Modernizing Legacy Systems in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Guide" offers practical insights into upgrading outdated healthcare technology. Exploring strategies, challenges, and benefits, this guide empowers healthcare professionals with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of system modernization. From enhancing efficiency to improving patient care, it provides a roadmap for embracing innovation in healthcare IT infrastructure.

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Modernizing Legacy Systems in Healthcare: A
Comprehensive Guide
successive.tech/blog/modernizing-legacy-systems-in-healthcare-a-comprehensive-guide/
Modernizing legacy systems in healthcare is necessary to take advantage of technological
advancements and meet the changing needs of both patients and healthcare providers.
Modernization makes it possible to incorporate innovative solutions like machine learning
(ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), which improve patient outcomes, treatments, and
diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, automating tasks, streamlining procedures, and enabling
seamless data sharing among healthcare professionals, increases operational efficiency.
Modernization also guarantees adherence to legal specifications, protecting patient
information, and improving security protocols.
According to Statista, The modernization of legacy systems in healthcare is expected to be
driven mostly by enhancing security and efficiency, according to more than half of the
surveyed businesses in 2023. Nearly half of the respondents also noted cost reduction,
improved integration with contemporary technologies, and more agility and flexibility.
This blog will cover the following topics: the importance of modernizing healthcare legacy
systems; types of legacy healthcare systems; best practices for upgrading legacy medical
systems; examples of healthcare legacy system modernization; and a set of challenges

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faced while using legacy systems. Let’s explore further.
Types of Legacy Healthcare IT Systems
Legacy healthcare systems encompass a variety of healthcare software programs that were
formerly utilized to assist various tasks within the healthcare industry. Below are the most
known legacy healthcare IT systems:
1. Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems
Early versions of EHR systems focused on keeping simple patient records. These systems
eventually lack modern functionality, interoperability, and intuitive user interfaces. To embed
advanced technologies it’s imperative to modernize legacy systems in healthcare.
2. Hospital Information Systems (HIS)
Legacy HIS includes systems for managing various administrative, financial, and clinical
aspects of hospital operations. Outdated HIS systems struggle with interoperability, real-time
data access, and reporting capabilities.
3. Laboratory Information Systems (LIS)
These systems manage laboratory data, such as workflow and test results. Legacy LIS faces
data standards concerns and a lack of integration capabilities with new diagnostic
technology.

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4. Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS)
Legacy PACS primarily stores and retrieves medical images. Legacy systems have
compatibility issues with advanced imaging technology and have low integration capabilities.
5. Radiology Information Systems (RIS)
RIS oversees radiological imaging workflows, scheduling, and invoicing. Older RIS lack
features such as automatic appointment scheduling and have integration concerns with
newer RIS.
6. Telemedicine Systems
Outdated telemedicine systems are among the legacy systems in the healthcare
communications infrastructure. These healthcare systems must be improved to ensure
secure communication and successful telehealth services.
7. Claims Processing Systems
These systems coordinate billing and reimbursement between payers and healthcare
providers. The complexities of modern billing regulations and regulatory changes present a
significant challenge to outdated claims processing systems.
8. Patient Engagement Systems
Modern solutions frequently have more user-friendly interfaces and functionalities than early
patient engagement systems. To encourage patients to actively participate in their
healthcare, these systems need to be updated.
As the healthcare industry changes, these outdated legacy systems in healthcare must be
updated to meet the needs of data security, interoperability, and technological
advancements. Now let’s understand the challenges of legacy medical systems.
Legacy Systems in Healthcare Challenges
Legacy systems have been utilized in all the industries. Every legacy system has its own set
of challenges. We are here to understand the challenges of legacy systems in healthcare:
1. Interoperability
The capacity of various software programs and healthcare systems to effortlessly share,
interpret, and use data is known as interoperability. Integrating legacy systems with more
modern technology and exchanging data across healthcare networks is challenging since
these systems lack defined data formats and communication protocols. Inefficient medical

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delivery, duplicate data entry, and fragmented patient information result from this lack of
interoperability. Interoperability issues also impede continuity and coordination of treatment,
which affects patient outcomes and safety.
2. Outdated User Interface
The user interfaces of legacy healthcare systems are often antiquated, complicated, and
challenging to use. It’s possible that these interfaces don’t meet the changing requirements
of healthcare professionals or comply with contemporary usability standards. With such
issues, users can become frustrated, less productive, and resistant to embracing new
technology. Outdated user interfaces are a potential factor in mistakes, data entry delays,
and decreased patient safety. Healthcare companies must prioritize user-centered design
concepts and make modern interface investments to improve usability and user pleasure to
overcome this obstacle.
3. Security Concerns
Healthcare organizations place a high priority on security since patient data is sensitive and
cybersecurity attacks are becoming prevalent. In addition to frequently having weak security
protections, legacy systems can be vulnerable to ransomware attacks, data breaches, and
other security threats. These vulnerabilities could be caused by out-of-date software, weak
encryption techniques, or insufficient access restrictions. The risk of security breaches is
further increased by the possibility that patches or security updates are not regularly applied
to legacy systems. Healthcare companies need to put strong cybersecurity measures in
place, like encryption, multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection systems, and frequent
security audits, to reduce security risks.
4. Patient Engagement
To promote proactive healthcare management, patient satisfaction, and improved health
outcomes, patient participation is essential. However, legacy systems do not have the patient
engagement tools and capabilities necessary to enable patients to take an active role in their
care. Patients find it more difficult to make educated decisions about their health. These
systems only provide restricted access to medical records, communication channels, or
instructional materials. Moreover, newer technologies make it easier to access healthcare
services and information—like patient portals and mobile apps. Healthcare companies need
to invest in upgrading their systems and promoting patient-centered treatment to improve
patient engagement through interactive health management platforms, self-service tools, and
tailored communication.
5. Data Silos

