Minnesota's HMIS wants to make your experience with the
system as seamless and efficient as possible. We've created
this help page to get you the assistance you need and answer
any questions you may have as quickly as possible.
If you would like to talk to an administrator of the HMIS
system, please call our help line at 651-280-2780 or 1-800-328-2972,
or e-mail us at HMIS@wilder.org.
Calendar of
Trainings and Meetings: If you would like to attend
a training session for new ServicePoint users (or to get
a refresher on how to use the system) or you would like
to attend an open Q & A session of current ServicePoint
users, click here to go to our HMIS Calendar of Events and
Trainings.
Update
on the Violence against Women Act (VAWA) (December
2005)
New Legislation
for Domestic Violence Agencies - (March
2006)
HUD
HMIS final data & technical standards (Federal
Register)
HUD
HMIS data standards –summary (from
Federal Register)
Powerpoint
presentation of HMIS training (April
2008)
Powerpoint
presentation of HMIS Refresher (April
2008)
Data Entry Requirements Table
Instructions from SP 4.04 Upgrade
ART Access Troubleshooting: If you’re having trouble
accessing ART or saving reports, read this document:
ART
Access TroubleShooting Fixes
Having trouble with PDF formatting when you're saving ART reports?
Click here to view a document that should resolve this problem
ART Training PowerPoint Presentation
Updates to the Client Notice & Consent
and Release of Information, and instructions for entering
this information
into ServicePoint
If you have not updated your consent & release documents
or instructions since November 2005, please print and
read the documents shown below to be sure you are using
the
most up-to-date information.
Client
Notice & Consent and
Release of Information Form - (December
2005)
Spanish
translation - client notification, consent and release
of information (February
2006)
New
Instructions for entering Client Notice & Consent
and Release of Information data into ServicePoint -
(February 2006)
Click here for a full list
of our Client Consent, Release and Data Entry Forms
Technical FAQ
Access to ServicePoint
Client Privacy and Release of Information
Basic Client Entry
Household Member Entry
Entry/Exit
Exiting Client
Entering Services
Assessments & Requirements from
Funders
Running Reports
Explorer 6 with Windows XP-Service
Pack 2
If you’re running Internet Explorer
7 and having trouble with pop-ups, read the document,
Settings for
IE7
I'm having trouble logging on and/or pop-up windows aren't
working properly. Can this be fixed?
Users
running Internet Explorer 6 with the Windows XP operating system may experience
difficulties with pop-up windows. To fix this problem,
read the document, Settings for Internet Explorer 6 with
Windows XP-Service Pack 2
What should I do if I have ruled
out problems with Internet Explorer and I still can't
log onto the system?
Call Wilder Research and ask for a new password.
If a user enters an incorrect logon or password four times
consecutively, ServicePoint will inactivate the account,
and you must contact Wilder to get your account reactivated.
Your agency may also be late in their renewal payment. If
this is the case, Wilder will let you know when you contact
us and will give you access to the system again after payment
has been received.
Why can't I access the system
or parts of the system?
Occasionally, the ServicePoint system is not working
and you will get error messages. (ServicePoint problems
affect all users.) Other times, an issue might arise with
your own computer system or Internet service affecting just
your organization. Either way, we suggest you first try
exiting from ServicePoint and your Internet browser. Then
open the program and log in again. If this doesn't help,
check with Wilder to see if the ServicePoint system is down.
If so, we will work with Bowman to correct the issue. If
the issue lies within with your own system, assistance may
be needed from your own technical staff. Wilder can also
offer some guidance on the specific computer set-up needed
for ServicePoint to run well.
Why won’t one of
the buttons work when I click on it (such as saving services
or hitting backdate mode)?
Occasionally, there is a glitch in your computer’s
connection to the internet which results in ServicePoint
not working correctly. To get it to work again, log off
of ServicePoint and exit your browser (such as Internet
Explorer). Then open up your browser again and log in. The
buttons should all be working. If not, let Wilder know so
they can contact ServicePoint as there may be a problem
with the system.
