How Migration Works
Migration is a managed process. You provide credentials to your current system through the Onboarding Dashboard, and StrataPT’s onboarding team handles the extraction and import into StrataEMR. Step 1: Discovery Your onboarding lead reviews your current system, data volume, and any unique considerations during or shortly after your kickoff call. Step 2: Credential Delivery You provide login credentials to your current system through the Onboarding Dashboard. The onboarding team needs unattended, uninterrupted access to extract your data. Step 3: Data Extraction and Import The onboarding team logs into your current system, extracts the supported data, maps it to StrataEMR’s data model, and loads it into your account while it’s in onboarding state. Step 4: Verification You review the migrated data in your StrataEMR account. Spot-check patient records, insurance details, and referrer information to confirm accuracy before go-live. Step 5: Remediation Any discrepancies found during verification are corrected by the onboarding team. Minor issues that surface after go-live can be corrected as patients are encountered.What Data Migrates
StrataPT imports the following data from your current system.Patient Data
| Field | What Transfers |
|---|---|
| Patient name | Full name |
| Address | Full address |
| Phone numbers | Home, wireless, and work phone |
| Diagnosis | Active diagnoses |
| Onset of injury date | Date associated with the case |
| Prescription date | Prescription date on file |
Policy Data
| Field | What Transfers |
|---|---|
| Payer | Insurance company |
| Subscriber number | Member/subscriber ID |
| Group number | Group number |
| Policy data | Policy details on file |
Referrer Data
| Field | What Transfers |
|---|---|
| Name | First and last name |
| Salutation | Dr., etc. |
| Credentials | MD, DO, etc. |
| NPI | Referring provider NPI |
| Address | Full address |
| Phone and fax | Phone number and fax number |
What Does Not Migrate
The following data is not imported by StrataPT’s migration service.| Data Type | Why It Doesn’t Transfer |
|---|---|
| Authorizations | Authorization structures vary significantly between systems. Active authorizations will need to be entered in StrataEMR during onboarding. |
| Plan of Care documents | These clinical documents are not extracted during migration. See guidance below on handling historical documents. |
| Clinical documentation | Progress notes, evaluations, discharge summaries, and other clinical records are not migrated. |
| Inactive patients | Only active patients are imported. Inactive or discharged patients remain in your previous system. |
| Stored documents | Scanned documents, uploaded files, and attachments stored in your previous system are not transferred. |
| Schedule data | Past and future appointment data does not migrate. Your schedule starts fresh in StrataEMR. |
Handling Historical Documents and Clinical Records
Since clinical documentation, Plan of Care documents, and stored documents do not migrate automatically, you’ll need to plan for how your practice handles this historical data.Option 1: Maintain access to your previous system
Option 1: Maintain access to your previous system
Many practices keep their previous EMR active in a read-only or limited capacity for a period of time so staff can reference historical records when needed. This is the most common approach during the transition.
Option 2: Upload critical documents manually
Option 2: Upload critical documents manually
If specific documents need to be accessible within StrataEMR (for example, a current evaluation or active Plan of Care for an ongoing case), your team can upload them directly to the patient’s chart. Your onboarding team will show you how during training.
Option 3: Bulk scan and upload
Option 3: Bulk scan and upload
For practices with a high volume of critical historical documents, your onboarding team can provide guidance on organizing and uploading documents in bulk.
Entering Authorizations After Migration
Since authorizations don’t transfer automatically, your team will need to enter active authorizations into StrataEMR during onboarding or shortly after go-live. This is a critical step for practices with a high volume of authorization-dependent visits, since missing authorizations can delay billing. Your onboarding team will walk you through authorization entry during training. Prioritize entering authorizations for patients scheduled in the first two weeks after go-live, then work through the remaining active authorizations in the weeks that follow.Migration by Starting Point
From Another EMR
This is the most common scenario. StrataPT logs directly into your current system to extract data, so there’s no need for you to produce an export file. What you’ll need to provide:- Login credentials to your current EMR, entered through the Onboarding Dashboard
- We’ll need unattended, uninterrupted access for the onboarding team during the extraction window
- Contact information for your current EMR vendor, if vendor coordination is needed for access or data retrieval
- Confirmation of any data you want excluded from migration (e.g., specific patient populations)
- The onboarding team handles extraction directly. You don’t need to run reports or produce exports.
