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The Challenge
A Complex Migration, an Even Bigger Opportunity
San Ysidro Health needed to retire a patchwork of legacy EHR and practice-management systems and standardize on Epic, while keeping years of clinical and financial history usable. As a lean-staffed FQHC growing through acquisition, San Ysidro didn't have the internal capacity to coordinate a migration vendor, an archiving vendor, and an interface vendor separately, then manage the gaps between them. That coordination job is exactly where health systems lose time, money, and confidence in their own data.
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The Solution
A True Extension of the IT Team
Rather than treat interoperability, archiving, and migration as three separate purchases, San Ysidro consolidated to ELLKAY as a single accountable partner across the full data lifecycle. ELLKAY’s expertise and partnership alleviated the burden on San Ysidro Health’s IT resources, enabling the team to stay focused on innovation and patient care.
ELLKAY became the extension of San Ysidro's IT team rather than another name on the vendor list. The migration project included retiring four legacy systems into live archives accessible with a single click from inside Epic, so clinicians have easy access to historical records. On the interface side, ELLKAY built and now runs dozens of production interfaces spanning clinical, revenue cycle, pharmacy, dental, ADT, and bi-directional orders and results — carrying roughly 4 million HL7 messages a year.
"Several legacy systems went away, but the data didn't disappear — it's one click inside Epic, and my team has stopped thinking about it."
Daniel Howard
VP & CIO, San Ysidro Health
The ELLKAY Effect
Connected Data, Better Care
San Ysidro Health transformed its data infrastructure and streamlined interoperability across its new Epic system and a wide range of internal and external applications. The result was faster, more reliable data exchange and enhanced operational efficiency across the organization.
San Ysidro Health gained real-time access to critical patient data across different systems. This seamless connectivity empowers physicians and care teams with comprehensive, up-to-date information, improving care coordination and patient outcomes while supporting broader business operations.
“Selecting ELLKAY enabled us to implement a holistic approach to our interoperability strategy resulting in both cost savings and a sound foundation for future growth.”
Daniel Howard
VP & CIO, San Ysidro Health
The Impact
Results That Compound
The partnership between San Ysidro Health and ELLKAY enabled measurable operational improvements while building a scalable foundation for long-term growth.
- One Accountable Partner
Interfaces, archives, data management, under one roof, instead of five vendors and a coordination task. - Successful EHR Cutover
Critical clinical data mapped to Epic, delivered on tight timelines. - Legacy Data Access
Four decommissioned systems, still accessed 500+ times a month in one click from Epic. - Production-Grade Reliability
Dozens of interfaces, 4M+ HL7 messages a year, with no failed transactions. - Scalable IT Infrastructure
Fully managed integrations aligned for future growth. - Reduced Costs
Lower vendor reliance and improved operational efficiency.
"For an organization our size, the space between vendors isn't a line item anyone budgets for — it's just work that lands on whoever's left standing. We didn't have room for that."
"Several legacy systems went away, but the data didn't disappear — it's one click inside Epic, and my team has stopped thinking about it."
Ahead of a major move to Epic, this Federally Qualified Health Center made a deliberate decision: instead of stitching together an interface vendor, an archive vendor, and a data migration partner, they chose one accountable partner to own the full data lifecycle. Four years later, San Ysidro isn't managing a stack of point solutions — it's running a single, orchestrated data operation that keeps growing with the organization.
Working with ELLKAY since 2022 | Founded in 1969
Nonprofit FQHC serving 161K+ patients across 50 sites in San Diego County, supported by 3,200+ staff. Comprehensive medical, dental, behavioral health, and social services.
