Accurately capturing and updating a patient’s insurance information is vital for ensuring their visits are appropriately covered and reimbursed according to their benefits. This guide explains how to add new insurance coverage, update existing coverage, attach insurance card images, and verify coverage eligibility seamlessly within Canvas.
To add new insurance coverage, begin in the Patient Profile view, where the Coverages section is located on the right-hand side of the screen.
Click the + Add Primary Coverage button
If additional insurance coverages need to be added, repeat this process.
Adjust the order of coverages by dragging the six-dot icon to the left of the coverage card.
Images of the insurance card’s front and back are essential for accurate record-keeping. These images can only be added using the Canvas Remote app on an iOS device.
After clicking + Add Primary Coverage, a QR modal will appear.
Open the Canvas Remote App and select Scan QR Code.
Scan the QR code displayed on your computer screen through the app.
Follow the prompts to
Capture the front of the insurance card.
Capture the back of the insurance card.
Use cropping and resizing tools as needed before saving.
Once saved, a blue checkmark will confirm the images have been uploaded. Refresh the Patient Profile in Canvas to view thumbnail previews of the images next to the coverage card.
The QR code process can be bypassed by disabling the COVERAGE_CREATE_WITH_QR
setting in Constance: Config. Images can still be uploaded manually through the Capture Coverage Images button in the coverage modal.
The New Coverage modal captures all of the patient's coverage information
Payer Name: Select from the list of active payers in Settings > Practice: Insurers.
ID / Policy Number: Enter the unique identifier found on the insurance card.
Group / Plan ID: Specify the group or plan ID.
Plan Name: Include the name of the health plan (e.g., HMO, PPO, HDHP).
Start / End Date: Define the policy’s active dates.
Coverage Type: Choose from available coverage types as defined under Settings > Practice: Insurers.
Copay / Coinsurance: Enter amounts listed on the insurance card.
Claim Submission Address: If Not Provided/Not Sure
is selected, a task will be created to add the address.
Phone Number: If Not Provided/Not Sure
is selected, a task will be created to add the phone number.
If the address and phone number are added manually, they will be saved as contacts for the insurer and will automatically appear as selectable options for future entries, eliminating the need to re-enter them manually.
If the address and phone number are not added, a task will be created to add the coverage information. Failure to add this information could lead to errors when ordering labs or sending prescriptions.
Subscribers carry the insurance plan for the patient. Subscribers can either be the patient or another individual.
When subscriber is the direct patient, select The patient is the subscriber
When the subscriber is NOT the direct patient, select Someone else is the subscriber
If the subscriber is an existing patient, search for the subscriber in the dropdown.
If the subscriber is not part of the practice, enter their name and select Add [Name] and select the patient's relationship to the subscriber.
Complete the Add New Subscriber modal, filling in required fields such as name, date of birth, phone number, and address.
If the provider is not a true patient, uncheck Is active patient to create them an inactive chart.
Coverage-specific notes can be added for quick reference:
Use the Comments field in the coverage modal to enter free-text comments.
Comments can be updated at any time and are displayed on the coverage card in the profile view.
The first 200 characters of the comment will be displayed in the coverage card. Click the triple-dot menu on the card and View/Update to access the remaining information.
Navigate to the Patient Profile and locate the desired coverage.
Open the triple dot menu next to the coverage and select View/Update.
Update any fields as necessary and select Update.
To end a coverage period
Open the triple dot menu and select Expire.
Enter an end date in the Expire Coverage modal and submit.
Expired coverages move to a new Expired Coverages section below active coverages.
Expand the Expired Coverages section.
Open the triple dot menu next to the desired coverage and select View/Update.
Clear the end date by clicking the calendar icon and selecting Clear.
Select Done to reactivate the coverage, which will move back to the active coverages view.
Coverage can only be removed if it hasn’t been linked to a claim.
Open the Remove Coverage modal via the triple dot menu.
Confirm removal by selecting Remove.
Removing a coverage will PERMANENTLY delete the coverage.
Navigate to the patient’s profile and locate the current insurance coverage in the Coverages section.
Remove or expire the old coverage:
Expire: Add an end date to indicate when the coverage ended.
Remove: Delete the old coverage entirely from the patient's record.
Add the new insurance coverage, ensuring the start date reflects the policy’s effective date.
Open the relevant claim.
Reassign the claim to the newly added coverage to ensure proper billing.
Updating existing coverage to reflect a patient's new coverage does not trigger recognition of a change. This oversight may result in processing errors and prevent further updates to the claim.
Beneath the medical coverages on the patient profile, there is a section for Other Coverages. Here you will add any non-medical insurances the patient may need added. Such insurances may be prescription coverage or auto insurance.
