Prior to beginning the implementation process, the first step is to plan and strategize for implementation. A key step in planning is ensuring that the organization or agency looking to implement has all the necessary systems and functionalities in place to be eCR-ready. Guidance in this section will walk toolkit users through assessing their eCR readiness.

Planning should also involve becoming familiar with key HL7 standards for eCR and determining what actions will be needed prior to implementation.