OnBase to Epic Gallery Migration
The short answer: InterScripts migrates OnBase documents to Epic Gallery as a governed data conversion, not a bulk export. Seven gated phases inventory, map, extract read-only, validate and reconcile every document. Patient content lands in Gallery, non-patient content is retained in BytePad, and every source document ends with a verified, auditable disposition.
Why does an OnBase to Gallery move need its own project?
Health systems on Epic are consolidating document management into Epic Gallery so documents sit inside the patient record and the clinician workflow, instead of in a separate content platform with its own licensing, infrastructure and compliance overhead. The Epic build is rarely what slows the move. The legacy side is: historical documents have to be extracted, transformed, validated and prepared before the Gallery timeline can hold. Four realities shape almost every footprint.
Gallery holds patient content
OnBase often also stores HR files, AP invoices and credentialing packets. Those need a disposition and retention plan outside the Epic patient record.
Documents are not uniform
Revision histories, annotations, overlays, e-forms and mixed file formats each behave differently and must be identified in discovery, not mid-extraction.
Volume needs control
Large extractions that keep metadata and document relationships intact require throughput management, checkpointing, reconciliation and verification.
Metadata decides findability
OnBase keyword schemas are mapped to Gallery document types and metadata with HIM and clinical input, then proven through test loads.
What moves to Epic Gallery and what gets archived?
Every document class is given a destination during disposition and mapping, with HIM owning the decision. That way nothing is forced into the clinical record that does not belong there, and nothing is silently dropped.
Epic Gallery
Patient and clinical documents, verified and reconciled, available to clinicians inside the Epic workflow.
BytePad archive
Non-patient and out-of-scope content such as HR, finance, compliance and credentialing records, retained per policy with full search and an audit trail.
Approved purge log
Content purged under policy, each record documented with its reason, retention basis and approval.
How do the seven migration phases work?
Each phase has entry criteria, exit criteria and documented deliverables. The gate between phases is a signed artifact that proves the work is complete, and stakeholders approve it before the next phase starts.
| Phase | What happens | Gate to exit |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery and inventory | Catalog document types, keyword schemas, volumes, relationships and special handling. | Signed scope matrix with baseline counts |
| 2. Disposition and mapping | Assign each document class to Gallery, the archive or approved disposition, and map required metadata. | Approved disposition matrix and mapping specification |
| 3. Extraction | Read-only, checkpointed, parallel extraction while OnBase stays in production. | Counts reconcile to baseline, variances explained |
| 4. Transformation and validation | Convert formats where required, keep revision and annotation requirements, transform metadata, manage exceptions. | Load-ready packages with zero critical exceptions |
| 5. Ingestion and reconciliation | Test loads first, then controlled production waves, each reconciled document by document to the source. | Full accountability and HIM acceptance sign-off |
| 6. Delta sync and cutover | Synchronize new or changed documents and move capture workflows to Epic. | Final sync reconciled, OnBase read-only |
| 7. Archive and decommission | Place non-Gallery content in the approved archive with retention and legal hold, then complete the OnBase transition. | Archive certification, decommission executed |
How is every document validated?
Seven integrity controls run on every batch, from the first test load to the final delta sync. Counts are reconciled to the baseline set in discovery, variances are explained and resolved, and HIM signs acceptance before cutover. At completion, every in-scope source document can be traced to Gallery, to the archive or to an authorized purge record.
The same discipline covers protected health information: a BAA is signed before data access, data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and legal holds are honored throughout.
- 1Record-count reconciliation
- 2Checksum verification
- 3Metadata completeness
- 4Referential integrity
- 5Format fidelity
- 6Exception accountability
- 7End-to-end auditability
Where do documents that stay out of Gallery live?
In BytePad, the InterScripts data archiving platform. HR, finance, compliance and credentialing records remain searchable and governed after OnBase is retired, without entering the clinical record. Because the archive and the migration come from one partner, both destinations follow one operational, compliance and technology plan.