Click +Add under the Other Coverages heading
Follow the same step used for adding, updating or removing medical coverages
Canvas integrates with ClaimMD clearinghouse to check eligibility in real time.
Eligibility is checked automatically:
When new coverage is added or updated.
Three days prior to any upcoming appointments.
Open the triple dot menu next to the coverage card and select Verify Eligibility.
Coverage status is indicated:
✅ Eligible
❌ Ineligible
⚠ Error (requires additional review).
For error details, select Review Eligibility in the triple dot menu. Copay and coinsurance amounts can also be updated from this view.
By default, eligibility checks are processed through the organization. Certain insurers may require processing through the provider. This can be configured in Settings > Insurers based on the insurer’s requirements
In the patient profile, the Patient Eligibility Defaults section allows specification of which user and/or practice the eligibility runs under when the organization is not used.
Capture front and back image of insurance card
Images can only be added using the Canvas Remote app on an IOS device
Upon clicking + Add primary coverage
, the QR modal will populate
Open the Canvas Remote App
Select Scan QR Code
Scan the QR using your iOS device
Select Capture Front of _____ Insurance Card
from the menu that appears
Capture a photo of the Insurance Card using the displayed camera screen on the iOS device
Crop, rotate, and resize as needed using the options at the bottom of the photo
Select Capture Back of _____ Insurance Card
and scan.
Select Done
A blue checkmark appears when the image has been saved.
Refresh the Profile page in Canvas
Thumbnail images will show to the right of the coverage
Click thumbnail to enlarge image
The QR code page can be bypassed when adding coverage by disabling COVERAGE_CREATE_WITH_QR
in Constance: Config
. This setting is enabled by default. Even when disabled, users can still capture insurance images by clicking the "Capture Coverage Images" button in the coverage modal.
Eligibility check with ClaimMD clearinghouse to ensure coverage is eligible at time of service
Begin in the patient Profile
view
Locate Coverages
on the right-hand side
Click on the triple dot menu to the right of the coverage card
By default, eligibility is processed through the organization. However, some insurers require it to be processed through the provider. Canvas administrators can configure the default processing method—organization or provider—based on insurer requirements.
📄 Admin | Default Location or Provider for Eligibility Requests
Select Review eligibility
to open a new modal
Copay and/or Coinsurance can be edited
Details about the coverage displayed
Provides all relevant eligibility data to easily access the information most applicable to the practice
Coverage eligibility runs automatically when coverage is added or updated, as well as three days prior to any upcoming appointments
Select Verify eligibility
✅ indicates coverage is eligible
⚠ indicates error with eligibility check
Click the triple dot menu
Click Review eligibility
to see further details of the error
❌ indicates coverage is ineligible
Payer ID [A123456789] does not support real-time eligibility: The insurance does not accept electronic eligibility and will not verify in Canvas
Provider Ineligible for Inquiries
Per ClaimMD:
Check with the payer to see what they require to check eligibility. The payer may require direct claim enrollment.
It also could be the provider's Tax ID and NPI Number need to be added to the payer's system.
Could not match coverage with eligibility response, check coverage id: Policy number includes a -01
or -
. Dashes are not supported in the policy number field and -01
is commonly omitted from the policy number.
A guarantor is the individual responsible for a patient’s financial obligations. This is typically the adult patient receiving care but may also be a parent or legal guardian.
The guarantor can be found in two primary locations:
Registration View: Displayed on the right-hand side below the patient balance.
Claims: Shown under the "Guarantor" section. Selecting Edit in claims redirects to the Registration View.
Click the notepad icon in the guarantor section of the Registration View.
Use the search box to:
Select an existing patient as the guarantor, if applicable.
Add a new guarantor if no matching patient is found.
Complete the form with the guarantor’s information:
To remove a guarantor, access the Registration View, select the notepad icon, and choose the option to designate the patient as responsible for their own balance.
Demographic details for a guarantor must be updated in their patient profile, not the dependent patient’s profile. Navigate to the guarantor's chart either by clicking their name in the dependent's profile or searching directly. Edit necessary guarantor information.
The guarantor’s balance, displayed in their chart, summarizes all outstanding balances for both the guarantor and any dependents.
Q: Why can’t the newly added insurance coverage information be added to a claim?
A: The system does not recognize changes made within the existing coverage modal as significant. To properly reflect new insurance coverage on claims, it is necessary to remove or expire the old coverage and add the new information separately.
Q: What happens if the steps for changing insurance coverage are not followed?
A:If the proper steps are not followed, claims will not reflect updated insurance information. This may prevent further changes and could result in billing errors or delays.Resources
Due to the ever evolving nature of our product, recorded videos may be slightly out of date.