How to prepare your staff for an EHR cutover
To prepare staff for an EHR cutover, name who does what, tell everyone the freeze time well ahead, list the work each person must finish in the old system, train each role on the tasks they do every day in the new one, plan how to handle the hours around the freeze, and agree how staff report problems after go-live.
- Tell staff the cutover date and the exact freeze time as soon as they are set, and repeat them as the day gets closer.
- Ask each role to finish open work in the old system before the freeze: signed notes, posted payments and claims for sessions already held.
- Train by role on the sample migration, so staff see their own clients' records in the new layout before go-live.
Who needs to know about the cutover?
- Clinicians, who write notes and need past records.
- Front desk and scheduling staff, who book, move and confirm appointments.
- Billing staff, and any outside billing company that works in your EHR.
- The practice owner or administrator, who manages logins and permissions.
- Anyone else with a login to the old system, including part-time and contract staff.
What should you tell staff, and when?
- When the date is set: the cutover date, the freeze time, why the practice is switching and who owns the project.
- Before training: which daily tasks change, and when each person's training session is.
- Shortly before cutover: what to finish in the old system, the final freeze time, and who to call with questions.
- On cutover day: a reminder when the old system freezes, and a message when the new one is open for work.
What should staff finish in the old system before the freeze?
- Clinicians sign and lock every open note.
- Front desk staff upload pending documents and confirm upcoming appointments.
- Billing staff post payments received and submit claims for sessions already held, or agree with the project owner where those claims will be billed.
- Everyone notes any work in progress that will need finishing in the new system.
How should you train each role?
- Clinicians: open a chart, find past notes and documents, check diagnoses and start a new note.
- Front desk: book and move appointments, set up recurring sessions, send intake forms and check reminders.
- Billing: create and submit a claim, post a payment and find open claims from before cutover.
- Administrators: set up user roles and permissions and reset a password.
Training on the sample migration lets staff practice on records they already work with, and they often spot mapping problems early.
How do you handle the hours around the freeze?
- Set the freeze outside session hours where you can, and tell staff the exact time to stop entering data.
- Keep a short list of anything that comes in during the freeze, such as a new client call, and enter it in the new system once it opens.
- Move future appointments last, so clients are not double-booked.
- Confirm that reminders, intake forms and portal invitations are switched off in the old system and on in the new one.
How should staff report problems after go-live?
Name one point person, keep one shared list of issues with the client and record type for each, and review it at a set time each week with the clinical lead. What to check after EHR cutover lists the first checks to run.
Frequently asked questions
When should we tell staff about an EHR cutover?
As soon as the cutover date and freeze time are set. Share the date, the freeze time and who owns the project, then remind staff before training, shortly before cutover and on the day itself.
What should staff do before the old EHR is frozen?
Sign and lock open notes, upload pending documents, confirm upcoming appointments, post payments received and submit claims for sessions already held, or agree where those claims will be billed.
Should we tell clients about the EHR switch?
Tell clients about anything that changes for them, such as a new portal login, new reminder messages or new intake forms. Your new EHR vendor can show you what clients will see.
How does Ferry support cutover?
Ferry plans cutover around your schedule to keep downtime minimal. Changes in the old system freeze at a set time, the full migration runs, and future appointments move last so clients are not double-booked.
Work through every stage with the EHR migration checklist, and see how the full project fits together in the complete guide to EHR data migration.
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.