Migration Resource

EMR Data Migration Planning Checklist

Switching EMRs is one of the highest-stakes decisions a practice makes. The difference between success and disaster comes down to data migration. This checklist helps you scope key categories, timeline assumptions, and common pitfalls so gaps are easier to find before cutover.

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Jump to a Category:

Patient Demographics Clinical Documentation Medications Lab Results Imaging & Diagnostics Billing & Claims History Insurance Information Appointments & Scheduling Referrals & Care Coordination Scanned Documents & Attachments Provider Notes & Templates

Data Migration Checklist by Category

Review each category with your team before migration begins. Each unchecked item is a potential gap in patient care or revenue continuity.

Patient Demographics

The foundation of every patient record. Errors here cascade through billing, communications, and care coordination.

Full legal name and preferred name

Date of birth and gender identity

Social Security Number (encrypted)

Home, work, and mailing addresses

Phone numbers (home, mobile, work)

Email addresses

Emergency contacts and relationships

Preferred language and communication method

Race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation (for quality reporting)

Employer information

Primary care provider assignment

Patient portal credentials and preferences

Clinical Documentation

The clinical narrative of every patient encounter. Structured data, free text, and associated metadata should be accounted for in the migration scope.

Encounter notes included in the agreed scope (SOAP, H&P, progress notes)

Problem lists with onset dates and status

History of present illness records

Review of systems documentation

Physical examination findings

Assessment and plan documentation

Procedure notes and operative reports

Consultation notes

Discharge summaries

Patient instructions and handouts given

Clinical decision-making documentation

Addenda and amendments with timestamps

Medications

Active, historical, and discontinued medication records with prescribing context.

Active medication list with dosages

Medication history (discontinued and changed)

Prescription records and refill history

Pharmacy preferences

Medication allergies and adverse reactions

Drug interaction alerts and overrides

Prior authorization records

Controlled substance prescribing history

Medication reconciliation records

Sample medications dispensed

Patient-reported OTC medications

Immunization records with lot numbers

Lab Results

Structured lab data with reference ranges, ordering context, and longitudinal trending.

Lab results included in the agreed scope with reference ranges

Ordering provider and order date

Specimen collection details

Lab facility and performing lab info

Abnormal result flags and critical values

Provider review and sign-off timestamps

Trending data for longitudinal results (A1C, lipids, etc.)

Pending lab orders

Patient-reported outside lab results

Point-of-care test results

Imaging & Diagnostics

Imaging orders, reports, and associated files across all modalities.

Imaging order history

Radiology reports and interpretations

DICOM image references or files

Pathology reports

ECG/EKG results and tracings

Pulmonary function test results

Diagnostic procedure results

Outside imaging reports

Comparison study references

Billing & Claims History

Financial records essential for revenue continuity, audit trails, and payer relationships.

Submitted claims included in the agreed scope with CPT and ICD codes

Claim status history (accepted, denied, appealed)

Explanation of Benefits (EOB) records

Patient balance and payment history

Adjustment and write-off records

Collection status and notes

Superbill and charge capture history

Prior authorization approvals

Fee schedule assignments

Copay and deductible tracking

Insurance Information

Active and historical coverage data for billing continuity.

Primary insurance details and policy numbers

Secondary and tertiary insurance

Subscriber information and relationships

Group numbers and plan types

Coverage effective and termination dates

Eligibility verification history

Coordination of benefits records

Workers' compensation case details

Auto accident and liability insurance

Medicaid and Medicare identifiers

Appointments & Scheduling

Historical and future scheduling data for continuity of care.

Appointment history with types and statuses

Future scheduled appointments

No-show and cancellation records

Provider schedule templates

Recurring appointment patterns

Wait list entries

Appointment reminders and preferences

Telehealth vs. in-person designation

Referrals & Care Coordination

Referral workflows, external provider communications, and care coordination records.

Incoming and outgoing referral records

Referring and receiving provider details

Referral status and completion tracking

Authorization numbers

Specialist consultation reports

Care coordination notes

Transition of care summaries

External provider contact information

Scanned Documents & Attachments

Unstructured files that contain critical clinical and administrative information.

Scanned paper records and intake forms

Patient-signed consent forms

HIPAA acknowledgment records

Advanced directives and living wills

Power of attorney documentation

Outside medical records received

Correspondence (letters, faxes)

Patient-uploaded documents and photos

Insurance cards and ID scans

Workers' comp and disability forms

Provider Notes & Templates

Custom clinical content that reflects your practice's documentation standards.

Custom note templates and macros

Favorite order sets

Smart phrase libraries

Custom form templates

Letter and referral templates

Provider-specific preferences

Clinical decision support rules

Custom flowsheet definitions

Recommended Migration Timeline

A well-planned migration often takes 6-10 weeks, depending on source-system access, data volume, and validation depth. This timeline balances thoroughness with momentum.

Phase 1: Planning (2-3 weeks)

Inventory all data categories in your current EMR
Identify data owners and stakeholders
Document custom fields and workflows
Establish data validation criteria
Create rollback and contingency plans

Phase 2: Extraction (2-3 weeks)

Execute data exports through available APIs, vendor exports, or validated tools
Extract or archive unstructured documents and attachments according to scope
Validate extraction completeness against source counts
Transform data to target schema
Run automated quality checks where the exported structure supports them

Phase 3: Validation (1-2 weeks)

Spot-check patient records against source system
Validate clinical data integrity and relationships
Verify billing history included in the agreed scope
Test access to migrated or archived documents and images
Confirm provider template recreation needs

Phase 4: Go-Live (1-2 weeks)

Final delta migration for recent changes
Cutover to new system with parallel access
Monitor for data discrepancies in real time
Plan support coverage for the first week of operation
Post-migration audit at 30, 60, and 90 days

Common Migration Pitfalls

Learn from the mistakes other practices have made so you do not repeat them.

Skipping the data audit

What happens: Discovering missing data categories after go-live creates panic and workarounds that become permanent.

Prevention: Inventory every data category before extraction begins. Use this checklist as your starting point.

Ignoring unstructured data

What happens: Scanned documents, faxes, and attachments contain critical clinical information that structured exports miss.

Prevention: Include document and attachment migration as a dedicated workstream, not an afterthought.

Insufficient validation

What happens: Migrated data looks complete in aggregate but has field-level errors that surface during patient encounters.

Prevention: Validate at the field level on a representative sample. Automated checks catch volume issues; manual review catches logic errors.

No rollback plan

What happens: If critical issues emerge post-migration, there is no clear path back to the previous system.

Prevention: Maintain read-only access to the source system for 90 days post-migration. Never terminate your old contract on go-live day.

Underestimating training time

What happens: Staff frustration on day one creates negative sentiment that undermines adoption even after technical issues are resolved.

Prevention: Begin training two weeks before go-live. Focus on the 10 workflows each role uses daily, not comprehensive system training.

Krasyn Helps You Manage the Migration

This checklist is comprehensive because migration is complex. You do not have to manage it alone: Krasyn helps scope, coordinate, validate, and support the migration plan so your team can focus on patient care.

Scoped

Agreed data categories covered

Planned

Practice-specific migration timeline

Validated

Reconciliation checks before cutover

Plan Your Migration With Krasyn

Get a migration assessment. We'll review your current EMR export options, map the agreed data categories, and give you a scoped timeline.

Schedule a Migration Assessment View Migration Process