Help with Hmis

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.

Legislation Documents:

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)

HMIS Instruction Documents:

Powerpoint presentation of HMIS training (April 2008)

Powerpoint presentation of HMIS Refresher (April 2008)

ServicePoint Instruction Documents:

Data Entry Requirements Table

Instructions from SP 4.04 Upgrade

ART Instruction and Help Documents:

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

Client Consent Documents:

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

 

FAQ for users
The following are common questions that users have with the system, along with suggestions from Wilder Research after each question:

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

Access to ServicePoint

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.

Client Privacy and Release of Information

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.

Basic Client Entry

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.

Household Member Entry

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.

Entry/Exit

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.”

Exiting Clients

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.

Entering Services

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.

Assessments & Requirements from Funders

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.

Running Reports

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.

  © 2006 Amherst H. Wilder Foundation | tel: 651.280.2780, 1-800-328-2972 | email: HMIS@wilder.org