- Hosted on Microsoft Azure, designed to work within Epic environments
- Retention schedules, legal hold and governed disposition
- Role-based access with RBAC / ABAC, SSO and MFA
- Full-text retrieval across archived documents
- Document management and OCR that turn scanned and faxed pages into searchable data
- Tamper-evident audit trails and defensible chain of custody on every release
- AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit, under HITRUST r2 and ISO 27001:2022 controls
How long does it take and what drives cost?
A typical engagement runs approximately four to nine months. Duration and cost depend on total document volume, the number of distinct document types, metadata complexity, special handling needs and the disposition strategy. InterScripts assigns dedicated extraction and conversion capacity so throughput and sequencing are planned around your Gallery timeline and implementation milestones. Detailed timelines are set after discovery, once scope and content characteristics are validated. A realistic business case compares current-state OnBase operating cost with migration, archive and future-state operating cost, using your own volumes.
How do you know you are ready to start?
Readiness comes down to four areas. If any one of them is mostly unanswered, that area is your critical path.
Early planning
Gallery timeline confirmed with the Epic team, OnBase renewal dates documented, and budget that covers extraction, transformation and archiving.
Stakeholder alignment
A named executive sponsor, HIM owning disposition, clinical informatics reviewing workflows, and HR, finance, legal and credentialing involved.
Data strategy
A full inventory of document types, keywords and volumes, patient content separated from non-patient content, and a disposition for every class.
Partnership
A partner proven on both OnBase and Gallery, dedicated extraction capacity, a written validation method and a BAA before data access.
Frequently asked questions
What is an OnBase to Epic Gallery migration?
It is the structured conversion of historical documents from Hyland OnBase into Epic Gallery, the document store inside the Epic patient record. Documents are inventoried, mapped to Gallery document types and metadata, extracted read-only, validated, loaded and reconciled back to the source, so clinicians can find them inside the Epic workflow.
Does every OnBase document move to Epic Gallery?
No. Gallery is patient-centric. Patient and clinical documents move to Gallery. HR files, AP invoices, credentialing packets and other non-patient or out-of-scope content can be retained in the BytePad archive with retention schedules and legal hold. Content that policy allows to be purged is recorded in an approved purge log.
How do you prove nothing was lost?
Seven integrity controls apply to every batch: record-count reconciliation, checksum verification, metadata completeness, referential integrity, format fidelity, exception accountability and end-to-end auditability. At completion, every in-scope source document has a verified disposition in Gallery, in the archive or in an authorized purge record.
Can OnBase stay in use while documents are extracted?
Yes. Extraction is read-only, checkpointed and parallel, so OnBase remains operational. A delta sync then captures new or modified documents before cutover, and OnBase is transitioned to read-only under the approved cutover plan.
How long does an OnBase to Epic Gallery migration take?
A typical engagement runs approximately four to nine months, depending on document volume, the number of document types, metadata requirements and conversion complexity. Detailed timelines are set after discovery, once scope and content characteristics are validated.
What happens to documents that do not go to Gallery?
They can be retained in BytePad, the InterScripts data archiving platform hosted on Microsoft Azure. BytePad provides retention schedules, legal hold, role-based access, full-text retrieval and OCR for scanned and faxed content, so HR, finance, compliance and credentialing records stay available without entering the clinical record.
Is there a way to estimate scope before committing?
Yes. InterScripts offers a no-cost OnBase footprint assessment that evaluates document types, volumes, metadata requirements and migration considerations, and returns an initial scope estimate with a phased migration plan.
Start with a no-cost footprint assessment
We evaluate your OnBase document types, volumes, metadata requirements and migration considerations, then return an initial scope estimate and a phased migration plan.
Want the full methodology first? Read Moving from OnBase to Epic Gallery: A Migration Playbook for Health Systems.
Sources & references
- Epic Systems Corporation, Trademark Usage Guidelines for Non-Licensees
- Hyland Software, How You May Use Hyland Software Trademarks
- U.S. HHS, Business Associate Contracts (sample provisions)
Epic, MyChart and other Epic product names are trademarks of Epic Systems Corporation. OnBase is a registered and/or unregistered trademark of Hyland Software, Inc. InterScripts is an independent services provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Epic Systems Corporation or Hyland Software, Inc. BytePad is a trademark of InterScripts, Inc.