My computer is running very slowly when I'm using ServicePoint.
Can this be improved?
If your computer
is getting bogged down, read the document, Work
Station Best Practices for some
tips to keep your machine running smoothly.
A user in our agency has left
and we need someone else to use the system. What should
we do?
Contact Wilder Research right away to let them
know to close down the user's access to the system. Failing
to inform Wilder that a user has left your agency is a violation,
since this individual could access the system and confidential
client information from any computer for non-official business.
Once you have identified who your new user will be, Wilder
can help you find a time to train in this person.
Does anyone else have access to
the client data I enter?
Service Point is designed to share limited client data with
select agencies, but only if the client approves it. Domestic
violence programs, youth programs, programs covered under
HIPAA, and programs covered under 42 CFR do not share data
with any other agencies. Programs within an organization
can also decide not to share client data with other parts
of their organization. Wilder Research has access to the
data as the system administrator for data accuracy and reporting
purposes. No client identifying information is used in reporting.
As the software developer, Bowman Internet Systems has access
to the data for purposes of system maintenance.
If you do want to share data with other agencies using
the system, contact Wilder with the list of these agencies
and they will set up sharing permissions. You can share
with up to 10 other agencies if you are not covered by HIPAA,
or are not an agency primarily serving youth or domestic
violence victims.
What if a client doesn't want
to put his/her social security number in ServicePoint?
While you are required to ask for a client’s
Social Security number, he or she is not required to give
it to you. You can leave it blank. The system uses the social
security number to create the client's identifying number,
so you should enter it if the client gives it to you. The
social security data quality drop-down box allows you to
indicate if a client has refused to give you all or part
of his/her social security number.
What if a client doesn’t
want to share his/her Social Security number with other
agencies, but is fine sharing other information (only for
those agencies sharing data)?
If a client doesn’t want to share his/her
Social Security number with other agencies, you have to
close the record down so other people can’t see it.
Unlike some other data elements, there isn’t a way
to just close down the social security number.
Why aren't client Releases of
Information (ROIs) that I've entered showing up under the
client name?
Most likely, for the provider on the ROI screen,
you selected the specific program the client is being served
by rather than the overall agency. For ROIs, you don't need
to change the provider from the program name that appears
automatically in the box. Go back and select the top level
provider. The amount of time remaining for the ROI should
then appear under the client's name. You only need to fill
out the ROI button if you are sharing data with other agencies.
I want to open some of the client's
information, but not the entire record. How do I do that?
There are a few ways to open certain parts of a
client's record. Any time you see a padlock, you can click
on it and open the part of the system it represents (in
which case the padlock will change from red to green). This
could be an assessment, a sub-assessment, or the Service
Transaction section. If you want to close down an individual
data element, click on the "H" next to it. It
will open up a new box where you will see a padlock. Click
on that padlock to open it. You should open different sections
of the system based on what the client says they want to
share on their Release of Information form.
If I need help figuring out what
isn't working with a particular client's record, can I email
the client's name to HMIS helpdesk at Wilder Research?
No, you should never
send client names in email. You can email us the client’s
initials and client id number (assigned to a client by ServicePoint
and often located next to his/her name), ask us to contact
you to discuss the matter over the phone, or call our helpdesk.
I'm not sure if I am using the
client agreement forms correctly. What should I do?
Wilder Research's client agreement forms
are designed to cover different kinds of programs such as
those serving youth and victims of domestic violence, HIPAA-covered
organizations, or agencies that only share with a few other
agencies. Please look over the agreement form to make sure
you are using the section that applies to your type of agency
and data sharing information. There are detailed instructions
on the “Help for Users” web page at www.hmismn.org.
If you still need help figuring out what parts to use or
have further questions, please contact Wilder Research.
What if my supervisor or my agency's
computer/technical department requires me to share passwords
with them?
The HMIS user agreement requires that you do not
share your username and password with anyone else. Sharing
them is a violation of this agreement and you will be denied
access to the system. If you or others in your agency have
questions about this, please contact Wilder Research.
