We’ve made switching from another EHR or pen and paper records to SimplePractice easier than ever. Switching to SimplePractice is free of charge, and you can be up and running in your new account within 1-3 business days if you follow the steps in this guide.  We’ve outlined each step below and have a dedicated team to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Note: If you’re an existing customer and you're switching between SimplePractice accounts (Group to Solo, Solo to Solo, Solo to Group), please see Switching between SimplePractice accounts.

Important: Currently, we’re only able to import your client list. We’re unable to import clinical documentation, diagnosis/treatment plans, billing history, or your existing calendar. See Step 4 for more information.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Switching from another EHR
  • Step 1: Exporting your client data
  • Step 2: Uploading your client data
  • Step 3: Sending a Mass Document request to your clients
  • Step 4: Storing client documentation and adding your calendar
• Switching from pen and paper records
• Switching between SimplePractice accounts
• FAQs about the Switching process

Note: We recommend importing your existing client data into your SimplePractice account as soon as you sign up. This will give you the opportunity to fully test all of the great features that we offer while you're in your 30-day free trial. 

Switching from another EHR

Step 1: Exporting your client data

The first step in migrating your client data into SimplePractice is exporting it from your previous EHR. You’ll want to obtain an export in a CSV or Excel file format if possible. For detailed exporting instructions based on your previous EHR, please refer to the table in My previous EHR is XXXX. How do I export my client data from XXXX? 

Note: If you’re unable to find your previous EHR in this link, we recommend reaching out to your previous EHR’s support team to request one. Once you have the export, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Uploading your client data

Download the SimplePractice Switching template

The next step is to download the SimplePractice Switching template and manually add your client data to it. Below, you’ll find the template in either a CSV or Excel format:

• SimplePractice Switching template CSV format
• SimplePractice Switching template Excel format

Add your client data

Once you download one of the above templates, you’re ready to begin copying your client data into the corresponding template columns. We recommend using Jamie Appleseed provided in the first row of the SimplePractice Switching template as an example.

There are 8 columns pre-listed in the downloaded SimplePractice Switching template, and these columns show all of the client demographic information that we're able to import for you. Other demographic information will be collected directly from your clients via the Client Portal in Step 3.

Below are the 8 columns provided on our ​​Switching template. Asterisks in the template indicate the required fields. When manually entering your client data, please refer to the details of each column below:

Note: If your previous EHR export file includes any other columns or data fields that aren’t already listed in our Switching template, please don’t include them in our template. The 8 columns on the SimplePractice Switching template is the only data we can import for you. Please don’t edit or update the column titles.

• Select your completed Switching template
• Click Open
  • Note: Once uploaded successfully, you’ll see your SimplePractice Switching template under Uploaded Files on Jamie Appleseed’s profile

• Submit a Help Request to notify our team so we can begin the import process
  • If you’re including minors or couple clients in your template, please let us know in your Help Request

Step 3: Sending a Mass Document request to your clients

Important: After your clients are imported, we strongly recommend double checking your client list, as well as customizing your intake forms and consent documents, prior to sending out the Mass Document Request. You can find more information on how to edit those documents here: Creating customized templates in My Notes and Forms.

Once your client list is ready, you’ll be notified via email with a link to access your Data Imports, and use the Send Document Request button:

When you click Send Document Request, you’ll be able to choose which intake forms you’d like to include, as well as edit a mass email to send to your imported clients.

This email will be sent to any client that has a valid email address and a Yes under the column Home Email ok to send email or Work Email ok to send email on the imported Switching template.

Note: The Mass Document Request is a one-time irreversible action that doesn’t expire. You can choose to use the Mass Document Request at a later date. If you choose to wait to use the Mass Document Request, keep in mind that it can only be used to request documents from imported clients and not any clients that were added to your client list manually. You can find more information on requesting intakes from existing clients here: How do I share documents with existing clients?

If your imported file is missing any valid information, you’ll see a red error message in the Intake Document Request column. Clicking View Failed Recipients or View Details will reveal what information is invalid or missing.

You can click Edit to be taken directly to the client’s Client Info page to add the necessary information.

Once you’ve added the missing information for each client on the list, you can manually send an intake packet to each client. For more information on this, please see: How do I share documents with existing clients?

Step 4: Storing client documentation and adding your calendar

There isn’t a way to transfer your client documentation (i.e. progress notes, diagnosis/treatment plans) or your current calendar to SimplePractice. Instead, we have workflows below to migrate both client documentation and your current calendar.

Importing client documentation

Note: This step is optional if you have another way to properly store your clients’ old notes.

