By Amanda Mais, FACHDM, VP of Data Integration, Harmony Healthcare IT
Over more than a decade supporting healthcare data conversions, I’ve noticed a clear trend: organizations that experience the smoothest Epic implementations share one important trait. They treat data conversion as a strategic priority from the very beginning — not an operational task to deal with later.
In other words, they start planning their conversion and engaging a conversion partner as soon as they decide to move to Epic.
Setting Your Epic Conversion Up for Success
Every Epic conversion is unique. Projects vary significantly based on the legacy EHR(s) as well as the volume of data that needs to be converted, the types of data involved, the number of integrated systems, and the organization’s specific goals for transitioning to Epic. Document handling can be complex in many source applications, as content can be encrypted or proprietary at rest, and/or require conversion to another format to be ingested into the go-forward system.
Engaging a conversion partner early helps ensure these variables are understood and accounted for when developing scope and timeline. This minimizes the risk of unexpected surprises or downstream headaches.
Two Workstreams that Require an Early Start
Time-sensitive tasks are a component of every EHR migration, and failing to identify them early often results in timeline delays. Vendor data release requests from systems such as Oracle (Cerner), MEDITECH, and Allscripts are among the most time‑sensitive activities during an Epic conversion. Some of these requests may take months to process due to encrypted or proprietary information.
Organizations that don’t initiate these data release requests with sufficient lead time frequently need to push back their project timeline, or trim downstream rounds of testing to make up time, which can introduce quality risks. Because processes and timelines vary widely across vendors, an experienced conversion partner can guide release request timing and the best export approach.
Another area to focus on early in your project is your archiving strategy — specifically, determining what data will be converted to Epic versus migrated to an archive. When conversion and archiving efforts run in parallel, organizations gain notable efficiency benefits. Aligning data analysis, extraction, decision‑making, and planning helps streamline workflows and reduce duplication.
What It Takes to Get an Epic Conversion Right
Late partner engagement, delayed vendor release requests, and postponed archiving decisions often compound each other, creating timeline pressures that stretch all the way to go-live. The good newsies that these issues are almost entirely avoidable with the right sequencing and early prioritization. Organizations that invest in early planning consistently see more streamlined, predictable projects. The difference often comes down to when that planning begins.
If your organization is preparing for an Epic implementation and would like to discuss your approach or timeline — as well as the unique project considerations based on your specific legacy EHR, contact us today.
Amanda Mais, FACHDM, is Vice President of Data Integration at Harmony Healthcare IT overseeing technical data operations including several Data Integration, Data Conversion, Data Procurement and Delivery and Data Automation teams.
A Critical Timeline Consideration
When evaluating Epic conversion partners, it’s essential to understand what various approaches and timelines actually cover. Accelerated or limited‑scope timelines may focus only on certain data types, handling others — such as unstructured documents, scans, or images — through separate workstreams. An experienced partner will work with you to determine what’s most important to your organization and which approach best supports your needs.
FAQ
When should I start Epic conversion planning?
Organizations that begin assessing their data landscape and forming their conversion team at or before signing a contract with Epic tend to experience a more streamlined project overall. Critical activities, such as selecting a conversion partner, managing legacy vendor data release requests, and creating an archiving strategy, all benefit from significant lead time.
How do we determine how many years of data to migrate during an Epic conversion?
There is no universal answer. Many organizations land somewhere between three and seven years of active clinical data migrated into Epic, with older records moving to an archive. The answer depends on your patient population, specialty mix, regulatory requirements, and what decisions are made by the clinical workgroups — all of which should inform the conversation early.
When should we engage an Epic conversion partner?
As early as possible — ideally before or shortly after Epic contract signing. Partner engagement at this stage allows the conversion workstream to be sequenced alongside implementation planning with your Epic team. Organizations that delay in conversion partner selection often face timeline pressures that could have been avoided.
Can our internal team manage an Epic conversion without an outside conversion partner?
Internal teams can contribute meaningfully to conversion, and their involvement is important, but the technical complexity associated with Epic conversions typically requires specialized expertise that is difficult to build internally on a project timeline.
