Free Guide
Switching EHRs Without Disrupting Your Practice
For practices on an outdated or inflexible EHR who aren't sure switching is worth the disruption. It usually is — when the migration is properly sequenced: data mapped out in advance, staff trained before go-live, and real support on hand when it counts.
What's inside:
- Why switching feels riskier than it actually is
- The real, ongoing cost of staying on the wrong system
- What actually separates a well-run migration from a chaotic one
- Questions to ask any EHR vendor about their migration process
"Practices that dread switching are usually picturing a version of this process with steps skipped. Practices that go through a properly sequenced migration tend to describe it as easier than they originally expected — which, for something this important, is exactly what you want."
Written by the same team that's guided independent practices through EHR transitions for 35+ years.
Is it worth switching EHRs?
For most independent practices on an outdated or inflexible EHR, yes, as long as the migration is properly sequenced. The disruption practices dread usually comes from skipped steps, like no parallel run or training squeezed into go-live week, not from switching itself. Staying put has a cost too: every workaround and slow support ticket adds up across every provider, every day.
Signs it's time to switch EHRs
- ✓
Your team works around the system, not with it
Workflows built for someone else's practice mean extra clicks and workarounds for every provider, every day.
- ✓
You can't configure it to how you actually work
You keep adjusting your process to fit the software instead of the other way around.
- ✓
Support is slow, generic, or gone
A ticket queue instead of a person who knows your account.
- ✓
You're paying for a bundle you don't use
Features you never turned on are still on the invoice.
- ✓
Staff have quietly gone back to paper
Sticky notes and spreadsheets running alongside the EHR are a sign it isn't doing its job.
What a well-run EHR migration includes
- 1
Data migration planning
Map exactly what data exists in your current system and where it needs to land, before anything moves.
- 2
A parallel-run period
Old and new systems run side by side for a defined window, so nothing is a one-way door on day one.
- 3
Staff training before go-live
Your team learns the new system before they use it on a live patient, not the same week.
- 4
A real go-live day, with real support
Someone is available and responsive on day one, not a ticket you submit and wait on.
- 5
A stabilization period
The first few weeks bring small adjustments, and support is planned for them.
The free guide goes through each stage in detail, with the questions to ask any vendor about it and a printable checklist to bring into vendor conversations.
On implementation
“Going into this and separating, I thought it was going to be really hard... but Criterions made it seamless and implementation got us up and running in no time.”
Questions practices ask about switching
How long does it take to switch EHRs with Criterions?+
Most practices are live in four to eight weeks from signed to go-live. The timeline depends mostly on how much historical data you want converted and how many providers need to be scheduled around for training, not on the software itself.
What happens to our existing patient records?+
Data conversion is handled in-house by the Criterions team, working directly with your practice staff to gather what’s needed — there’s no outside vendor in the middle. How much history actually gets converted is entirely up to your practice: some bring years of records forward, others start the new chart fresh and keep the old system on hand for reference.
Do I have to buy EHR and practice management together?+
No. They are licensed separately and either one runs on its own. Practices that already have billing they’re happy with, and billing companies that don’t need a clinical chart, are both common setups.