Setting up staff profiles in Canvas enables team members to access relevant tools and permissions based on their roles. When a new staff member joins the team, they should be added as a staff member in Canvas prior to their start date. Depending on their role, there may be additional setup and details needed, such as license configuration, work addresses, and integration setups.

User's Guide

Role-Specific Setup Requirements

Before setting up the profile, determine what additional setup is needed based on their role:

• Licensed Staff: Plan to add licenses and a work address to provider profiles

• Lab Ordering: Plan to complete Health Gorilla setup and ensure Canvas Support updates settings

• Prescribers: Plan to set up eRx and DrFirst, adding necessary details in their profile

Configuration & Set Up

Creating a New Staff Profile

1. Navigate to Settings > Practice: Staff

2. Click the ADD STAFF + button to initiate creation of a new profile

Completing Staff Details

Fill out the following required and recommended fields:

• First Name

• Last Name

  Provider names must match exactly as they appear on their medical license to avoid potential prescription errors.

• Date of Birth: Displays on prescription orders for providers. Non-clinical staff can have a placeholder date of birth (e.g. 01/01/01)

• Last Known Timezone: The user's timezone

  • When specified, the provider's timezone will be specified on their individual schedule view if it differs from the user.

• Sex at Birth: Select from dropdown

• Primary Practice Location: Choose from available locations

• NPI Number: Required for all staff members

  • Keep default 1111155556 for non-clinical staff

  • Update with valid NPI for providers

• Tax ID: Provide the appropriate Tax ID based on the billing method, whether for an organization or a specific practice location.

  • While optional, leaving blank for providers triggers claim check alerts

• Tax ID Type, Language, and Schedule Column Ordering: Keep as default settings

• Signature: Displays as provider signatures on all visit notes, printed lab or imaging order requisitions, referrals, and can be included in letter templates.

• Personal Meeting Room Link: A direct link to virtual exam rooms used for telehealth visits.

• Supervising Provider: Physician the provider operates under

Uploading Staff Signatures

1. The provider's signature will need to be saved to the user's device with the following requirements:

   • Transparent or solid white background

   • Thick, bold lines

   • Closely cropped to the signature

   • File format is png or jpeg

2. Click Choose File

3. Select and upload the prepared signature file

Configuring a Telehealth Exam Room

For telehealth providers only

1. Add the provider's direct link to the Personal Meeting Room Link field.

2. Once saved, click the current link to confirm it routes correctly.

3. During telehealth visits, the provider will be directed here when the blue camera button is clicked in the note heading.

Adding a Provider's Supervising Physician

1. Click the dropdown on the Default Supervising Provider setting

2. Select the provider's supervising physician from the dropdown

   • This supervising physician will default on any Prescribe command for the provider

   • The supervising physician's profile will also need to be completed to send prescriptions successfully

Staff Photo Guidelines

Keep the field set to default unless a formatted personal photo is available to replace the avatar.

1. Acquire a public direct URL for the staff photo or reach out to Canvas Support to host the image.

   • Ensure the image is a high-resolution .png or .jpg file for optimal display.

2. Enter the URL in the Photo field.

Assigning Staff Roles

1. Under the Staff Roles heading, click to expand the Role dropdown

2. Select the appropriate staff role for the staff member

3. To add multiple roles:

   • Click + Add another Staff role

   • Select additional roles as needed

   For more information on creating staff roles, refer to Staff Roles.

   Note: When creating new clinical roles, additional configuration may be required:

   • Add the role's internal code to SCHEDULABLE_STAFF_ROLES under Practice: Organizations if the role should appear on the schedule

   • Add the role's internal code to PRESCRIBER_STAFF_ROLES under Practice: Organizations if the role needs to prescribe medication

   • If modifying permissions on existing roles, unassign and reassign the role to current users for changes to take effect

Adding Staff Contact Points

1. Ensure all required contact points are completed.

   • System: Specify the contact method.

     • Email: Mandatory for all staff to facilitate password resets and system notifications.

