive" designed by data lifecycle solutions provider MediQuant Inc., can simplify this cluttered landscape, clearing the way for significant savings up to 80% of the support costs of the legacy system—now retired.

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Through DataArk, hospitals and healthcare providers actively access, manage and amend legacy data in real-time, even billing accounts directly from DataArk to sustain vital cash flow. The centralized data repository is configurable to enterprise-wide data sets, including patient accounting, EMR (electronic medical record), EHR (electronic health record), HR, payroll, clinical, physician and hospital records as well as document images, custom data and more. Data is migrated, not converted, into DataArk as is common with traditional archiving and warehousing solutions — this reduces the risk of lost or confused data and helps keep system changeovers on schedule.

For central business offices, DataArk acts as an access point where accounts from many different legacy applications can be consolidated. As a "single home" for disparate data sets, DataArk is an ideal solution for hospitals and healthcare organizations seeking to greatly simplify their IT landscape before thousands, even millions of dollars, are invested in unnecessary legacy system upkeep over months or years.

Today, many hospitals and healthcare organizations are making the change to new HIS, EMR, EHR or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems including:

MediQuant's pioneering, patent-pending active archive has already been successfully employed to manage legacy healthcare data from many older applications including:

DataArk has enabled many MediQuant clients to transition more smoothly to new Siemens, McKesson, Eclipsys, Epic and other HIS, EHR and ERP systems in a more timely, cost-efficient manner. Clients can even choose to host the DataArk active archive on their server or in the MediQuant data center.

The diverse functionality of MediQuant's centralized data repository supports complete A/R functions — post payments, drop bills, add notes, and more. After converting to an Epic financials system, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center decommissioned its legacy system, archived its A/R inventory and continued to bill accounts using DataArk. West Penn Allegheny Health System consolidated legacy A/R databases from two hospitals into a single DataArk active archive, making the healthcare provider's new Siemens system transition much simpler. MedCentral Health System decommissioned its legacy HIS in favor of a new Siemens Soarian Financials system, yet enjoyed access to archive data exactly as it was stored, thanks to DataArk.

Each healthcare organization reduced legacy system support costs up to 80% while retaining access to, and management of, old A/R, HR, EMR, EHR, physician and hospital records, among other vital data sets. Each chose DataArk to simplify its IT landscape.

Visit www.mediquant.com to request the White Paper and learn more about why hospitals and healthcare organizations choose the DataArk active archive to transition to new health information systems and eliminate the headaches, hassles and undue expenses of littered legacy system junkyards.

About MediQuant

MediQuant develops advanced data lifecycle software solutions that reduce time, cut costs and increase revenue for a wide range of hospitals and healthcare organizations. Extensive healthcare software development, past revenue cycle management, clinical services and data management expertise enables MediQuant to craft unique solutions to common problems encountered by hospitals and healthcare organizations.