Note templates and intake forms when you switch EHRs
Note templates and intake forms are part of how your old EHR is set up, so they rarely move to a new EHR the way client data does. Plan to rebuild the templates and forms you still use in the new system before go-live. Past notes and completed forms still come across with each client, often as read-only documents.
- A template is the empty form. A note is what a clinician wrote in it. The notes move with the client; the templates are rebuilt.
- List every template and form in use, retire the ones nobody uses, and rebuild the rest in the new EHR before the sample migration.
- Have clinicians test the rebuilt templates on sample clients, and check that past notes written in the old templates are readable.
Why don't templates move like client data?
Each EHR stores templates in its own format, tied to its own fields and layout. An export is built to carry client records, such as demographics, appointments, notes and documents, so the template itself is usually left behind. What does move is the content: each finished note and completed form, attached to the right client. What moves in an EHR migration, and in what form covers each data type.
What should you list before you rebuild?
| Item | Examples | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Progress note templates | Individual, group, family and couples sessions | Clinical lead |
| Assessment and intake templates | Intake assessment, diagnostic assessment, risk screens | Clinical lead |
| Treatment plan templates | Goals, objectives and review dates | Clinical lead |
| Client intake forms | Demographics, insurance, consent forms | Project owner |
| Letters and other documents | Attendance letters, referral letters | Project owner |
| Custom fields | Fields your practice added to client records | Project owner and clinical lead |
How do you rebuild templates and forms step by step?
Step 1: List what is in use
Pull a list of templates and forms from the old system. Ask each clinician which ones they actually use.
Step 2: Retire what nobody uses
Mark old or duplicate templates as retired. Fewer templates means less to rebuild and less to train.
Step 3: Check what the new EHR already has
Your new EHR may include standard templates. Compare them with your list before you build your own, and keep any custom wording your clinicians rely on.
Step 4: Rebuild in the new system
Build the templates and forms you are keeping, with the same section headings where you can, so clinicians find things where they expect them.
Step 5: Test on sample clients
During the sample migration, have clinicians write a test note in each rebuilt template and open past notes written in the old ones.
Step 6: Switch the forms over at go-live
Turn off intake forms in the old system and turn them on in the new one on the same day, so clients only receive one set.
What happens to past notes written in old templates?
Past notes move with each client, often as read-only documents, so the wording clinicians wrote stays readable. If your export carries notes as structured fields instead, each section needs a place in the new system, which is part of the field mapping.
Frequently asked questions
Can note templates be migrated between EHRs?
Rarely as working templates, because each system stores them its own way. Plan to rebuild the templates you still use in the new EHR, and keep the past notes written in them as part of each client's record.
Do completed intake forms move when you switch EHRs?
Completed forms usually move with each client, often as documents attached to the chart. The blank forms clients fill in next need to be set up in the new system.
Who should rebuild templates in the new EHR?
Your clinical lead decides which templates to keep and how they should read. Your new EHR vendor can show you how to build them in its system.
Does Ferry rebuild templates?
Ferry moves the client data: notes, documents, demographics, open claims and Part 2 consent handling, with a reconciliation report. Templates and forms are set up in the new system by your team and your new EHR vendor, so raise any template questions during scoping.
To see how templates fit the whole plan, start with the EHR data migration complete 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.