What moves in an EHR migration, and in what form
What moves in an EHR migration, and in what form, depends on what your current system can export and what your new system can import. Demographics, insurance and appointments often move into matching fields, while past clinical notes and uploaded files often arrive as read-only documents. A test export tells you for sure.
- A migration can only move what the old system exports and the new system accepts, so check a test export first.
- Structured data such as demographics, insurance and appointments often lands in matching fields.
- Past clinical notes often arrive as read-only documents, and templates, custom fields, embedded signatures and audit history often do not move cleanly.
Why does it depend on your export?
Every EHR exports differently. One system may offer structured CSV files for most data, another may offer PDF chart packages for clinical records. Request a full test export from your current vendor and open the files yourself, as described in how to request and test a full EHR export.
How does each data type usually move?
| Data type | Often moves as | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Client demographics and contact details | Structured fields | Names and contact details match for sampled clients |
| Insurance information | Structured fields | Payer and policy details on active clients |
| Appointments, past and future | Structured records, with future appointments moved last at cutover | No double-booked clients after cutover |
| Diagnoses and treatment plans | Structured fields or documents, depending on the export | Clinicians confirm them on sample charts |
| Clinical notes | Often read-only documents instead of editable fields | Notes present and readable for each clinician |
| Uploaded files such as consents and outside records | Files attached to the client record | Attachments open and are not empty |
| Balances and open claims | Balances with clear notes, while open claims are often finished in the old system | No claim submitted from both systems |
| Part 2 consents | Documents or record flags, carried over with their consent rules | Restricted records stay flagged in the new system |
| Note templates, custom fields, embedded signatures and audit history | Often do not move cleanly | Decide whether to store as a document, archive or leave behind |
What is the difference between structured data and documents?
Structured data lands in fields the new system can search, sort and report on. A document is a file, such as a PDF of a past note, that you can open and read but not edit field by field. The EHR migration glossary explains CSV exports and chart exports.
What usually does not move cleanly?
- Note templates
- Custom fields
- Signatures embedded in notes
- Audit history
For each one, decide whether to store it as a document in the new system, keep it in a read-only archive or leave it behind. The legacy EHR data archiving guide helps with that choice.
How do you confirm what will move for your practice?
- Request a full test export from your current vendor in writing.
- Open the files and list each data type and the format it came in.
- Ask your new vendor what it can import for each data type.
- Map each field and test on a sample of clients.
- After the full run, reconcile counts for every record type.
Frequently asked questions
Will clinical notes be editable after an EHR migration?
Past clinical notes often arrive as read-only documents instead of editable structured fields. That is usually fine for history, since new notes are written in the new system.
Do appointments move in an EHR migration?
Past and future appointments can usually move. Plan to move future appointments last at cutover, so clients are not double-booked.
What happens to open claims when you switch EHRs?
Finish working open claims in the old system where possible, or move balances with clear notes, and do not resubmit claims from both systems.
What if our current EHR cannot export a data type?
If a data type cannot be exported in a usable form, keep it in a read-only archive or a secure export you can still open. Ferry flags these gaps during scoping and offers an archive option.
To plan the full project, start with the EHR data migration complete guide, then work through the EHR migration checklist.
How Ferry helps
Ferry migrates clinical notes, documents, demographics, open claims and Part 2 consent handling between behavioral health EHRs at a fixed price, with a reconciliation report for every record type. Get a migration quote.