The Hidden Risks in Lab Data Migrations and How to Avoid Them

When you plan a new LIS or major upgrade, it is easy for the conversation to focus on features, vendor timelines, and go-live dates. The data migration can feel like a technical detail that IT and the vendor will “handle.” 

In reality, your data is what carries the history, insight, and accountability of your laboratory. If the migration is not handled with a lab-focused strategy, you can end up with: 

• Incomplete or incorrect patient histories 

• Gaps in audit trails and quality records 

• Manual workarounds that quietly erode efficiency 

• Risk to compliance and accreditation 

For Lab Directors, this is not just an IT project. It is a continuity of care and risk management challenge. 

At JTG Consulting Group, we focus exclusively on laboratories. In this article, we will unpack the hidden risks that make lab data migrations complex and share practical steps to avoid them, so you can move to a new LIS with accuracy, continuity, and confidence. 

Why lab data migrations are different from other IT projects 

Many enterprise IT teams treat data migrations as a simple “lift and shift.” For labs, that approach is dangerous. 

Laboratory data is: 

• Long lived 

Histories often span years or decades. Old results still matter for trending, reference, and medico-legal reasons.

• Highly contextual 

A numeric result is not meaningful without units, reference ranges, methodology, instrument, and interpretation. 

• Regulated and audited 

You must be able to demonstrate traceability, version history, and appropriate retention for specific record types. 

• Spread across multiple systems 

LIS, middleware, instruments, data repositories, spreadsheets, and local databases all add to the complexity. 

This combination means that a lab migration is never just about “moving data.” It is about preserving meaning, context, and defensibility. 

Hidden risk 1: Underestimating data quality issues 

Every lab has data quality challenges, and most are invisible until you try to migrate. 

Typical issues include: 

• Inconsistent codes and naming 

The same test might appear under multiple codes, abbreviations, or naming conventions over time. 

• Legacy reference ranges and units 

Historical ranges may differ from current ones. Units might have changed, or are missing in older records. 

• Free text overload 

Interpretive comments, pathology narratives, and workarounds stored as text fields are hard to standardize and map. 

• Duplicate or partial records 

Old workflows, interface failures, or manual corrections can leave behind duplicates or incomplete episodes. 

If you discover these problems late, you are forced into uncomfortable choices: compromise data, delay go-live, or accept ongoing manual cleanup in the new system. 

How to reduce this risk 

• Profile the data early, not during final cutover. 

• Identify high-risk domains such as microbiology, anatomic pathology, and esoteric send-out tests. 

• Define clear rules for harmonization, such as code consolidation, unit standardization, and reference range handling. 

A lab-focused partner can help you decide where precision is essential, where aggregation is acceptable, and where archiving is the safer path. 

Hidden risk 2: Mishandling historical records and retention 

Not all lab data is equal, and not all of it belongs in your new LIS. The challenge is to separate: 

• Data that must be migrated and searchable in the new LIS 

• Data that should be archived in a separate, accessible system 

• Data that can be safely retired, once regulatory and institutional requirements are met 

If this analysis is skipped or oversimplified, labs face several problems: 

• Overloading the new LIS with low value history that slows performance and complicates workflows 

• Losing long term trendability for key patient populations and chronic disease management 

• Creating retention gaps that are difficult to defend during audits, legal reviews, or accreditation surveys 

How to reduce this risk 

• Work with stakeholders from quality, compliance, and clinical leadership to define what “good enough” access looks like. 

• Create clear criteria for migrate vs archive vs retire, and apply them consistently across disciplines. 

• Implement an archive strategy that allows safe, audited access to historical data without cluttering the new LIS. 

JTG frequently helps labs design practical migration and archiving strategies, so you protect what matters while keeping the future system lean and efficient. 

Hidden risk 3: Losing clinical context in the mapping 

A migration that technically succeeds can still fail clinically if context is lost on the way. 

Common pitfalls: 

• Test mappings that break trending 

Combining or re-mapping tests without considering clinical equivalence can make it impossible to trend longitudinal results. 

• Comments and interpretations that do not carry over correctly 

Important interpretive statements can be truncated, misaligned, or disconnected from the episode. 

• Microbiology and anatomic pathology complexity 

Organism codes, susceptibility panels, SNOMED codes, and structured observations are often more complex than they appear in a spreadsheet export. 

