How to handle draft and unsigned notes at EHR cutover
Handle draft and unsigned notes at EHR cutover by listing every open note before the freeze, asking each clinician to finish, sign or void their own drafts before go-live, checking how the test export treats drafts, and reviewing open note queues in both systems after cutover.
- A draft note is a note that was started but not signed or locked, so it may export differently from finished notes.
- Run an open note report before the freeze window and give each clinician their own list with a due time.
- After cutover, check open note queues in the new EHR and confirm nothing new was written in the old one.
Why do draft and unsigned notes need a plan at cutover?
Signed notes are the easy part of a move: they are finished, locked and usually included in the export. Drafts and unsigned notes are still in progress. Depending on the system, the export may include them as drafts, mark them in a separate file, or leave them out. If nobody checks, a clinician can lose a half-written note or find two versions of the same session after go-live. This is an operational plan for the move, separate from your practice's documentation policy.
What do exports usually include for drafts?
It varies by system and by export type:
- Some exports include drafts with a status column, so they can be mapped and flagged in the new EHR.
- Some include only signed notes and skip drafts entirely.
- Some produce a PDF or document export of finished notes only, with drafts left in the old system.
Open the test export and compare a few known drafts against what you find in the files. Record what you learn in the field mapping so everyone works from the same answer.
How do you handle draft and unsigned notes step by step?
Step 1: Run an open note report early
Before the freeze, pull a list of every unsigned, draft or pending co-signature note from the old EHR. Group it by clinician and by session date. Earlier data cleanup shrinks this list.
Step 2: Check what the export does with drafts
Using the test export or the sample migration, confirm whether drafts arrive, how they are marked, and whether co-signature status comes across.
Step 3: Set a finish-or-void deadline
Give each clinician their list and a due time before the scheduling and charting freeze. Each note is either finished and signed in the old EHR or voided under your practice's own policy. Supervisors clear pending co-signatures in the same window.
Step 4: Rerun the report at the freeze
At the freeze time, run the open note report again. Anything still open goes on a written exception list with an owner and a decision: finish in the old system during the parallel run, or recreate in the new EHR from the old record.
Step 5: Check open note queues after go-live
In the new EHR, look at the open or unsigned note queue for each clinician. Confirm that migrated drafts, if any, are labeled clearly and that no new notes were started in the old system after the freeze.
Step 6: Close the exception list
Work through the exception list until it is empty, and note the outcome in the project log next to the reconciliation report.
Who owns each part?
- Clinicians: finish, sign or void their own drafts by the due time.
- Clinical lead or supervisors: clear co-signatures and decide on exceptions.
- Project owner: runs the open note reports and keeps the exception list.
- Migration partner: confirms how drafts appear in the export and in the load.
What to watch for
- Drafts that exist only in the old system after cutover, with no owner.
- The same session written once in the old EHR and again in the new one.
- Pending co-signatures that drop off because the export skips them.
- Open note counts that differ between the old report and the new queue.
Frequently asked questions
Do unsigned notes move in an EHR migration?
It depends on the export. Some systems include drafts with a status, some skip them. Check a few known drafts in the test export before you set the plan.
Should clinicians finish drafts in the old or the new EHR?
Usually in the old EHR, before the freeze, so the note is signed where the session was charted. Exceptions go on a written list with an owner.
What if a draft is found after go-live?
Add it to the exception list, decide whether to finish it in the old system during the parallel run or recreate it in the new one, and record the decision.
Does Ferry finish or sign notes?
Ferry moves the notes the export contains and reports on drafts it finds. Clinicians and supervisors own finishing, signing and voiding notes.
After go-live, spot-check clinical notes across clinicians and note types. For the full project from inventory to archive, see the EHR data migration guide.
How Ferry helps
Ferry migrates data between behavioral health EHRs at a fixed price, with a reconciliation report for every record type. Get a migration quote.