This guide is designed to help you understand how to map the data in the DrChrono Electronic Health Information (EHI) exports, and it covers how to trace patient data, media files, and document associations across different export files.
Accessing the Index File and Data Mappings
To begin, you will need to access the index file. The index files provide the essential mappings for each data element in the export files and will be key to linking various pieces of patient and document information.
Learn more about downloading EHI Export Files.
File Organization Overview
For an overview of how the files are organized, including where to find specific data for individual patients and bulk exports, please refer to DrChrono EHI Export Reference Guide v1. This reference guide outlines the folder structure and shows where data types are stored, including patient demographics, clinical notes, consent forms, and other documents.
Mapping Patient Data Across Files
This section explains how to trace and map patient data across the different files in your export. We will be using the uploaded_documents.csv file as an example.
Step 1: Locate the Demographics File
One of the key files in your export is the demographics.csv file, which contains patient demographic information.
In this file, the ID field corresponds to the unique patient ID in the DrChrono system.
See the example below.
Demographics.csv: The id field contains the unique patient ID (e.g., 12345).
Step 2: Locate the Uploaded Documents File
Next, look at the uploaded_documents.csv file, which contains data related to patient documents.
In this file: The id field is the unique document ID.
The patient_id field links the document to a specific patient, matching the patient ID in the demographics.csv file.
See the example below.
Uploaded_documents.csv: The patient_id field will match the id field from the demographics.csv file, allowing you to track which documents belong to which patient.
Step 3: Trace the Documents
Documents are stored in different folders based on their document type. You can trace these documents back to the patient by matching the patient_id in the uploaded_documents.csv file to the id in the demographics.csv file.
An example of a document folder structure is below.
Patient Folder: This folder contains all documents related to a specific patient, including clinical notes, consent forms, and educational resources. Each document is stored in a specific subfolder based on its type.
In the uploaded_documents.csv file, the document field will show the file path of each document, which corresponds to the folder structure and will allow you to identify the document.
4. Data Mapping for Media Files
The exported files for media (e.g., PDFs, and images) follow a specific pattern in both the file structure and the CSV data files. Here’s how to map the media files based on the data provided:
Example Media File Mappin
The file 00cb030b6ee84b13bd692577c733e6af.pdf can be found at:
doctors/exported_documents/education_resource_files/00cb030b6ee84b13bd692577c733e6af.pdf
In the “education_resource_#.csv” file the same file is described as:
clinical/education/00cb030b6ee84b13bd692577c733e6af.pdf
The URI field in the “education_resource_#.csv” data file adds descriptive namespaces (clinical/education) before the filename to indicate the file's category.
Doctor Folder Media File
The "doctors" folder in the export contains additional patient-related files, which are stored inside a subfolder called "exported_documents."
When you view the file list, you'll see the "doctors" folder as the main folder. Inside that, there will be a subfolder called "exported_documents," which holds three types of folders: "consent_form_files," "patient_import_ccda_files," and "education_resource_files."
Consent Form Files (Folder Name: consent_form_files)
| Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location | /doctors/exported_documents/consent_forms_files/08fc5657-b113-4051-a341-cba603e0a59b.pdf | ||
| Media File Index Location |
doctors/consent_forms_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: consent_forms_1.csv, consent_forms_2.csv, etc. |
URI Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | hipaa_forms/<year>/<month>/<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | hipaa_forms/2019/03/08fc5657-b113-4051-a341-cba603e0a59b.pdf |
Education Resource Files (Folder Name: education_resource_files)
| Media File Location | /doctors/exported_documents/education_resource_files | |
| Example Media File Location | /doctors/exported_documents/education_resource_files/
99e4d0ab3d8744febb280a6bda884a93.pdf |
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| Media File Index Location |
doctors/education_resource_#.csv - file_path Column Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: education_resource_1.csv, education_resource_2.csv, etc. |
file_path Column |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | clinical/education/<filename>.<extension> |  |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | clinical/education/99e4d0ab3d8744febb280a6bda884a93.pdf |
Patient Import CCDA Files (Folder Name: patient_import_ccda_file_files)
| Media File Location |
/doctors/exported_documents/patient_import_ccda_file_files Please note: Imported CCDA files contained in this subfolder are exported as .zip files which contain the .xml file for a patient |
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| Example Media File Location |
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| Media File Index Location |
doctors/patient_import_ccda_file_#.csv
Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: patient_import_ccda_file_1.csv, patient_import_ccda_file_2.csv, etc. |
import_file Column
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| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index |
patient_import/<year>/<month>/<filename>.<extension>
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patient_import/2016/08/ba6643ad-b951-46c1-b335-d48aa21adfbf.zip
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Patient Folder Media File
The "patients" folder in the export contains additional patient-related files, which are stored inside a subfolder called "exported_documents."
