---
title: "Roles and Permissions"
description: "Reference for NICE HMS role-based access control — 14 roles, the sidebar access matrix, professional access types, and how to manage user roles and deactivation."
date: 2026-07-19
lastModified: 2026-07-26
category: "admin"
author: "Dr. Umesh Bilagi"
beta: false
---

## Overview

NICE HMS uses role-based access control (RBAC). Each user is assigned one role that determines which sidebar menu items they see and which actions they can perform.

A separate field, **Professional Access**, classifies the user's clinical designation (Doctor, Nurse, Lab Technician, etc.) and is used for ABDM practitioner records — it does not control menu access.

## Available Roles

14 roles exist in the system:

| Role | Sidebar Access | Typical User |
|------|---------------|-------------|
| **admin** | All menus: Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, Admin, HR, Doctor, Accounts, My Patients, HIU, PRM, MIS Reports | Hospital owner, superuser |
| **director** | Same as admin except Admin menu | Senior management, medical director |
| **doctor** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, Doctor, My Patients, HIU, PRM, MIS Reports | Consulting doctors |
| **accountant** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, Accounts, PRM, MIS Reports | Finance and billing staff |
| **receptionist_accountant** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, Accounts, PRM, MIS Reports | Front desk with billing access |
| **receptionist** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | Front desk only (no accounts) |
| **pharmacist** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, Accounts, PRM, MIS Reports | Pharmacy billing — restricted to pharmacy voucher types only (INVOICE_P, PURCHASE_P) |
| **nurse** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | Ward nurses — IPD charting, vitals |
| **HR** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | Human resources |
| **insurance_lead** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | Insurance coordination |
| **insurance_executive** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | Insurance operations (limited) |
| **marketing_lead** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | CRM, campaigns |
| **marketing_executive** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | CRM (limited) |
| **visitor** | Patient, NHCX, Notifications, My Area, HR, PRM, MIS Reports | Read-only observer. Cannot create, edit, or delete. Also cannot have a doctor profile. |

### Sidebar Key

| Menu | Who Sees It |
|------|-------------|
| **Patient** | All roles |
| **NHCX** | All roles |
| **Notifications** | All roles |
| **My Area** | All roles |
| **Admin** | admin only |
| **HR** | All roles |
| **Doctor** | admin, director, doctor |
| **Accounts** | admin, director, accountant, receptionist_accountant, pharmacist |
| **My Patients** | admin, director, doctor |
| **HIU** | admin, director, doctor |
| **PRM** | All roles |
| **MIS Reports** | All roles |

The Free plan only shows Patient and NHCX menus — all other menus are hidden regardless of role.

## Professional Access

Professional Access is a user classification field separate from role. It identifies the user's clinical designation and is used for ABDM practitioner records (Healthcare Professional ID). It does not control sidebar access or permissions.

| Professional Access | |
|---------------------|--|
| Doctor | Nurse |
| Lab Technician | Pathologist |
| Microbiologist | Biochemist |
| Cath Lab Technician | Medical Transcriptionist |
| Duty Doctor | Nil |

A user with role "receptionist" can have Professional Access "Nil." A user with role "doctor" typically has Professional Access "Doctor." The two fields are independent.

## Changing a User's Role

1. Go to **Admin → Users**.
2. Find the user and click **Edit**.
3. Change the **Role** dropdown.
4. Save. The change takes effect immediately — the user's sidebar updates on next login.

Only the **admin** role can change user roles.

## Deactivating Users

Setting a user to **Inactive** is the recommended way to remove access without losing data:

| Effect | Details |
|--------|---------|
| Login blocked | User cannot sign in |
| Seat freed | Inactive users do not count toward subscription seat billing |
| Historical records preserved | Name remains on past prescriptions, bills, encounters |
| Doctor profile unaffected | If the user has a doctor profile, it still appears in clinical dropdowns |

This is the basis of the **visiting doctor** pattern — create a user, mark them Inactive (no login, no billing cost), but their doctor profile remains active for prescriptions and discharge summaries. See [Creating Doctors](/docs/creating-doctors).

## FAQ

**Q: Can I create custom roles?**
A: No. Roles are pre-defined in the system. Contact support for custom permission requirements.

**Q: What is the difference between role and Professional Access?**
A: Role controls what a user can see and do (sidebar menus, page access). Professional Access is a clinical designation used for ABDM practitioner records. Lab Technician and Pathologist are Professional Access values, not roles.

**Q: What can the Visitor role do?**
A: Visitor has read-only access. They cannot create, edit, or delete records. They also cannot have a doctor profile — the system prevents visitors from being assigned as doctors.

**Q: Can a pharmacist access billing for non-pharmacy items?**
A: No. The pharmacist role is restricted to pharmacy voucher types (INVOICE_P, CREDIT_NOTE_P, PURCHASE_P, DEBIT_NOTE_P). Attempting to create non-pharmacy transactions returns a forbidden error.

**Q: Why can't I see the Admin menu?**
A: Only the **admin** role can see the Admin menu. Director and all other roles have it hidden.

**Q: How do I give a doctor access to billing?**
A: Doctors do not have the Accounts sidebar menu. To give a user both doctor and billing access, assign them the **receptionist_accountant** role. However, this removes the Doctor sidebar. There is no combined doctor+billing role — consider whether the user needs a separate account for billing.