     • Phone: Required for prescribing providers to discuss patient-related matters.

       • Appears on externally sent documents (e.g., referrals, prescriptions, imaging/lab orders).

       • Enter numeric values only, exclude special characters or formatting.

     • Fax: Required for prescribing providers to discuss patient-related matters.

       • The fax number is provided by Canvas during implementation.

       • Enter numeric values only, exclude special characters or formatting.

       • Appears on externally sent documents (e.g., referrals, prescriptions, imaging/lab orders).

   • Value: The provider's email, phone, or fax, depending on the selected system.

     • Phone and fax numbers must be numeric only. Numbers are autoformatted on documents.

     • Including special characters will distort the format and exclude digits on documents.

   • Use: Retain the default setting — Work.

     • Changing this setting may cause errors when sending prescriptions, orders, or result in empty contact fields.

   • Use Notes: Add any internal comments regarding the contact point.

   • Rank: Retain the default setting — 1.

2. Click +Add another Staff contact point to include additional points of contact.

Adding a Staff Addresses

Required for prescribing providers or staff with licenses listed in their profile

1. Click + Add another Staff address

2. Complete address fields

3. Set the Use field to Work

4. Set the Type field to Postal or Both

Adding Staff Licenses

For providers to prescribe in Canvas, licenses must be added to their staff profile.

Required Licenses

• State License: Required for all prescribing providers

• DEA: Required for providers prescribing controlled substances

Adding a License

1. In the staff license section, click + Add another Staff license

2. Complete Staff License fields

   • Issuing Authority Long Name

     • Required if "Other" is selected for license type

     • Leave blank for other license types

   • Issuing Authority Short Name: Leave blank

   • Issuing Authority URL: URL to website of issued license

   • License or Certification Identifier: Associated license number

   • Issuance Date: Date the license was issued

   • Expiration Date: Date the license expires

   • License Type: Select from dropdown

     • CLIA

     • DEA

     • PTAN

     • State License

     • Taxonomy

     • SPI

       • Surescripts Provider Identifier

       • This selection will be primarily for Canvas' use

       • Canvas creates a SPI for each prescribing provider. For assistance with prescribing enrollment, contact Canvas Support

     • Other

   • Primary: Applicable only to State and DEA licenses.

     • Only one license per type can be designated as primary.

     • If the box is left unchecked (default), the first entered license will appear on external documents when multiple licenses of the same type are added.

     • If the box is checked, the selected license will be displayed on external documents (e.g., prescriptions) regardless of the order in which licenses of the same type were added.

   • State: Associate the license with the state it was issued

     • Required if State License is selected for the license type

3. Repeat steps 1-3 for each additional license needed

Staff Settings

• Managed by Canvas

Managing Team-Staff Relationships

Canvas allows various staff members to be a part of different teams. Each team will carry a different responsibility

• Teams will auto-generate based on the staff's assignments in the Practice: Teams setting

• To manually assign teams:

  • Click + Add another Team-staff relationship

  • Select a created team from the dropdown

  • Repeat for additional teams as needed

  Refer to our Teams article for details on how to create teams

Mass Importing Staff with the Staff Loader

Preparing the Staff Loader Sheet

1. Access the formatted staff loader sheet from the Google Drive (provided during implementation)

2. Do not modify the column headings

3. Fill in staff data using the following format

   • Demographics

     • First Name

     • Last Name

       Provider names must match exactly as they appear on their medical license to avoid potential prescription errors.

