The Data Diet Program

A Leaner, Cleaner NextGen Database

Years of patient records, test data, duplicate files, reports, and other stored information can add unnecessary weight to your NextGen environment.

Shared Med’s Data Diet Program helps healthcare organizations identify what is taking up space, determine what needs to stay readily accessible, and develop a plan for safely archiving, consolidating, or removing unnecessary data.

The result is a more manageable NextGen database without sacrificing access to the information your organization needs.

Why Put Your NextGen Database on a Data Diet?

Healthcare databases naturally grow over time. But not everything taking up space needs to remain in your production environment forever.

Excess data can include:

  • Old test databases and test copies
  • Historical reports
  • Files that are rarely accessed
  • Duplicate or unnecessary copies
  • Data that must be retained but does not need to remain in production
  • Information eligible for removal based on your organization’s retention policies

The Data Diet Program gives you a structured process for determining what stays, what moves, and what can go.

Phase 1: The Weigh-In

Find Out Where Your Data Lives

We start with a composition scan of your NextGen environment to identify the biggest sources of database and file storage.

This gives you a clear picture of what’s essential, what’s taking up unnecessary space, and where duplicate or outdated data may be hiding.

  • Identify reports and test copies
  • Evaluate production data
  • Review file shares and old documents
  • Understand what’s fat, what’s muscle, and what you’re carrying twice.

Phase 2: The Meal Plan

Every organization has different needs and rules. We work with your team to build a custom Statement of Work (SOW) tailored to your business, retention requirements, and operational goals.

  • You choose the options that make sense for you
  • We create the plan
  • Nothing is preselected – your rules drive the results

Phase 3: The Fridge & Freezer

Where the excess weight lives

Data is routed based on how often it needs to be accessed.

  • Freezer – Move data that must be retained but is rarely accessed to lower-cost cold storage.

  • Fridge – Keep historical data easily accessible outside of your production database.

  • Trash – Permanently remove data that is eligible for deletion based on your retention and legal requirements.

Phase 4: The Balance

Biannual run keeps the weight off 

Cleaning up once helps, but data starts gaining weight again. That’s why we perform biannual reviews to identify new opportunities to archive, consolidate, or remove unnecessary data. Ongoing maintenance keeps your NextGen database lean and performing at its best.

Is Your NextGen Database Carrying Extra Weight?

You don’t have to guess what’s consuming your storage.

Shared Med can assess your environment, show you where the data lives, and help you build a practical strategy for managing it.

Start with the Data Diet Weigh-In.