Legacy eCW Systems: A Silent Financial Drain

Many organizations assume minimal ongoing costs after decommissioning eCW. But between dormant licenses, server hosting, disaster recovery, and routine security upkeep, the expenses quickly accumulate—often into the tens or hundreds of thousands annually. Research confirms: active backup systems tied to legacy environments can be drastically more expensive than archive-focused solutions.

Why CFOs Should Care:

Identify idle licenses and hosting costs: Even unused systems require upkeep.
Break down TCO vs. archive: Archiving offers predictable savings, especially when compared to prolonged system support.

Compliance and Legal Liability Aren’t Optional

Healthcare data is a ticking time bomb. A decades-old EMR like eCW houses patient records, billing histories, attachments, lab reports, and operative reports—each of which may be legally requested during audits, legal cases, or payer reviews. Ignoring legacy system security can quickly lead to costly penalties. HIPAA violations can range from $100 to $50,000 per incident—something no CFO wants on their ledger.

A strategic archive like Two Point’s ACERT HIT ensures:

Encryption at rest and in transit
Role-based user management
Full audit logs and access tracking

This removes legacy system liabilities while preserving access.

Archiving Isn’t Just Storage—It’s ROI

An effective archiving solution delivers not just compliance savings, but also performance and operational gains:

Benefit	Why It Matters
Storage Cost Reduction	Free up expensive active storage; cloud-based archives are more economical
Faster Data Retrieval	Archived data can be searched by patient name, patient MRN, patient DOB, and other common RoI search criteria—no digging through old systems
IT Performance Gains	Reduces load on primary systems, improving response times
Reduced Cyber Risk	Retires vulnerable systems, decreasing attack surfaces
Insurance and Audit Benefits	Clean archive lowers cyber insurance premiums; audit-ready systems reduce liability

One mid-Atlantic client saved over $120K annually and retired eCW in under 90 days with zero downtime—clear, measurable ROI.

Strategic Alignment with M&A and Value-Based Care

For growing systems undergoing mergers, acquisitions, or transitions to value-based care, legacy data access becomes mission-critical. CFOs must clarify:

How historical data will be maintained post-merger
Whether newer systems can control costs by excluding legacy data
How archives support population health and care coordination

With Two Point’s ACERT:

“We archive eCW while enabling searchable access—no legacy system hosting required.”

This supports due diligence, care continuity, and data consolidation—without redundant IT spend.

Guarding Against Common Archiving Pitfalls

Without specialist involvement, archiving can fail—leading to incomplete data or legal exposure. Look out for these:

Bidirectional Data Gaps – Skipping attachments, labs, or progress notes is common.
Poor Searchability – Flat files are non-navigable during legal or clinical requests.
Vendor Coordination Issues – Timing mismatches with incoming EHR go-lives can disrupt archiving.

Two Point’s decade-long eCW specialization and project-first methodology keep these risks contained—with tight timelines, audit processes, and cross-team alignment.

The Total Value of Archive Ignition

CFOs often overlook diverse value drivers beyond cost:

Human Efficiency Gains – Role-based access and smart search empower staff, saving clinical and revenue-cycle time.
Audit Preparedness – Demonstrable access and logs reduce legal and regulatory stress.
Operational Decommissioning – Retiring legacy workloads cuts infrastructure complexity.
Strategic Flexibility – Archived data is future-ready—easy to migrate again or leverage for analytics.

Leading interceptors of archiving ROI highlight that ROI comes not just from savings, but capabilities enabled.

Choosing a Trusted Partner: It’s a CFO Decision Too

The right archive vendor isn’t just technical—they’re strategic. CFOs should ask:

Do they specialize in eCW?
Can they show financial and compliance outcomes?
Do they support me throughout the entire process—including vendor coordination?
Are search and accessibility designed for actual users?
Can they guarantee project timelines and budgeting certainty?

Two Point ticks each box:

10+ years of eCW precision
End‑to‑end project leadership
Proven client cost and compliance results

Transparent platform demos and implementation timelines

Conclusion: Archive With Confidence, Lead With Vision

For CFOs, retiring eCW isn’t just about ending support—it’s about ensuring financial stewardship, minimizing risk, and enabling strategic growth. An archive like ACERT HIT delivers compliance, access, and ROI—all while freeing your IT systems for modern priorities.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Let’s line up on:

Your last electronic activities on eCW (clinical + financial)
Cost breakdown vs. archive investment
Timelines and dependencies with new EHR or M&A transitions

Schedule a CFO-focused consultation today: sales@twopoint.com

Discover how Two Point enables financial clarity, operational agility, and risk reduction—all while supporting your organizational mission.

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