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Q&A: Ask a Customer Onboarding Specialist
Switching EHRs can feel a little like moving to a new house while still hosting guests. You’re trying to keep everything running smoothly, keep people comfortable, and somehow label every box correctly. If you’re a college health clinic leader, counseling center director, or VPSA helping oversee the transition, you’re probably juggling a mix of logistics, compliance, privacy, and the big question: “How do we make this better without disrupting care?”
Below are eight of the most common questions we hear about switching to Medicat:
1. Will Medicat match our current intake workflow (forms, questionnaires, screening tools)?
In most cases, yes—and this is also a chance to make intake way smoother.
If your current process involves students filling out forms in multiple places (or staff re-entering info manually), your MedicatOne implementation is the perfect time to make improvements.
MedicatOne can support a modern intake experience with:
- Digital forms and questionnaires
- User-friendly documentation
- Better routing of information to the right place (i.e. referrals, educational materials, etc.)
And the goal isn’t just to “match what you have.” It’s to improve it, so your intake process becomes faster for students and easier for staff. This workflow audit will be something you discuss with your Customer Onboarding Specialist at the beginning of the upgrade process, as we want you to find greater efficiencies in your new workflow whenever possible!
2. What data do you migrate vs. leave behind? And what cleanup do you recommend?
This is where you get to be strategic.
Most EHR transitions focus on migrating the data you truly need for:
- Continuity of care
- Compliance reporting
- Operational workflows
- Documentation needs
- Billing needs (if applicable)
Meanwhile, items like outdated templates, duplicate note types, and “we never use this anymore” can simply be left behind.
Cleanup recommendations before a switch:
- Retire old or duplicate note types
- Standardize templates (especially if different staff created their own versions)
- Remove unused forms
- Decide what should be archived actively searchable
If your team bills insurance or manages payments, the transition is also a great time to simplify billing workflows and eliminate any unnecessary steps.
3. Do we need to put all students from our old EHR into Medicat?
Usually, no—and most campuses are relieved to hear that. Instead, many schools migrate:
- Currently enrolled students
- Recently active records (for continuity of care)
- Students who may return soon (depending on institutional policy)
Older, inactive records can usually be retained via an export from your previous EHR, stored separately to meet retention requirements without cluttering your new system.
4. How do we handle students who were compliant in our old EHR, so they don’t fall out of compliance in Medicat?
This is one of the first (and most important) concerns—especially if your campus relies on immunization compliance for registration holds, housing, or clinical placements.
The goal during implementation is to carry forward each student’s compliance status, so you’re not starting from scratch. Typically, teams migrate the core immunization dates and compliance indicators, so students who were “good to go” remain so after the switch.
Medicat also supports workflows that can reduce manual review moving forward. For example, Medicat’s immunization tools and integrations can streamline verification and flag noncompliant records quickly.
Friendly tip: Before migration, run a compliance report in your current system so you have a clean benchmark to compare against once you’re live on MedicatOne.
5. How do we set up permissions between clinics or departments?
Medicat supports highly granular permissions, meaning you can control access to view records or make changes based on a user’s role and clinic.
For example:
- Medical staff may access immunizations and student health center visit notes, but not counseling notes
- Counseling trainees may only see their assigned clients
- Training Supervisors can review/approve notes without opening access broadly.
6. How can we automate appointment reminders?
You have options (and students usually appreciate the nudge!).
Automated reminders can be sent through:
- Secure messages
- Emails
- Texts
Why it matters: fewer no-shows, fewer last-minute schedule gaps, and less manual work for front desk staff.
Pro tip: Some campuses also add a quick “what to expect” note in reminders (especially for counseling intakes) to reduce anxiety and boost follow-through.
7. How long does onboarding take, and what training opportunities are available?
Timelines vary depending on your campus size, complexity, and what you’re migrating.
A smooth go-live depends less on “speed” and more on:
- Well-planned (and cleaned-up) workflows
- Role-based training opportunities
- Clear internal ownership (who decides what, does what, and approves what)
Training is typically most successful when it’s hands-on and role-specific. A nurse needs different training than a counselor, who needs different training than the administrative staff.
Friendly reminder: Training isn’t a one-and-done event. The strongest implementations build in refreshers, quick guides, and support for “we forgot how to do that” moments during the first few weeks. That’s why Medicat hosts regular, virtual education events. Plus, our Help Center features hundreds of articles, videos, and step-by-step walkthroughs showing you exactly how to use our tools. Our Support Team is also always here to help.
8. How do we make sure we don’t disrupt care during the upgrade?
Students don’t pause their needs just because your software is changing. Here are the practical ways campuses can reduce disruption:
- Plan go-live timing strategically (avoid peak immunization or intake seasons when possible)
- Keep a clear cutover plan for scheduling, chart access, and communications
- Migrate the data needed for active patients and ongoing cases first
- Use parallel processes briefly if needed (for critical services)
- Communicate early with campus partners (housing, athletics, academic affairs)
For counseling centers, continuity can also mean ensuring risk and safety info is easy to access in the new system—without digging. Many leaders value dashboards and centralized risk tracking for exactly this reason.
Key Takeaways
Switching EHRs is a big change—but it’s also an opportunity to simplify workflows, reduce manual work, and set up your team for better student care.
The smoothest transitions focus on the essentials: clean data, smart permissions, streamlined intake, and strong training. If you plan continuity from the start, students shouldn’t feel the switch—except in the form of a better care experience.