• Instrument and methodology changes that are not documented 

Without clear metadata, your new system may misrepresent how, or on which platform, a result was produced. 

How to reduce this risk 

• Engage clinical and scientific leads in test mapping decisions, not just IT and vendors. 

• Validate that key workflows, such as trending of oncology markers or infectious disease markers, still behave as expected. 

• Pay special attention to complex domains like microbiology and pathology, where structure and coding are critical. 

Hidden risk 4: Inadequate validation and reconciliation 

Validation is often treated as a late milestone. In reality, it should be built into every phase of the migration. 

Risks of weak validation: 

• Data that appears correct at a high level, but hides subtle inaccuracies in units, flags, or reference ranges 

• Missed issues in edge cases, such as pediatric ranges, send-out tests, or rarely used panels 

• Lack of documented evidence that the migration is complete and accurate, which can become a serious problem in an audit or incident review 

How to reduce this risk 

• Perform multiple trial migrations and reconciliations before go-live. 

• Use sampling strategies that cover high-risk populations, critical tests, and edge cases, not only volume leaders. 

• Implement automated comparison reports between old and new systems, with clear thresholds for investigation. 

At JTG, we design validation and reconciliation plans that speak the language of both the lab and the regulator, so you can demonstrate that your data migration is safe, accurate, and defensible. 

Hidden risk 5: Workflow disruption during and after cutover 

Even if the data itself is correct, a poorly planned cutover can hurt service levels, staff morale, and stakeholder trust. 

Examples include: 

• Extended downtime or read-only periods that were not communicated or planned for 

• Staff forced into temporary manual processes without clear SOPs 

• Clinicians surprised by changes in result display, trending, or report format 

• Post go-live “data surprises” that erode confidence in the new system 

How to reduce this risk 

• Align cutover planning with real lab operations, not only vendor availability. 

• Define downtime workflows and communication plans early, and rehearse them. 

• Provide clear guidance to clinicians on what will change in result access and historical views. 

• Monitor key metrics after go-live, such as turnaround times, correction rates, and help desk tickets that relate to historical data. 

A better way: a data-first strategy with JTG 

LIS transitions are inevitable. Risk to your data quality and continuity is not. 

A data-first approach treats the migration as a strategic initiative, not a technical checkbox. At JTG Consulting Group, we support Lab Directors and their teams with: 

• End-to-end data migration planning 

From discovery and profiling, to mapping, archiving strategy, and validation design, all with a laboratory lens. 

• Lab-focused data expertise 

Our consultants have deep backgrounds in LIS, middleware, and instrument integration. We understand the realities of chemistry, hematology, microbiology, blood bank, and pathology data. 

• Vendor-neutral perspective 

We routinely support transitions between different LIS platforms and ecosystems. Our priority is your lab outcomes, not a particular software product. 

• Practical validation and reconciliation frameworks 

We design test scripts, sampling strategies, and comparison reports that give executives, quality teams, and regulators confidence in the migrated data. 

• Support through and beyond go-live 

From dry runs and cutover support to post go-live tuning, we help your team resolve issues quickly and protect trust in your new system. 

What this means for Lab Directors 

As a Lab Director, you do not need to become a data migration specialist. You do, however, need to ask the right questions and set the right expectations. 

Questions to consider: 

• Have we truly understood the quality and structure of our existing data, before we lock in timelines? 

• Is there a clear strategy for which data will be migrated, archived, or retired, and why? 

• Who is responsible for validating that clinical context and interpretive meaning are preserved? 

• How will we prove, to ourselves and to regulators, that the migration is accurate and complete? 

• Do we have a partner who lives in the lab world, not only in IT? 

If any of these questions feel uncomfortable, that is a signal to look more closely at your migration plan. 

Ready to de-risk your next LIS transition? 

Your lab’s data underpins patient care, operational performance, and regulatory compliance. It is too important to leave to a generic IT approach. 

JTG Consulting Group is built for labs and only labs. We help teams migrate, transform, archive, and validate laboratory data with precision, so you can move forward with confidence. 

If you are planning an LIS transition, considering a data archive, or untangling legacy systems, we would be happy to talk. 

Get in touch with The Lab IT Experts™ and turn your next data migration into a strategic advantage, not a hidden risk.