When you view the file list, you'll see the "doctors" folder as the main folder. Inside that, there will be a subfolder called "exported_documents," which contains the following folders:
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clinical_note_files
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consent_form_signature_files
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direct_message_attachment_files
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doctor_message_files
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imported_clinical_care_document_files
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inbound_referrals_files
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lab_order_document_files
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outbound_referrals_files
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patient_message_attachment_files
Clinical Note Files (Folder Name: clinical_note_files)
| Media File Location |
/patients/exported_documents/clinical_note_files
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Example Media File Location
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/patients/exported_documents/clinical_note_files/
note_4269_1751015_78b041f1-bc26-428c-ad12-103203c20fd9.pdf
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Media File Index Location
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note_pdf Column
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Media File Naming Convention Within the Index
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clinical/note_<doctor ID>_<appointment ID>/<filename>.<extension> Please note: There may be appointments within the clinical_notes_#.csv file with no .pdf note file attached to it. Those fields will be blank in the index file. |
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Example Media File Name Within the Index
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clinical/note_4269_1751015_78b041f1-bc26-428c-ad12-103203c20fd9.pdf
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Consent Form Signature Files (Folder Name: consent_form_signature_files)
| Media File Location | /patients/exported_documents/consent_form_signature_files | |
| Example Media File Location |
/patients/exported_documents/consent_form_signature_files/
3040_2009704_962620_22909_test_consent.pdf
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| Media File Index Location |
patients/consent_form_signatures_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: consent_form_signatures_1.csv, consent_form_signatures_2.csv, etc. |
cached_signed_file Column
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Media File Naming Convention Within the Index
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signed_consent_forms/<doctor ID>_<appointment ID>_<patient ID>_<filename>.<extension> Please note: There may be appointments within the consent_form_signatures_#.csv file with no media file attached to it. Those fields will be blank in the index file. |
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Example Media File Name Within the Index
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signed_consent_forms/3040_2009704_962620_22909_test_consent.pdf
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Direct Message Attachments (Folder Name: direct_message_attachment_files)
| Media File Location | /patients/exported_documents/direct_message_attachment_files | ||
| Example Media File Location |
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| Media File Index Location |
patients/direct_message_attachment_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: direct_message_attachment_1.csv, direct_message_attachment_2.csv, etc. |
content Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | dr_message_attachment/<year>/<month>_<doctor ID>_<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index |
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Doctor Message Files (Folder Name: doctor_message_files)
| Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location |
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| Media File Index Location |
patients/doctor_message_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: doctor_message_1.csv, doctor_message_2.csv, etc. |
attachment Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index |
dr_message_attachment/<year>/<month>/<doctor ID>/<filename>.<extension> Please note: There may be messages within the doctor_message_#.csv file with no media file attached to it. Those fields will be blank in the index file. |
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| Example Media File Name Within the Index | dr_message_attachment/2019/08/18584_6da3fa3a-5722-4127-9e51-d5a71dcb9e86.pdf |
Imported Clinical Care Document Files (Folder Name: imported_clinical_care_document_files)
| Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location | /patients/exported_documents/imported_clinical_care_document_files
/shoulder-x-ray.jpg |
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| Media File Index Location |
patients/uploaded_document_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: uploaded_document_1.csv, uploaded_document_2.csv, etc. |
document Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | clinical/<year>/<month>/<doctor ID>/<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | clinical/2022/04/220960_0de421f6-bd48-4c8b-946d-6c2618529384/shoulder-x-ray.jpg |
Inbound Referrals Files (File Name: inbound_referrals_files)
| Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location | /patients/exported_documents/inbound_referrals_files/inbound_fax_0
_00b9333a-d91e-4cca-830c-3c28db5a0cd0.pdf |
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| Media File Index Location |
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pdf Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | inbound_faxes/<year>/<month>/<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | inbound_faxes/2014/12/inbound_fax_0_00b9333a-d91e-4cca-830c-3c28db5a0cd0.pdf |
Lab Order Document Files (Folder Name: lab_order_document_files)
| Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location | /patients/exported_documents/lab_order_document_files/6bf7a4b78
f7a4a7daa8f5b5478d48b5464376-323143-REQ-6917413- requisition-form.pdf |
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| Media File Index Location |
patients/lab_order_document_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: lab_order_document_1.csv, lab_order_document_2.csv, etc. |
file Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | labs/<ID>/<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | labs/16700/035f4d6dd93e4b96a4aee74906d1a9c338504-
323143-REQ-6917412-requisition-form.pdf |
Outbound Referral Files (Folder Name: outbound_referrals_files)
| Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location | /patients/exported_documents/outbound_referrals_files/18584-0a819221-2f92-49bb-96d0-4cdf68040305.pdf | ||
| Media File Index Location |
patients/outbound_referrals_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: outbound_referrals_1.csv, outbound_referrals_2.csv, etc. |
pdf Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | referrals/<year>/<month>/<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | referrals/2015/08/18584-0a819221-2f92-49bb-96d0-4cdf68040305.pdf |
Patient Message Attachment Files (Folder Name: patient_message_attachment_files)
| Example Media File Location |
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| Example Media File Location |
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| Media File Index Location |
patients/patient_message_attachment_#.csv Please note that multiple index files may be generated depending on the size of your EHI export. Example: patient_message_attachment_1.csv, patient_message_attachment_2.csv, etc. |
attachment Column | |
| Media File Naming Convention Within the Index | message_attachment/<filename>.<extension> |  | |
| Example Media File Name Within the Index | message_attachment/2015/09/0bb19942-2fcc-438d-a1fe-6b6baa0eebff.pdf |