How to move treatment plans and diagnoses between EHRs
To move treatment plans and diagnoses between EHRs, first check how your current system exports them: as structured fields, as part of each note, or as PDF documents. Map each diagnosis code and treatment plan section to its place in the new system, test on sample clients, and have clinicians confirm the active diagnosis and current plan for every client they see before go-live.
- Diagnoses and treatment plans may export as structured fields or as documents, so a test export tells you which.
- Active diagnoses and current treatment plans matter most for day-to-day care and billing. Past versions can usually move as read-only history.
- Clinicians should confirm their own clients on sample charts before cutover, not after.
How do diagnoses and treatment plans usually export?
| Item | Often exports as | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis codes | Structured rows with code, description and dates, or text inside notes | Each active client has the right primary diagnosis |
| Diagnosis history | Rows with start and end dates, or only the current list | Whether ended diagnoses come across or are left out |
| Current treatment plan | Structured goals and objectives, or a PDF of the signed plan | The plan that is in effect today is easy to find |
| Past treatment plans | PDFs or read-only documents | Older versions are attached to the right client |
| Plan signatures and review dates | Text or images inside the PDF | Signed and review dates are readable |
Request a full export early, as described in how to request and test a full EHR export, and look for these items before you plan the mapping.
Why does the current plan need special care?
Clinicians work from the current treatment plan and the active diagnosis every day, and billing often depends on the diagnosis on each claim. If the current plan arrives only as a PDF, decide with your clinical lead whether clinicians rebuild it in the new system's treatment plan form or keep working from the document until the next review.
How do you move treatment plans and diagnoses step by step?
Step 1: Find them in the test export
List where diagnoses and treatment plans sit in the export files, and whether each one is a field, a row or a document.
Step 2: Map diagnosis fields
Map the code, description, start date, end date and primary flag to the new system. Note any field with no match in the field mapping.
Step 3: Decide how the current plan lands
Choose between importing structured goals and objectives, attaching the signed plan as a document, or rebuilding the current plan in the new system's form.
Step 4: Attach past plans as history
Move older plans as read-only documents on each client's chart, with the date in the file name or document title.
Step 5: Check sample clients
Include clients with more than one diagnosis, recently changed diagnoses and a recent plan review in the sample migration. Have each clinician confirm their own clients.
Step 6: Compare counts after the full run
Compare the number of clients with an active diagnosis and the number of treatment plan documents in both systems, and record the result in the reconciliation report.
What should clinicians check before go-live?
- The active diagnosis is correct for each client on their caseload.
- The current treatment plan is easy to find on the chart.
- Past plans are attached and open.
- Plan review dates are visible, so upcoming reviews are not missed.
Frequently asked questions
Do treatment plans move when you switch EHRs?
Usually, but not always in an editable form. Some exports carry treatment plans only as PDF documents, which keep the history readable. Current plans may need to be rebuilt in the new system's form if clinicians need to edit them.
Do diagnosis codes move between EHRs?
Diagnosis codes often export as structured rows and can map into the new system's diagnosis list. Check that the primary diagnosis and the start dates come across on sample clients.
Who should check diagnoses after a migration?
Each clinician should confirm the active diagnosis and current plan for their own clients on the sample migration, and the billing lead should check that claims in the new system pick up the right diagnosis.
How does Ferry handle treatment plans?
Ferry maps diagnoses and treatment plans from your test export, tests them on sample clients and includes them in the reconciliation report.
To plan which forms to rebuild alongside the plan, see note templates and intake forms when you switch EHRs.
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.