A number of clients are not willing
to have their data identified in the system and I’m
concerned that so many are refusing. What should I do?
Many times, one of the issues is that the clients
don’t fully understand what the form is saying. Walking
through the bullets with them and explaining what they really
mean and how likely (or unlikely) it is that anyone else
will see their data often helps. Clients also feel more
comfortable if they clearly understand why their information
is helpful (such as to help keep funding coming for these
kinds of programs). If you need more help with this, your
funders are a good source of technical assistance, especially
for staff who have not attended any ServicePoint training.
How do I find a client record
I have already entered?
The quickest way to find a client you have already entered
is to use the client ID number that is assigned to them.
When you first enter someone in, ServicePoint automatically
assigns them a number. You can find this number next to
their name in parenthesis at the top of the client record.
If you write this down in their file or on a tracking sheet
of some type, you can easily look them up with out searching
for them by name.
On the main ClientPoint screen, at the very bottom there
is a section called “Search client through his ID
card.” You can put the ID number in the box and push
“Search this ID.” This is especially helpful
with Anonymous clients. If you don’t have access to
this box, contact Wilder and they can help you.
How do I add a client as anonymous?
If a client doesn’t sign the client notification and
consent form, you must enter them as anonymous. You do this
on the main ClientPoint screen. You fill in everything but
their first and last name and Social Security number (still
fill in the SSN data quality box as “refused”).
Then push the “Add as anonymous” button at the
bottom. The system will assign the person a first name of
Anonymous and a last name starting with ZZ000. Remember
to write this down along with their ID number so you can
look this up later.
If you realize later that a client you have entered into
the system with their name and Social Security number really
should be anonymous, you must delete the client and start
over. You can’t change a client to anonymous. (See
next question about deleting clients.)
How can I delete a client from
the system?
If you have created a duplicate client record in the system,
you should make sure this is deleted. Wilder can help you
with this.
If you have agency administrator access to the system, when
you look up a client, you should see a trash can icon next
to the clients’ names. If this is the case, you can
delete clients. You should make sure that you aren’t
sharing this client with other agencies. You can tell this
by clicking on the orange padlock at the top. It will notify
you if other agencies are using this record. If so, you
can’t delete it. If no other agencies are using this
record, look up the client again using the add/find client
button and click on the trash can.
If you don’t see trash can icons next to clients’
names, contact Wilder to help you delete the client.
What does the “date removed”
field in the “Households containing” box mean?
The household “date removed” box indicates when
a household member is no longer part of a family such as
through a divorce or death. You should almost never need
to use this box. If you use this box mistakenly as a way
to record when a client exits your program, the household
information will not show up correctly in your reports.
To remove this date, click on the pencil next to the “Households
containing” box and delete the date for the client(s)
that mistakenly have it entered.
I’m entering single adults
in to the system. Do I need to set up a household for him
or her?
No, you do not. Only clients who are part of a family (and
for HUD purposes, who are living together) should be set
up as a household.
How do I add household members
that were initially missed on an entry/exit form?
Click on the orange Entry/Exit button and then click on
the pencil next to the entry record you have already completed.
At the top of the box, in the “Overview” section
there will be a little drop down box under the names of
the household members you have already recorded. Select
the name you missed from that box and push “Add related
entry/exit.”
How do I record exit information?
When a client or family leaves your program, you do need
to go back into the system to record this information. 1)
Make sure you have end dates on all services (using the
“view past needs/services” button. 2) Record
the exit date in the entry/exit screen by clicking on the
pencil next to the exit date. Fill out all information in
the form. 3) If you are FHPAP or OEO-THP-funded, record
the client’s follow-up goal information in Case Plans.
4) If you are FHPAP-funded, record an estimate of time spent
with the client on the FHPAP Assessment.
Notes: Do not record exit dates in the household section
under “Date Removed.” This field only refers
to the date when members of a household separate from one
another, such through a divorce or death.