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Data silos develop when information is kept in different systems or divisions of a company,
making it difficult to access, exchange, and analyze data across the enterprise. Legacy
systems lead to data silos because of their fragmented architecture and lack of interaction
with other systems. As a result, healthcare providers may struggle to gain a clear picture of
patient data, resulting in incomplete or incorrect assessments of patient health status and
treatment outcomes. Data silos also inhibit healthcare workers’ collaboration and efforts to
use data analytics for clinical decision support, population health management, and quality
improvement activities. To solve data silos, healthcare companies must deploy data
integration solutions, such as interoperable electronic health record (EHR) systems, data
warehouses, or health information exchanges, that aggregate and standardize data from
several sources. Furthermore, organizations should have data governance rules and
procedures to ensure data quality, security, and compliance throughout the organization.
These are a set of challenges that are frequently faced in legacy systems in healthcare. Let’s
understand how you can modernize your legacy medical systems.
How to Modernize Legacy Medical Systems?
Modernizing legacy data systems in the healthcare industry entails taking calculated steps to
improve and upgrade out-of-date healthcare systems while making sure they comply with
emerging technologies and industry standards. The following are some of the most important
actions in updating legacy healthcare systems:
1. Evaluation and Record-Keeping
Conduct a thorough analysis of the existing legacy systems, taking note of their
dependability, functionality, and data formats. Record the precise integration specifications
and objectives, keeping security and scalability in mind.
2. Specify Integration Goals
Clearly define your integration goals, such as improved data flow, increased functionality, or
compliance with new technology. Align these with the goals of your healthcare company to
ensure that the integration strategy benefits the broader business.
3. Choose an Integration Method
Choose an integration strategy based on the evaluated requirements and present
infrastructure, such as data migration, APIs, middleware, or a combination of these
alternatives. Consider the chosen method’s long-term viability and scalability to ensure that it
meets the organization’s changing needs.
4. Integration of Middleware

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When using middleware, make sure it can ease communication between modern
applications and legacy systems. Configure middleware to provide a smooth data transfer
and system interoperability.
5. API Integration
When using APIs, design or select ones that operate with both modern and legacy
applications. To protect data during integration, make sure the appropriate authorization and
authentication mechanisms are in place.
6. Data Migration
Plan and execute data transfer from existing legacy systems in healthcare infrastructure to
the new environment. Check the data’s consistency and accuracy after migration.
7. Testing
Thoroughly test the interconnected systems to ensure that they function as intended.
Conduct user acceptance, integration, and unit testing to identify and correct faults and
malfunctions.
8. Implementation
To minimize disruptions to ordinary operations, choose a phased and progressive approach
to integration. Monitor the integration process and address any issues that arise.
9. Monitoring and Optimization
Use monitoring tools to track user feedback and system performance. Continue to improve
the linked systems to meet evolving business needs and user experiences.
By following these steps you can effectively plan your modernization strategy and embed
advanced technologies within your existing ecosystem. But when you need expert support,
we are here to help.
How Can Successive Digital Help You Modernize Your Healthcare
Legacy Systems?
Healthcare applications have the potential to transform patient care, but their success will be
determined by how successfully they interact with the legacy systems that underpin most of
the healthcare sector. Despite the hurdles, modernizing outdated healthcare IT systems
provides numerous benefits. As a result, the future of healthcare requires the cohabitation of
legacy systems and technologies with the potential to improve patient outcomes and overall
system efficacy. Here’s a story of how we helped one of our client in modernizing their legacy
system in healthcare.

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Successive collaborated with a MedTech healthcare provider, to address key challenges in
redefining the at-home screening experience through their App. The application initially faced
issues with non-standard coding practices, inadequate adherence to medical regulations for
patient data security, and inefficiencies in supporting new client onboarding and cross-
functional team usage. Successive swiftly modernized legacy application by migrating it to
AWS cloud infrastructure, enabling seamless day-to-day operations and remote at-home
medical screening, especially vital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their solutions included
transforming the single-instance application into a multi-tier architecture, implementing robust
security and compliance measures to support global expansion, and setting up scalable and
fault-tolerant cloud infrastructure. Additionally, Successive integrated the ADP marketplace
as a new service, enhancing HEDIS quality. This case study exemplifies Successive’s
expertise in delivering tailored healthcare solutions, emphasizing their proficiency in
addressing complex challenges and driving innovation in the healthcare industry.
Successive Digital’s legacy healthcare solutions are focused on supporting the seamless
integration of advanced technologies with legacy systems, which continue to be the
foundation of the healthcare industry.
Conclusion
When it comes to growing or gaining a competitive edge, an organization’s system or
software can make all the difference in the modern digital age. This indicates that it is
imperative to consider the software’s ability to adapt to changing business requirements.
This is where a carefully considered modernization approach for legacy systems is
beneficial.
IDC predicts that by 2024, the majority of legacy programs will probably be modernized.
Furthermore, 65 percent of these applications will probably make use of cloud services to
update outdated code or enhance overall functionality. Updating legacy systems will certainly
be a popular trend in 2024. Are you also struggling with outdated systems, we are here to
help! We can transform your legacy systems and turn your imagination into reality. Contact
us Today!