What to do with your old EHR account after cutover
After cutover, keep your old EHR account open read-only until the reconciliation report is signed off and open claims are closed, take a final full export, confirm you can open it, then cancel on the date your contract allows. Check your contract for the notice period and for how long your data stays available after you cancel.
- Keep read-only access until reconciliation is signed off and open claims are closed.
- Take a final full export and open it before you cancel.
- Check the contract for notice periods, renewal dates and data access after cancellation.
What should you do with the old EHR account after go-live?
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| At go-live | Limit logins to staff who still need lookups or billing follow-up |
| While open claims close | Keep read-only access and work claims sent before cutover |
| After reconciliation sign-off | Request a final full export of every record type |
| Before you cancel | Open the export, check counts against the reconciliation report and store it in your archive |
| At cancellation | Give notice as the contract sets out and remove remaining user accounts |
How do you close out an old EHR account?
Step 1: Read the contract
Find the end date, the notice period, any auto-renewal terms and what the contract says about data access and deletion after you cancel. Put the notice deadline on the project calendar.
Step 2: Cut user access down
Remove logins for staff who no longer need the old system, and set the rest to read-only if your vendor allows it. The parallel run guide covers what stays open in the meantime.
Step 3: Close out billing in the old system
Work claims sent before cutover to a close, post the last payments, and run a final aging report to compare with the opening balances in the new system.
Step 4: Take a final full export
Ask in writing for a final export of every record type, including documents and audit logs if the vendor offers them. How to request and test a full EHR export lists what to ask for.
Step 5: Open and store the export
Open a sample of client charts and documents in the final export and check counts against the reconciliation report. Store it in your read-only archive, as covered in legacy EHR data archiving.
Step 6: Cancel and keep a record
Cancel in writing, keep the vendor's confirmation, and note where the final export is stored and who can open it.
What should you check before you cancel?
- The reconciliation report is signed off.
- Open claims from the old system are closed or carried as opening balances.
- The final export opens, and its counts match the reconciliation report.
- You know where the archive is kept and how to produce a record from it.
- Staff who need old records know where to find them.
Frequently asked questions
Should you cancel your old EHR right after go-live?
Keep it open read-only until the reconciliation report is signed off, open claims are closed and you have a final export you can open. Then cancel on the date your contract allows.
How long do you have to keep old EHR records?
Retention periods are set by the rules that apply to your practice, including state law. Confirm them with your compliance lead or attorney, and keep the archive readable for that whole period.
What happens to your data after you cancel?
Check your contract and business associate agreement for what happens to your data after you cancel. Ask the vendor in writing how long it stays available and how deletion is confirmed.
What if the old vendor charges for a final export?
Ask for the fee and the delivery time in writing before you request it, and plan both into the close-out.
Terms like final export and read-only access are defined in the EHR migration glossary.
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.