Only record end dates in sub-assessments for Income and
Disability if, in fact, the income or disability has ended
(or changed in the case of income). If you put the exit
date in these fields, the system understands that the client
no longer has that income source or disability and it will
not appear correctly in your reports.
Services don't show up
correctly in the service reports or in the service part
of the HUD or FHPAP reports. Why is that?
Entering services is a two step process. You need
to complete both the needs section (step one) that appears
when you first go to the Service Transactions section (indicating
the specific need the client has), and the service information
(step two-the section reports pull from).
To record the service you provided, push the "save"
button on the needs page. The screen will re-load and new
boxes will appear at the bottom. Press the "Add Service”
button and fill out the information on the screen. In the
“Service Provided for Need Identified box, you need
to 1) select the correct provider, 2) enter a start date,
3) enter an end date if the service is complete. If your
client is served with FHPAP funds, also select “FHPAP”
in the “Source 1” drop-down box.
To go back to a service you have already entered, click
on the “View past needs/services” button on
the top left side of the Service Transaction page. Then
click on the pencil next to the need/service you have already
entered.
If you have added a service, but your reports are still
not running correctly, you may have selected the wrong provider
level in Service Transactions or made a mistake with your
dates. Go back to Service Transactions, click the “view
past needs and services button,” and click on each
of the pencils next to “need identified” and
then “service provided” to make sure you chose
the specific provider (or program) that served your client.
For FHPAP-funded programs, you also need to select FHPAP
as a source (see next question).
Where do I record service costs
or money received by the client from my program (rent assistance,
transportation money, etc.)? Do I really need to do this?
Only FHPAP-funded agencies need to report the costs
of services. The costs of services go in the second step
of the Service Transactions page in the "Services provided
for Need Identified" box. Put the dollar amount in
the "Cost of Service 1" box. Select the funding
source as "FHPAP" in the source drop-down box.
You only need to record the cost of services if you gave
the client money or a money equivalent, such as transportation
money or rent assistance.
What parts of the needs section
do I need to fill out?
Since the “Services provided for need identified”
section is where the reports look to pull service information,
you only need to put minimal information in the needs section.
Pick the provider and pick the service provided. The “Overall
need status” automatically shows up as “identified.”
It is fine to leave it as this option, but you can change
it if you want to track this status for your own purposes.
How do I add household members
to the Service Transactions section if I initially missed
including them?
Unfortunately, the system doesn’t let you retroactively
add household members to services. You need to delete the
service and start over. To do this, click on the “View
past needs/services” button. Then click on the trash
can icon next to the service you want to delete. Then complete
the two-step service entry process, clicking on the boxes
by all household members’ names.
How do I know what information
my funders require me to collect in ServicePoint?
You can click on the “HMIS Forms” page
of the website (www.hmismn.org) as a guide. We have put
together a list of the different funding sources and forms
that are required by the various funding sources. The forms
also show the data elements within each part of the system
that are required or optional. The Detailed Instructions
can help you figure out what steps you need to do. Also,
certain parts of ServicePoint (such as the assessments)
say “optional” across the top of a section,
indicating that you are not required to collect this information.
I'm not sure how to answer some
of the questions in an assessment for my funder. How can
I figure out what they are asking?
If you are unsure what a specific question is asking,
you can click on the question or item and a definition of
the question will appear. It is very important that you
correctly understand what a question is asking. Please refer
to instructions provided by your funder for further information.
Wilder can answer most of your questions. Otherwise, your
funder is the final authority as to what information you
need to collect on assessments. Wilder is working in conjunction
with various funders to develop additional instructions.
How do I enter information in
the Assessments section about household members other than
the head of household I am currently entering?
Each individual's information is recorded separately
for the assessments. This is the only section of the system
that you can't associate with the household. You should
go to each adult (over 18) household member’s record
and complete the Universal Assessment.
Unaccompanied youth also need the Universal Assessment filled
out along with the assessment for the relevant funding source.
FHPAP, OEO-ESP and THP, LTH only require you to fill out
the assessments for the head of household.
