A panel discussion with health IT leaders
Every organization wants to get the full value from its legacy data archiving initiatives, but many fall short of realizing returns across cost, security, compliance, and efficiency, particularly as those needs evolve over time
During a recent panel discussion, health IT leaders who have successfully led large-scale archiving initiatives, including for legacy EHRs, ERPs, and other systems, shared what it takes to capture that value. Their insights focused on how to align timelines, define data scope, and improve clinical, HIM, and revenue cycle workflows in ways that not only deliver early ROI, but hold up months and years after go-live.
What archiving ROI should you target?
Realize ROI within months, with 2–3X returns over time that hold up as data remains accessible, auditable, and defensible.
Insight #1: Align Timelines Early
One of the most common ways organizations miss ROI is through misaligned timelines and dependencies. As panelist Scott Smiser, FACHE, FACHDM, Chief Strategy and Digital Officer of Visum Healthcare Solutions noted, “Managing the conversion of data into a new system, as well as the archiving and decommissioning of a legacy system, is a high-wire dance. You’ve got to coordinate the termination of that legacy contract and be off that platform in time.”
Without that coordination, ROI can disappear quickly, said Smiser, a former CIO who helped support one of the largest Epic conversion and archiving projects in the country. Organizations often end up paying for an additional year or more of maintenance simply because the archiving process started too late.
Key takeaways:
- Identify legacy system contract end dates early to avoid unnecessary extensions.
- Find a partner that specializes in both migration and archiving.
- Align archiving timelines to ensure you can meet contract end dates.
Insight #2: Define governance before you start
Having a strong data governance team in place before the project begins improves both efficiency and ROI, said Smiser. “It really boils down to good governance on data.”
Without clear internal guidance, organizations often retain more data than necessary, increasing both cost and complexity, said Smiser. “If you ask stakeholders what data they want to migrate, they will say, ‘All of the data.’ That is not always the answer.”
More importantly, unclear governance can create downstream risk, making it harder to support audits, legal requests, or data validation months or years after go-live.
Key takeaways:
- Define data retention policies before the project begins.
- Align governance decisions with regulatory requirements and operational needs.
- Clearly document what will be migrated, archived, and retired.
Insight #3: Plan for revenue cycle from day one
Billing activity does not stop when systems change. When transitioning EHRs, billing activity continues for months after go-live, tied to services that still live in the legacy system. Without a plan, organizations are left managing that activity across disconnected systems, said panelist David Winn, CHCIO, FACHDM, President of David Winn Advisory Services. Teams end up cross-referencing between systems, which reduces efficiency and wastes resources.
When revenue cycle continuity is built into the archiving strategy, billing data, payment details, and patient financial information are accessible in one place, said Winn, who oversaw dozens of successful archiving projects as leader of the Epic Connect Program at Parkview Health. This makes it easier to fully decommission legacy systems on schedule, which leads to a faster ROI.
Key takeaways:
- Plan for how revenue cycle teams will access billing and payment data after go-live.
- Avoid creating manual cross-system workflows that slow down staff.
- Ensure your archiving solution has a dynamic A/R Wind Down component.
Insight #4: Focus on day-to-day usability
This is where many organizations leave value behind. As panelist Brian Liddell, CEO of Harmony Healthcare IT, explained, most organizations focus primarily on hard ROI savings such as maintenance, infrastructure, and application reduction. While important, it’s only part of the picture. “We’ve had organizations save up to $5 million annually in maintenance costs alone through legacy data archiving, but it’s important not to overlook the operational efficiencies that are gained, or could be gained, from these projects.”
A more complete view of ROI includes how easily teams can access and use data through capabilities like Single Sign-On, Legacy Record Indicator, and Keyword Search. These gains may not always show up directly in a financial model, but they add up quickly across the organization. Over time, consistent access to complete, reliable data also reduces the need for rework, audit preparation, and manual validation.
Key takeaways:
- Account for time and efficiency gains across clinical and administrative teams.
- Prioritize solutions with efficiency-enhancing tools, such as Keyword Search.
- Prioritize solutions with integration capabilities, such as SSO with Smart on FHIR and Legacy Record Indicator, which provides clinicians with a visual cue in the EHR if a legacy record exists in the archive.
Insight #5: Consolidate wherever possible
Panelists consistently pointed to consolidation as a key driver of long-term ROI. Consolidation lowers cost, simplifies governance, and strengthens security. It also creates a cleaner foundation for analytics, reporting, and future initiatives.
Smiser emphasized that organizations should seek out an archiving partner that can execute consistently across various legacy systems, timelines, and future needs. “Find a partner, not a vendor,” he said. “A vendor is transactional. A partner is strategically aligned with your broader goals and needs.”
Key takeaways:
- Identify and prioritize all systems that can be fully decommissioned
- Prioritize partners with experience across multiple system types
- Evaluate partners for long-term fit, not just for immediate needs
Final takeaway
Most health systems understand that data archiving reduces cost, but fewer capture the broader value across security, compliance, and operations over time.
As the panelists emphasized, the difference comes down to execution. Organizations that plan early, define governance clearly, and account for both clinical and financial workflows are not only better positioned to see early returns, but to sustain those gains long after go-live. That includes ensuring data remains accessible, accurate, and defensible as audit, compliance, and operational needs evolve.
Contact us to learn how Harmony Healthcare IT can maximize the ROI of your archiving initiatives.