     • DOB: Use MM-DD-YYYY format

     • Role: Use the role's Internal Code, not the display name

       • Only one role can be assigned using the staff loader

     • Primary Practice Location: Leave blank to default to the main location set under the organization setting specify an alternate practice location

       • Must match the practice location name in Canvas

     • Email

     • Phone: Numbers only, no special characters or spaces

     • NPI: Use 1111155556 for non-clinical staff and the true NPI for providers

   • Provider Licensing

     • State License Fields

       • License Name

       • License Nickname

       • License URL: Leave blank (not required)

       • License Number

       • License Issue Date: MM-DD-YYYY format

       • License Expiration Date: MM-DD-YYYY format

     • DEA License Fields: Only needed if the provider will be prescribing controlled substances

       • DEA Number

       • DEA Issue Date: MM-DD-YYYY format

       • DEA Expiration Date: MM-DD-YYYY format

Uploading the Staff Loader

1. Download the completed sheet as .csv

   • Go to File > Download

   • Select Comma Separated Values (.csv)

2. In Canvas settings select Staff Loader under the Staff heading

3. Click Add Staff Loader +

4. Click Choose File to upload the .csv file

5. Click Upload

6. Review results:

   • If errors appear, staff members will not be added

   • Correct errors in the spreadsheet

   • Re-save as CSV and upload again

   • Contact Canvas Customer Support if assistance is needed

     Re-uploading the same file will not duplicate existing staff members.

Updating Existing Staff Profiles

1. Navigate to Settings and click Staff under the Practice heading

2. Choose the staff name for the profile requiring updates

3. Make changes to the necessary fields

4. Click Save

Inactivating Staff

Following this process will remove the staff member's access to Canvas

1. Navigate to Settings and click Staff under the Practice heading

   • The list defaults to active staff only

2. Check the box next to the staff member(s) needing to be deactivated

3. Select Deactivate from the Action dropdown

4. Click Go

Additional Steps when Inactivating a Provider

Before inactivating a provider, complete these steps:

1. Reassign Tasks

   • Review all open tasks assigned to the provider

   • Reassign tasks to other staff members

   • Tasks that are not reassigned to another staff member will move to the Unassigned queue

2. Reschedule Appointments

   • Identify all future appointments with the provider

   • Reschedule appointments to other providers

   • Inactive providers are removed from schedule view, but appointments remain scheduled for the patient with the inactive provider

Inactivating Staff from External Canvas Integrations

Staff will also need to be removed from some Canvas integrations. Some can be managed by the customer while others will need to be handled by Canvas.

Managed by customer

• Staff Profile

• Tellescope

• Zus

• Sfax

• Labcorp

• Quest

• RCM Vendor

• Stripe

• Google Calendar

Managed by Canvas

• Pylon

• Canvas Referral Directory

• Health Gorilla

• SureScripts

• Dr. First

Reactivating Staff

A provider may return to the practice and need to regain access to Canvas.

1. Go to Practice: Staff under Settings

2. Change the filter from Active to No or All using the By Active filter on the right side

3. Locate and select the inactive staff profile

4. Check the box next their name

5. Select Activate from the Action dropdown

6. Click Go

The staff member will regain access to Canvas immediately.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Q: How does a username get updated?

A: If any updates are needed for a user's username, please contact Canvas Support. This cannot be managed from the customer's side.

Q: What happens if I need assistance during the staff loader process?

A: If any assistance is needed during this process, contact Canvas Support.

Q: Can I have multiple licenses of the same type for one provider?

A: Yes, you can add multiple licenses of the same type (such as multiple state licenses for different states), but only one can be marked as primary per license type.

Q: What if the signature doesn't display properly?

A: Ensure the signature meets the requirements: transparent or solid white background, thick bold lines, and closely cropped to the signature.

Q: How come the provider I created is not showing on the schedule?

A: You will want to confirm the internal code for the staff role they were assigned is added to SCHEDULABLE_STAFF_ROLES under the Practice: Organizations setting.

Additionally, if you create a new role that needs prescribing capabilities, ensure the role's internal code is also added to PRESCRIBER_STAFF_ROLES under the same setting.

Related Resources

• Staff Roles

• Teams

Keywords: staff, new staff member, staff profile, licenses, DEA, state license, NPI, provider setup, staff roles, contact points, signatures, telehealth, supervision, staff loader, inactivation, reactivation

Categories: Staff Management, Provider Setup, License Management, User Administration