HUD-funded agencies are required to record information for
each adult client in the household. You will need to pull
up each adult family member’s record and record their
assessment information separately. For HUD APR reports to
work correctly, you should report income received by different
household members separately. For example, if each adult
works, you would record their employment income on each
of their individual assessments. Income children receive
such as from a disability or child support that is part
of the household income should be recorded on a parent’s
record. Child information will be required at a later point
when HUD issues an updated APR.
ESGP-funded agencies also require recording information
for each adult in the household on the ESGP assessment.
Child income information (such as disability or child support)
can be recorded on either the child’s record or the
parent’s record.
For both HUD and ESGP, the exception for recording a child’s
income on a parent’s record is if the child (household
member under 18) has a job. Any income a child earns from
their own employment should be recorded on the child’s
record.
I entered my data using
the Backdate mode button, but when I go back to the record,
it still says today’s date in the “Assessment
date” box. Why is that?
No matter what, the assessment date will always
appear as today's date. If you have used the Backdate mode
correctly, the date you want will appear when you click
the "H" next to a data element on the assessment.
How do I use the Case Plans section?
Depending on your funder, you are only required to use this
section to record follow-up information when a client exits
your program. Only FHPAP and OEO-THP funded programs are
required to use Case Plans. Most agencies running programs
with FHPAP funding need to record goals for their clients
and do follow-up at 6 and 12 months after they have left
your program; otherwise, this is an optional section of
ServicePoint. (FHPAP-funded programs in Hennepin or Ramsey
counties that are not primarily serving youth do not need
to record goals.) Please refer to the detailed FHPAP instructions
on the “Help for Users” web page of www.hmismn.org.
OEO-THP programs also need to complete the case plans section
for clients and do follow-up 6 months after they exit your
program. Use the “Housing” and “Maintain
permanent housing” goal types to record information
about clients.
Regardless of your funding source, if it is useful, you
can use this section to record goals the client is working
on while in your program.
What if a report I'm trying to
run isn't working correctly?
Usually, a report isn't working correctly because
information is missing or has not been entered correctly.
Common mistakes include setting up the household incorrectly,
selecting the wrong provider or type in the Entry/Exit section,
or failing to enter complete and accurate information in
the assessment section. It is also important to make sure
you completed both steps of Service Transactions. The key
to the FHPAP report is making sure the services are filled
out completely along with the assessment. Contact Wilder
Research for additional help with reports.
Children who become part of my
program later than their family members or children who
born into the household are appearing as single adults on
the APR report. Why is this?
Make sure the new children have the same program
entry date as their parent(s).’ Unfortunately, the
APR report only recognizes individuals as part of a household
if they have the same program entry date. You will need
to look at the Entry/Exit section to make sure the entry
dates are the same for each person in the household.
I want to make sure I'm
entering information in correctly. How do I check my data-entry?
Running reports frequently is the best way to make
sure you are correctly entering information into the system.
The HUD- 40118 APR and Entry/Exit reports have a couple
features to help you make sure data is entered correctly.
Once you have run a report, click on the button that says
"show null data" to see what information you failed
to enter for clients, or click on a blue underlined number
to see the specific clients that are counted in a given
category. You can also run the service transaction report
and search by “needs entered” dates to make
sure that you recorded both needs and services for your
clients. Wilder can also work with you if you have specific
questions. Detailed data entry instructions can be found
in the News Flash section of ServicePoint's home page or
on the “Help for Users” web page of www.hmismn.org.
I'm entering a teen parent in
the system. When I run the HUD APR report, they show
up
as two singles. Is this okay?
Yes and No. Right now, this is actually correct.
Because of HUD national's definition of a family, ServicePoint
(which is based on these HUD definitions) does not currently
show the children of people under 18 as being a household.
Based on guidance from the local HUD office, however, many
of you have probably been reporting to HUD that your youth-headed
households are families. To continue reporting youth with
children as households, when you run the APR, you can change
the “Legal adult age” box to the age of the
youngest youth in your program. Then teens with children
will show up in your report as a family, rather than as
singles.
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