Creating a letter to provide to a patient, use as an order, or forward to another care provider is an essential part of healthcare. Within Canvas Medical, users can create letters, attach relevant documents, and either print or fax these letters directly. Additionally, users can customize templates, restrict editing, and manage placeholders for streamlined communication. This guide details the functionality, configuration, and troubleshooting of the letter feature in Canvas Medical.

User’s Guide

Letters

Letters are available as one of the default note types in Canvas and can be disabled in the Note Types setting.

• Select Letter from the New Note dropdown

• Make selections from the dropdowns

  • Dropdown 1: Select the sender of the letter. The user that created the letter will display by default.

  • Dropdown 2: Choose the practice location from which the letter is being sent. This information will appear in the letterhead or any related placeholders.

  • Dropdown 3: Select the letter template, if applicable. Custom templates are also available for selection.

    When changing the template of a letter, be aware that the current contents of the letter will be replaced and will not transfer to the new template.

• Complete the contents of the letter either free text or completing the selected template.

• Attach any necessary documents to the letter.

• A completed letter can be previewed, printed and/or faxed

  • Preview: Opens a PDF preview in a new tab. Users can return to the patient chart for further edits after previewing.

  • Print: Generates a print preview for verification. Once printed or faxed, the letter collapses and can no longer be edited.

  • Fax: Launches the fax module where recipient details can be entered. After sending the fax, the letter status is updated, and the letter collapses to prevent further editing.

Attachments to Letters

Supported Resources for Attachments

• Patient Chart Notes

  • Includes visit type, reason for visit, provider name, and service date.

  • Only locked notes are available for attachment.

  • Filter by provider or service date to find specific notes.

• After Visit Summaries

  • Summaries are linked to locked chart notes and listed in reverse chronological order.

  • The latest summary is displayed by default; older versions can be accessed via the banner prompt.

  • Filter by provider or service date to refine results.

• Labs

  • Includes lab reports integrated via Data Integration settings.

  • Multiple report types associated with a single document will appear as one selectable item.

• Imaging Consult Reports

  • Displays imaging reports associated with patients through Data Integration workflows.

  • Exam type and associated details are shown for selection.

• Uncategorized Documents

  • Includes miscellaneous clinical documents such as hospital discharge summaries, operative reports, and physical exams.

  • Document type, comment, and clinical date are displayed for easy identification.

• Chart Documents

  • Includes patient information such as medications, allergies, and care plans.

• Administrative Documents

  • Examples include insurance cards, consent forms, and prior authorizations.

  • Document type and date are provided for identification.

• Consents

  • Includes all versions of patient consents, with the latest version highlighted.

  • If multiple consents were combined in one document, all titles are shown under a single line.

Missing Letter Template Placeholders

When a templated letter contains missing placeholders, they are displayed in red bolded text. Blank spaces replace the placeholders when the letter is printed or faxed. To resolve:

• Add the missing details in the patient profile or through free text

• Reload the template with the updated information by refreshing and re-selecting the desired template.

Configuration & Set Up

Create and Update Letter Templates

Letter templates can be configured in Settings > Letter Templates. Key fields include:

• Name: Name displayed when selecting a template.

• Restrict editing: Prevents an end user from making changes to a letter template within a patient's chart.

• Active: A template is active my default. Mark the template as inactive by unchecking the box.

• Template Type: Specifies use (e.g., Letter, Message, Intervention). Hold Command for Mac or Ctrl for Windows to select multiple template types.

  • Letter: Generated in the patient chart using the letter note type.

  • Intervention: Used in population management campaigns, accessible across all locations when marked as active. Location restriction does not apply to this selection.

  • Message: Message: Generated in the patient chart using the message note type.

    • Message Delivery Priority:

      • If both phone and email are verified for the patient, messages will be sent to the phone only.

      • Messages will be sent to the email only if the phone is not verified.

• Location: Assign templates to specific practice locations. If no location is specified it will be available in all locations.

• Header: Customizable sections for template branding. If no content is included the current default letterhead will be utilized.

• Content: Main body of the letter with placeholder options for personalization.

• Footer: Footer content has a 5 line limit. If no content is included the current default footer will be utilized.

• Language: Template language (e.g., English, Spanish).

Customize the Header and Content fields with HTML

Further customization of header and content fields is available through our embedded HTML editor. Messages are saved in the database in HTML format. Customers using the Communication Search endpoint for their own patient applications should account for this by embedding the HTML directly or extracting the text.

Within the editor the following capabilities are available:

• Customize text features such as style, font, typographical emphasis, size, and alignment.

• Create numbered and bulleted lists.

• Add images.

• Create tables and edit table properties.

• Add placeholders

• Add special characters or horizontal lines

• Upload images

  If a 404 error is encountered when trying to access the image folders, please contact Canvas Support to ensure the correct permissions are assigned.

Organization Images

Images used for letter templates must be JPEGs or PNGs under 5 MB. Admins can upload images directly through the letter template or the Organization Images setting.

Steps to upload images:

• From Letter Templates: Use the image uploader icon. Images will be added to the Uncategorized folder automatically.

• From Organization Images Setting: Create folders, reload different versions, and inactivate existing photos as needed.

• To resize an image, click and drag a corner or right-click on the image and select Image... to edit the width and height.

Placeholders Available

Placeholders allow for dynamic content generation in templates. Be sure to use double curly brackets for placeholders, such as {{PLACEHOLDER}}. The formatted list is found under Settings > Letter Templates, but available placeholders include:

• Global: Practice name, address, phone, fax, current date/time, etc.

• Patient: Full name, preferred name, address, phone, date of birth, coverages, etc.

• Provider: Credentialed name, licenses, signature, NPI number, DEA license, etc.

• Staff: Credentialed name.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Q: How can I resolve missing placeholders in a letter template?

A: Add the missing details and reload the template by refreshing and re-selecting the desired template.

Q: Will I receive a notification for fax status?

A: Fax status is captured in the note header.

Q: What happens if the header or footer fields are left blank? A: The default header or footer will be used.

Q: Are headers and footers included in messages? A: No, headers and footers are not associated with messages.

Q: Where do provider signatures appear? A: Provider signatures only show in letters and not in messages or intervention templates.

Keywords & Metadata

• Keywords: letter templates, letters, attachments, placeholders, preview letters, print letters, fax letters, Sfax integration, message delivery priority, HTML customization

• Metadata: Communication, Configuration, Workflow Optimization, Troubleshooting