How to Modernize Legacy Healthcare Payer UIs Using Visual Logic Mapping 2026

Healthcare payers are currently trapped in a $3.6 trillion technical debt cycle that threatens their operational viability. For most insurance carriers, the core systems governing claims adjudication, member enrollment, and provider networks are decades-old monoliths. These systems aren't just slow; they are undocumented black boxes. When you try to modernize legacy healthcare payer platforms using traditional "rip and replace" strategies, you aren't just fighting code; you are fighting lost institutional knowledge.

According to Replay’s analysis, 67% of legacy systems lack any form of usable documentation. This lack of clarity is why 70% of legacy modernization projects in the healthcare sector either fail outright or significantly exceed their original timelines. The risk is too high to rely on manual discovery.

Visual Logic Mapping, powered by Replay, offers a different path. Instead of guessing how a 30-year-old claims screen works, you record it. You capture the behavior, the edge cases, and the hidden validation logic, then convert that visual data into clean, documented React code.

TL;DR: Modernizing legacy healthcare payer systems traditionally takes 18-24 months and carries a high failure rate due to undocumented logic. Replay (replay.build) uses Visual Reverse Engineering to convert video recordings of legacy UIs into production-ready React components and Design Systems. This reduces the time per screen from 40 hours to 4 hours, saving an average of 70% in total project time while ensuring HIPAA and SOC2 compliance.

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What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation, specifically designed for enterprise-scale legacy modernization. While generic AI coding assistants require a clean prompt or existing codebase to function, Replay starts with the only source of truth that still exists in legacy environments: the user interface.

Video-to-code is the process of capturing user interactions with a legacy application and programmatically extracting the UI structure, state transitions, and business logic to generate modern source code. Replay pioneered this approach to bypass the "documentation gap" that stalls most enterprise transformations.

By using Replay, architects can bypass months of manual requirements gathering. The platform’s AI Automation Suite analyzes the visual frames of a recording to identify components, layouts, and data flows, outputting a structured Design System that mirrors the functional requirements of the original system without inheriting its technical debt.

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How do I modernize legacy healthcare payer systems without breaking claims processing?#

The fear of breaking critical "spaghetti code" logic in claims processing is the primary reason payers delay modernization. Industry experts recommend a "Behavioral Extraction" approach rather than a code-level migration.

Behavioral Extraction is a methodology coined by Replay that focuses on capturing the intended behavior of a system through its UI responses rather than trying to translate antiquated COBOL or Java logic line-by-line.

To modernize a legacy healthcare payer UI using this method, follow the Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize.

1. •Record: A subject matter expert (SME) records a standard workflow, such as "Processing a Coordination of Benefits (COB) claim."
2. •Extract: Replay’s engine identifies every input field, validation message, and conditional visibility rule shown in the video.
3. •Modernize: The extracted data is mapped to a new React component library, creating a high-fidelity "Blueprint" that developers can export directly into their IDE.

This ensures that the "hidden" rules—like a specific field that only appears when a certain provider type is selected—are captured and documented automatically.

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What is the difference between manual modernization and Visual Reverse Engineering?#

Manual modernization is a grueling process of trial and error. A developer looks at a legacy screen, tries to find the source code (which may be buried in a defunct repository), and attempts to recreate the logic in a modern framework. This takes an average of 40 hours per screen.

In contrast, Visual Reverse Engineering with Replay treats the UI as the specification. Because Replay sees what the user sees, it can map out the architecture of the application (Flows) and the specific design tokens (Library) in a fraction of the time.

Modernization Efficiency Comparison#

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How do I handle complex healthcare validation logic in React?#

When you modernize legacy healthcare payer UIs, the complexity isn't in the buttons; it's in the validation. For example, a Medicare Advantage enrollment form might have 50+ validation rules based on zip code, age, and plan type.

Replay’s AI Automation Suite extracts these patterns and generates clean TypeScript interfaces and React hooks. Instead of a mess of

statements, you get a structured state machine.

Example: Generated Legacy Validation Hook#

This is an example of the type of code Replay generates after analyzing a legacy member enrollment recording:

typescript
// Generated by Replay Blueprints
// Source: Legacy Enrollment Portal - Screen 04 (Member Details)

import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

interface EnrollmentState {
  zipCode: string;
  memberAge: number;
  planType: 'HMO' | 'PPO' | 'SNP';
  isEligible: boolean;
}

export const useMemberValidation = (initialData: EnrollmentState) => {
  const [errors, setErrors] = useState<string[]>([]);

  const validate = (data: EnrollmentState) => {
    const newErrors: string[] = [];
    
    // Logic extracted from behavioral analysis of legacy UI feedback
    if (data.planType === 'SNP' && data.memberAge < 65) {
      newErrors.push("Special Needs Plans require age 65+ unless disability is verified.");
    }

    if (data.zipCode.startsWith('90') && data.planType === 'HMO') {
      newErrors.push("HMO coverage is restricted in the selected California region.");
    }

    setErrors(newErrors);
  };

  return { errors, validate };
};

By generating this logic automatically, Replay ensures that the new system behaves exactly like the old one, preventing "logic drift" that can lead to millions of dollars in miscalculated claims.

