How to keep linked records intact in an EHR migration
Keep linked client records intact in an EHR migration by listing every link between charts and contacts in the old system, such as couples, families, guardians and emergency contacts, checking how each link exports, mapping it to the new EHR or planning to rebuild it, testing on a sample of linked clients and spot-checking both sides of each link after the full load.
- A linked record is a connection between charts or contacts, and the link can be lost even when both charts move.
- Inventory links by type: couple or family charts, guardian or responsible party, and emergency contacts.
- Test on a sample migration with real linked clients and check both sides of each link after the load.
What are linked client records?
Many behavioral health practices see couples and families, and many charts name a guardian, a responsible party for billing or an emergency contact. The old EHR may store these as links between charts, as contacts on one chart or only inside intake documents. Each type can export differently, and the new EHR may store them another way.
How do links usually export?
Exports vary:
- A relationship file that pairs client IDs with a relationship type
- Contact fields on each chart, with no link to another chart
- A shared couple or family chart with the members listed inside it
- Only inside intake forms or scanned documents
Check the test export for each link type before you plan the mapping. Fix duplicate charts first, so each link points to the chart that survives.
How do you keep linked records intact step by step?
Step 1: Inventory links by type
List how the old system links charts and contacts: couple or family sessions, guardian or responsible party, emergency contacts and any other relationship fields. Note which clients use each type if the old EHR can report it.
Step 2: Check how each link exports
Confirm whether each link type appears in the export as a pair of client IDs, as a contact field or only in documents.
Step 3: Map links or plan to rebuild them
In the field mapping, record how each link type lands in the new EHR. If the new system stores couples, families or guardians differently, write down how staff will rebuild those links and who checks them.
Step 4: Move contact details with client demographics
Guardian, responsible party and emergency contact details move with client demographics. Keep the relationship label with each contact.
Step 5: Test on a sample of linked clients
Include a couple or family, a client with a guardian and a client with an emergency contact in the sample migration. Open both sides of each link and compare them with the old system.
Step 6: Spot-check links after the full load
After cutover, check a few linked clients of each type. Confirm each link points to the right chart and that shared sessions appear on each member's record as planned. Log mismatches next to the reconciliation report.
Who should review the linked record plan?
- Project owner: keeps the inventory and the mapping for each link type.
- Clinical lead: confirms how couple and family sessions should appear on each chart.
- Front desk: confirms the guardian, responsible party and emergency contact details they rely on.
- Billing lead: confirms who is billed for linked or shared sessions.
What to watch for
- Links that point to a retired duplicate chart.
- Guardian or emergency contact names that arrive without the relationship label.
- Couple or family sessions that land on only one member's chart.
- Links rebuilt by hand that nobody checks against the old system.
Frequently asked questions
Do links between client charts move in an EHR migration?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the old system exports the links and whether the new one can import them. Check the test export for each link type.
What if the new EHR has no couple or family chart?
Plan how staff will link the members' charts or record the relationship in the new system, and check each one against the old EHR after the load.
Who decides how guardian details are recorded?
Your practice does, under its own policies. The migration moves the details the export contains and keeps the relationship label with each contact.
Does Ferry keep linked records intact?
Ferry maps the links the export contains and lists any that need to be rebuilt by hand in the reconciliation report.
Next, plan how documents and scanned files move. 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.