There’s no need to worry about being able to keep notes from your other EHR because we offer 3 HIPAA-compliant ways for you to store and access them within your SimplePractice account:

• Option 1: Keep an archive of all client notes by creating a zip or compressed file including the notes that you’ve exported from your previous EHR. Upload this zip or compressed file into the Business Documents section of your account. This option is best if you don’t plan to access these notes regularly.
• Option 2: Keep an archive for each individual client that you’ll potentially access more frequently by creating a zip or compressed file of the notes for each client. Upload the correct file to the Uploaded Files box in the client’s profile.
• Option 3: You can save the client’s documentation to their individual profile in SimplePractice for safekeeping and also recreate past appointments on your calendar. This is a great option if you have clients who you see on a regular basis and you’d like to be able to quickly access their previous notes.
  • By recreating their past appointments, you’ll be able to attach specific files (e.g. previous progress notes) to specific past dates of service. Once you retroactively add the past appointments to your calendar, you can navigate to the client’s Overview page, open a previous appointment, and click + Progress Note.
  • From here, you can either copy and paste the text of the note into the progress note template, or you can attach the specific progress note file by clicking the paperclip icon. For more information on how to attach the progress note to a specific appointment, see: How to use progress and psychotherapy notes.
    • Keep in mind, you don’t need to recreate all past appointments, as you can alternatively recreate the most recent sessions. Furthermore, you’ll also want to adjust previous appointments to reflect a $0 appointment fee so a client balance doesn’t begin to accrue. To learn more, check out: Appointment level billing changes.

Tip: For detailed instructions on how to create a zip (compressed) file, see How do I create a zip or compressed file? To learn how to combine PDFs to make them more easily accessible for your reference, these guides are great resources: Using Preview to Combine PDFs and Using Adobe Acrobat to Combine PDFs.

Adding your calendar from your previous EHR

There isn’t a way to import your existing calendar into SimplePractice directly, so we recommend manually adding future appointments to your SimplePractice calendar. Please see Adding and managing appointments for more information. 

If you’d like to sync your Apple, Outlook, or Google Calendar, check out our guides to review each one’s capabilities:

• Getting started with a 1-way calendar sync for Apple Calendar or Outlook
• Getting started with the 2-way Google Calendar sync

Switching from pen and paper records

When switching from pen and paper records, there are 2 options to choose from. You can use the SimplePractice Switching template (recommended), or you can add each client manually one by one. 

Using the SimplePractice​​ Switching template

• Step 1: 
  • Download our SimplePractice Switching template in either CSV or Excel format
• Step 2:
  • Manually add each client and their demographic information to the template
  • Upload the file under Jamie Appleseed
  • Submit a Help Request to let us know the file is ready
• Step 3: 
  • Send a Mass Document Request

Adding each client manually

You can also manually add each client individually if you prefer. For detailed instructions on how to do this, see: Adding a new client and navigating your Clients & Contacts list.

Note: If you add each client manually, they’re not eligible to receive the Mass Document Request. Instead, intake documents must be sent to each client individually once they’re added to your client list. For more information on how to share documents with clients individually, see: Sending intake forms and documents to clients.

Switching between SimplePractice accounts

If you’re an existing customer switching between SimplePractice accounts (Group to Solo, Solo to Solo, Solo to Group), please submit a Help Request so that our team can help you with this process. If you haven’t already done so, go ahead and create the new SimplePractice free trial account and in your Help Request, please include the following:

• The full name and the email address associated with the new SimplePractice account. 
  • Create your new account with a different email address that’s not associated with your current SimplePractice account. You can update it at any time at Settings > My Profile.
• If you were a part of a group practice, provide the Account Owner’s or team member’s full name and email address that’s associated with their SimplePractice account.

Important: If you’re in a group practice, we’re only able to export data for existing clinicians in your SimplePractice account. This process must be done before the clinician has been deleted from your current SimplePractice account.

FAQs about the Switching process

• My previous EHR is XXXX. How do I export my client data from XXXX?
• I received an error regarding my Import Status. How do I fix this?
• My clients have been successfully imported. What are my next steps?
• How do I create a zip or compressed file?
• Where can I find the SimplePractice Switching template?

My previous EHR is XXXX. How do I export my client data from XXXX?

Tip: If you’re unable to find the EHR that you’re switching from in the table below, we recommend reaching out to them directly to request an export.

My clients have been successfully imported. What are my next steps?

After your clients are imported, we strongly recommend double checking your client list, as well as editing your intake forms and consent documents, prior to sending out the Mass Document Request.

If you see clients as couples, you’ll want to manually merge them as a couple to create a couple profile for them in your account. For detailed instructions on how to merge two existing client profiles to a couple: What is the best way to create a new couple from existing clients? You can also find more information in our guide on Enhanced Client Management for Couples.

If you see minors or any other clients with contacts, you’ll want to manually add contact info for each minor or client with contacts. For detailed instructions, see: Adding a contact to an existing minor client. You can also find more information in our guide on Enhanced Client Management for Minors.

How do I create a zip or compressed file?

On Windows:

• Locate the file or folder that you want to zip
• Right click the file or folder
• Select Send to
• Click Compressed (zipped) folder

• A new zipped folder with the same name with the .zip extension is created in the same location
• To rename it, right click on the file or folder and select Rename
• To unzip a file or folder, you can click and drag it to a new location

On a Mac:

• Locate the file or folder that you want to compress
• Right click on the file or folder
• Select Compress “FILE NAME” 

• If you compress a single item, the compressed file has the name of the original item with the .zip extension. If you compress multiple items at once, the compressed file is named Archive.zip
• To rename the file, right click the file and select Rename
• To expand a compressed file, double click the .zip file

Where can I find the SimplePractice Switching template?