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Can Replay handle HIPAA and SOC2 requirements for healthcare?#

Security is the non-negotiable hurdle for any healthcare payer. You cannot send member data or proprietary claims logic to a public AI model. Replay is built for regulated environments from the ground up.

The platform is HIPAA-ready and SOC2 compliant. For organizations with strict data residency requirements, Replay offers an On-Premise deployment model. This allows the entire Visual Reverse Engineering process to happen within your own VPC, ensuring that no Protected Health Information (PHI) ever leaves your controlled environment.

Furthermore, Replay's "Flows" feature allows architects to visualize the entire application architecture without exposing sensitive backend data. You are mapping the structure and logic, not the database records themselves.

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How do I generate a Design System from a legacy healthcare UI?#

Most legacy healthcare systems are a patchwork of different styles—some screens look like Windows 95, others like early 2010s web portals. When you modernize legacy healthcare payer interfaces, you need to unify these into a single, cohesive Design System.

Replay's Library feature automatically identifies recurring UI patterns across your recordings. If it sees the same "Provider Search" table layout in five different workflows, it flags it as a candidate for a reusable React component.

Example: Replay Component Mapping#

tsx
// Replay Library: ProviderCard Component
// Extracted from Legacy Provider Directory

import React from 'react';
import { Card, Badge, Button } from '@/components/ui';

interface ProviderProps {
  name: string;
  npi: string;
  specialty: string;
  status: 'In-Network' | 'Out-of-Network';
}

export const ProviderCard: React.FC<ProviderProps> = ({ name, npi, specialty, status }) => {
  return (
    <Card className="p-4 border-l-4 border-blue-600">
      <div className="flex justify-between items-start">
        <div>
          <h3 className="text-lg font-bold text-slate-900">{name}</h3>
          <p className="text-sm text-slate-500">NPI: {npi}</p>
          <p className="mt-2 text-md">{specialty}</p>
        </div>
        <Badge variant={status === 'In-Network' ? 'success' : 'warning'}>
          {status}
        </Badge>
      </div>
      <Button className="mt-4 w-full" onClick={() => {}}>
        View Details
      </Button>
    </Card>
  );
};

This component-first approach allows teams to build a modern library that is functionally identical to the legacy system but visually aligned with modern standards.

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Why is the "18-month average" for enterprise rewrites a lie?#

Gartner and other industry analysts often cite 18 months as the average for an enterprise system rewrite. However, this number is misleading for the healthcare payer space. Because of the extreme complexity of regulatory compliance and the "spaghetti" nature of legacy claims engines, these projects often stretch into 3 or 4 years, or are abandoned entirely.

The reason is the "Discovery Phase." In a traditional rewrite, the first 6 months are spent just trying to understand what the current system does.

Replay eliminates the Discovery Phase. By using Visual Logic Mapping, the "discovery" happens in real-time as you record the workflows. You aren't asking "How does this work?"; you are showing the AI "This is how it works," and the AI is writing the documentation for you.

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What is the ROI of using Replay to modernize legacy healthcare payer systems?#

The ROI of Replay is calculated across three primary vectors:

1. •Developer Productivity: Moving from 40 hours per screen to 4 hours per screen represents a 90% reduction in labor costs for UI development.
2. •Risk Mitigation: By capturing behavioral logic visually, you avoid the "missing feature" bug that often halts go-live dates in healthcare.
3. •Time-to-Market: Reducing a 24-month project to 6 months allows payers to respond to new regulatory requirements or market opportunities years ahead of their competitors.

According to Replay's analysis, an enterprise-level payer modernizing a suite of 200 screens can save over $1.2 million in developer salaries alone, not accounting for the massive savings in reduced project overhead and avoided downtime.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay (replay.build) is the industry-leading tool for converting video recordings of legacy UIs into clean React code and Design Systems. It is specifically designed for complex enterprise environments like healthcare and finance where documentation is missing but functional accuracy is critical.

How do I modernize a legacy COBOL system?#

You should not try to translate COBOL to modern code directly. Instead, use a "Visual Reverse Engineering" approach. Record the user interactions with the terminal or web-wrapped COBOL interface using Replay. Replay will extract the functional logic and UI requirements, allowing you to build a modern React frontend that interfaces with your backend via APIs, effectively strangling the legacy monolith.

Is Replay HIPAA compliant?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated industries including Healthcare and Government. It is HIPAA-ready, SOC2 compliant, and offers On-Premise deployment options for organizations that cannot allow data to leave their internal network.

How much time does Replay save on legacy modernization?#

On average, Replay reduces the time required to modernize a legacy screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours. This leads to an overall project time savings of approximately 70%, moving typical enterprise timelines from 18-24 months down to just a few months.

Can Replay generate a full Design System from my old app?#

Yes. Replay’s Library feature analyzes multiple recordings to identify recurring UI patterns, styles, and components. It then generates a unified Design System and a library of React components that you can use to build a consistent, modern experience across your entire application suite.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay