Help & Support

Common questions, walkthroughs, and how to reach us.
Jump to
  1. Getting Started
  2. Generating & Publishing Schedules
  3. For Providers
  4. Trades & Open Shifts
  5. Availability, Blackouts & Vacation
  6. Multi-Site & Residency
  7. Billing & Plans
  8. Account & Privacy
  9. Troubleshooting
  10. Contact

Getting Started

How do I create an account?

Visit coveredscheduling.com, click "Start free trial" (or "Get started"), and enter your email + password. You'll receive a confirmation email — click the link to verify, then complete the group setup wizard.

What is the group setup wizard?

A 5-step onboarding flow that captures your group name, admin PIN, default shift configuration (AM/PM/NOC times), role targets (FT/PT/NOC/PRN/APP shift counts), and APPs-enabled toggle. You can edit any of these later from Settings.

Can I try CoverED without signing up?

Yes. Click "Try the demo" on the marketing page. Demo mode loads a sample group with synthetic providers and is fully interactive. Your demo data is stored only in your browser session — close the tab and it's gone.

Generating & Publishing Schedules

How does the scheduler decide who works when?

The generator runs deterministic passes (greedy with scoring) for each shift type, honoring your providers' role targets, blackouts, requests, and preferences. It enforces hard limits (max 6 consecutive workdays, no NOC → AM next day, etc.) and scores soft preferences (AM/PM bias, weekend balance, deficit catch-up, even monthly spread). Review the output, manually edit any cell, then publish.

What happens when I click Publish?

The schedule moves from "draft" to "published." Providers see their shifts on My Schedule, the team grid shows everyone's assignments, and emails go out to each provider with their assignments (this can take a minute or two). Once published, every change you make triggers a per-provider diff email so providers know exactly what changed.

How do I undo a generation I don't like?

Click the "Undo" button in the schedule header (available for ~30 seconds after generation, or until you publish). For more granular cleanup, you can manually edit individual cells via the override modal.

What does "Copy last month" do?

It seeds the new month with the same provider roster, role targets, and shift configuration as the previous month. It does NOT copy provider blackouts or requests — those are month-specific.

For Providers

How do I submit my availability?

Open the Availability tab. Tap a day to mark it blocked (×), or tap shift-specific buttons within the day to block only certain shifts. ★ Want indicates a day you'd like to work. Save when done. The deadline is shown at the top of the calendar.

Where do I see my shifts after the schedule is published?

The My Schedule tab. Click "Add to Calendar" to subscribe via webcal (auto-updates when changes happen) or download a one-time .ics file.

What's the difference between blocking a day and a recurring blackout?

A blackout on the Availability tab is for a single month. A recurring blackout (Settings → Recurring Days Off) repeats every week (e.g., "every Wednesday off" or "AM only on didactic Mondays"). An out-of-town vacation block (Settings → Out of Town) covers a multi-day range as hard-unavailable.

Trades & Open Shifts

How do trades work?

From My Schedule, tap a shift you want to trade away → pick the shift you want in return → optionally add a note → submit. The counterparty accepts or declines from their Trades tab. Depending on your group's auto-accept setting, the swap either commits immediately or queues for admin approval.

What's the Open Shifts tab?

Unfilled shifts the admin generated but no one was assigned to — claim with one tap. Also shows giveaways other providers have offered. Days you're already working are filtered out automatically so you can't double-book.

What's the difference between offering a trade and posting a giveaway?

A trade is a swap — you give up a shift AND get one in return. A giveaway is just dropping a shift you no longer can work; anyone eligible can pick it up with no exchange. Giveaways need admin approval at most groups.

The trade picker shows "Cannot trade" on most days. Why?

The picker hides cells that would create a double-booking on the day you'd be picking up. If you already work a lot of days, your trade options narrow. Same-day swaps (give-up AM ↔ take PM same day) are still allowed.

Availability, Blackouts & Vacation

How many days can I block per month?

The limit is calculated from your monthly shift requirement minus your buffer. The Availability tab shows your current "X / Y days blocked" count and warns if you go over.

Vacation blocks vs blackouts — when to use which?

Use vacation blocks (Settings → Out of Town) for multi-day spans where you're truly unavailable (out of town, sabbatical). They render as blocked across the Availability and Team views immediately. Use day-by-day blackouts on the Availability tab for one-off days you can't work.

Multi-Site & Residency

How do I set up a provider to work at multiple sites?

On the Roster card, each provider has a "Home site" + optional "Available sites" list. Home site is where they primarily work; available sites are additional sites they can cover. The generator preferentially keeps providers at home sites but can cross-site them when needed.

Can different sites need different numbers of APPs per day?

Yes. Settings → APP card → "APP count by site (optional)" — set a per-site override. Leave blank to inherit the global setting.

What's residency mode?

A purpose-built variant of CoverED for Emergency Medicine residency programs. Includes ACGME duty-hour validation, per-PGY shift caps, didactic-block carve-outs, PTO request flow, holiday tally, and resident-only Off Service support. Sold as a separate tier; contact us if interested.

Billing & Plans

How do I view my invoices or update my card?

Settings → Billing → "Manage subscription." This opens the Stripe Billing Portal where you can update your card, download invoices, change plan, or cancel.

How do I cancel?

Stripe Billing Portal → Cancel. You keep access through the end of your current billing period. See the full Refund & Subscription Policy for details on prorated refunds and cancellation windows.

Can I switch plans mid-cycle?

Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated. Downgrades take effect at your next renewal (we don't prorate downgrades back into the current cycle).

Account & Privacy

How do I delete my account?

Email jake@coveredscheduling.com with subject "Delete Account" from the address on your account. Deletion completes within 30 days. See the Privacy Policy for retention specifics.

Can I export my data?

Yes. Settings → "Export data" downloads your roster + schedule history as JSON. For per-provider calendar exports, see "Add to Calendar" on the My Schedule tab.

Does CoverED store patient data?

No. CoverED is a workforce-scheduling tool. We do not collect, process, or store Protected Health Information (PHI). Do not enter patient names or identifiers into the platform. See Privacy Policy §12 for the explicit no-PHI carve-out.

Troubleshooting

I'm not receiving emails from CoverED.

Check your spam folder. Whitelist @coveredscheduling.com. If the issue persists, email us — there may be a deliverability issue with your specific mail provider that we can investigate.

I forgot my password.

On the sign-in screen, click "Forgot password" and enter your email. You'll receive a reset link within a minute. If it doesn't arrive, check spam first, then email us.

The schedule won't generate — it says "providers needed."

The generator needs enough providers to cover the requirements. Check Roster: do you have at least the minimum role counts? Check Availability: are too many providers blocked? The generator also enforces a 6-day consecutive cap — if your roster is very small, you'll see open cells. Override manually or relax constraints.

I'm seeing data from a different group.

This shouldn't happen — tenant isolation is enforced at the database level (Row-Level Security). If you see anything that looks like another group's data, stop and email us immediately at jake@coveredscheduling.com with "URGENT — Cross-Tenant Data" in the subject.

Still stuck?

Email jake@coveredscheduling.com. Include:

We typically respond within one business day. For urgent issues (group can't access schedule before deadline), put "URGENT" in the subject and we'll prioritize.

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