When planning for system go-live, the Health Resources and Services Administration recommends covering all aspects of the implementation cycle and allocating enough time to become familiar with new tasks. Prior to go-live, you should test your EHR. Backup and downtime procedures should also be checked.

Approximately two weeks prior to go-live, begin training your staff in the EHR application and on new policies and procedures. Staff should create usernames and passwords prior to go-live and complete a "patient walkthrough" to simulate an entire patient visit. As the actual go-live day arrives, signs should be placed in offices and hallways to notify patients the go-live is taking place and to request their patience through the process.

The following resources may also help your organization plan for system go-live:

• The Center for Health IT at the American Academy of Family Physicians provides general implementation guidelines and a sample implementation timeline . The timeline suggests various activities to be completed at different times before your organization’s go-live date.
• You can use Stratis Health’s Go-Live Checklist to ensure your organization is ready to go live with a system. Stratis Health also produced a document detailing various rollout and turnover strategies . The tool describes how an EHR system may be rolled out over time and suggests methods to transition users to the EHR.