- Structured data (demographics, insurance, referrers) transfers cleanly. The items listed in “What Does Not Migrate” above are excluded regardless of your source EMR.
- Your onboarding lead will coordinate timing so the extraction captures the most current data possible before go-live.
From Paper Records
For practices moving from paper to an EMR for the first time, there’s no electronic system to extract from. Migration is primarily a data entry exercise. What you’ll need to provide:- A list of active patients with current demographics and insurance information, in any organized format (preferably as a spreadsheet)
- Referrer information for active referring providers
- Patient demographics, insurance, and referrer data for active patients can be entered into StrataEMR by your team during onboarding, with guidance from the onboarding team.
- Historical paper records remain as paper. They can be scanned and uploaded to patient charts in StrataEMR if your practice chooses to do so.
- This scenario has a lighter data migration lift but a steeper change management challenge, since your team is adopting an EMR for the first time rather than switching between systems.
From Microsoft Word or Spreadsheets
For practices using Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or similar tools for patient tracking and documentation. What you’ll need to provide:- All relevant files, organized by patient or data type where possible
- Context on how your files are structured (e.g., “each patient has a Word doc per visit” or “we use a master spreadsheet for all active patients”)
- Structured data in spreadsheets (patient demographics, insurance tables) can typically be mapped and imported into StrataEMR.
- Word-based clinical documents may be uploaded as attachments to patient records, depending on format and volume.
- The onboarding team will review your files during discovery to determine the most efficient path.
Preparing for Migration
What You Can Do Now
Verify your active patient list. Since inactive patients are excluded from migration, confirm that patient statuses in your current system are accurate. If patients are marked active who shouldn’t be, clean that up before migration. Update stale insurance information. Insurance data in your current system transfers as-is. If you know patients have had coverage changes, update your current system before migration or flag those patients for correction after. Gather your credentials early. The onboarding team needs login credentials delivered through the Onboarding Dashboard. Don’t wait until the extraction window to figure out your admin access. If you’ve forgotten passwords or need vendor help to reset them, start that process now. Designate a migration point of contact. Choose someone at your practice who knows where the data lives, how your current system works, and can answer questions from the onboarding team quickly. This is often the office manager or practice owner. Plan for authorization re-entry. Review your current active authorization volume. Practices with a high number of active authorizations should plan staff time to enter them into StrataEMR during or shortly after onboarding. Decide how to handle historical documents. Determine whether you’ll maintain access to your previous system, upload critical documents manually, or pursue a bulk upload approach. Your onboarding lead can help you weigh the options.What You Don’t Need to Do
- You don’t need to export data. For EMR-to-EMR migrations, the onboarding team extracts data directly. No reports, CSVs, or data dumps on your end.
- You don’t need to migrate everything at once. Documents and authorizations can be added to StrataEMR after go-live as needed. Focus on getting the core data right first.
- You don’t need to keep your old system forever. But maintaining read-only access for a transition period (typically a few months) is recommended for referencing historical records that didn’t migrate.
Timeline
Migration timelines vary based on your starting point, data volume, and system accessibility. Your onboarding lead will provide a specific timeline during your kickoff call based on your practice’s situation. Migration timelines are built into the overall onboarding schedule, so there’s no separate migration project to manage.After Migration
Once data is loaded into StrataEMR, the verification period begins. Actively spot-check migrated data as you encounter patients. What to verify for each patient:- Name, date of birth, and contact information
- Insurance payer, subscriber number, and group number
- Diagnosis and onset of injury date
- Referring provider assignment and NPI
- Prescription date
Next steps:
- What to Expect — See the full journey from contract through go-live and hypercare.
- Preparing Your Team — Get your staff ready before onboarding begins.