How to move referral sources between EHRs
Move referral sources between EHRs by listing referral partner records as fields or as notes, checking what your export actually contains, mapping each source into the new system, and spot-checking a sample after import so referral names land on the right charts.
- A referral source may live as a structured field on the client chart, as a shared list of partners or only inside notes and documents.
- Read the export before you map: some systems ship a partner list, others only free-text "referred by" values.
- Spot-check sample charts after import so names, phones and linked clients match the old EHR and the export.
What counts as a referral source in an EHR migration?
Referral sources are the people or organizations that sent a client to you: other clinics, hospitals, schools, EAP contacts or individual clinicians. In the old EHR they may appear as:
- A pick-list or directory of referral partners shared across the practice
- A per-client "referred by" field
- Free text inside intake notes or scanned referral documents
Treat the directory and the per-client field as data to map. Treat note text and scans as documents unless your field map says otherwise. How to move documents between EHRs covers scanned referrals.
What do exports usually contain?
Exports vary. Many behavioral health EHRs include a referred-by name or free-text source on the client demographics file. Fewer export a clean partner directory with address and phone as their own rows. Open a test export and list:
- Whether referral partners have their own file or table
- Whether each client row has a referred-by field
- Whether the only copy of a referral sits in a PDF or note
If the directory is missing, plan to rebuild active partners in the new EHR and still migrate the per-client text you do have. Pair this with insurance and payer details when intake and billing share the same demographics export.
How do you move referral sources between EHRs?
Step 1: Inventory referral data in the old EHR
List the partner directory (if any), the per-client referral fields and where scanned referral packets live. Note which active clients still need a visible source on day one.
Step 2: Open the export and mark what is structured
In the test export, mark partner rows, referred-by columns and anything that is document-only. Drop the guesswork before field mapping.
Step 3: Map partners and per-client fields
Map the partner list into the new EHR's referral or contact list when one exists. Map each client's referred-by value to the matching field or to a clear note slot when there is no field.
Step 4: Rebuild only what the export cannot carry
If partner phones or addresses never exported, rebuild the active partners you still use. Do not add historical partners that were never in the old system.
Step 5: Run a sample and spot-check
On the sample migration, open charts that had a referral source and confirm the name (and partner link, if used) matches the old EHR.
Step 6: Spot-check again after full cutover
After go-live, sample referral fields on new intakes and on migrated charts. Log mismatches for the reconciliation report.
What to watch for
- Referred-by text that imported blank while the old chart had a name.
- Partner directory rows with no matching clients, or clients pointing at a deleted partner.
- Scanned referral PDFs that never linked to the client chart.
- Staff re-typing referral names into notes because the field was never mapped.
Frequently asked questions
Do referral sources always move as fields?
No. Some EHRs only store a free-text referred-by value or a scanned document. Map what the export actually has, and rebuild structured partners only when the new system needs them.
Should you migrate every historical referral partner?
Migrate or rebuild the partners you still use for reporting and intake. Inactive partners that never appear on current charts can stay in the archive copy of the old system.
How do you spot-check referral sources after import?
Open a sample of charts that had a referred-by value, compare the new field to the old EHR and the export, and confirm linked partner records open correctly.
Does Ferry move referral sources?
Ferry migrates the referral fields and documents in scope for your systems and includes them in the reconciliation report. Your team still confirms sample charts after import.
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.