Background

Sometimes the same client has more than one record in HMIS. Usually this is because a client already had an existing Client Record and was served by an agency that did not search for an existing Client Record before creating a new one.

Duplicate Client Records

As a reminder, only Agency Administrators are able to submit tickets to the HMIS Help desk. If you are a regular user at an agency and come across a duplicate record, please notify your agency's Agency Administratorand ask them to open a ticket with the HMIS Help Desk.

Please follow the steps below to resolve this issue

Step 1: Submit a ticket, via the HMIS Help Desk

Step 2: Complete the page with the following information:

• Category: Use the HMIS - Pages category
• Priority Level: Typically, it will be Normal 
• Contact Type Preferred: Select the type of follow up you will prefer, typically Email Response to Ticket
• Subject & Message: Enter a subject and a message explaining that these records are duplicates and should be merged
• Full Name: Your Name
• Email: Your agency email
• Phone: Your agency contact number
• Agency: The agency you work with, if you are not affiliated with an agency, do not select a response
   

Step 3: In the ticket message, please include the Unique Identifiers for the duplicate profiles and identify which Unique Identifier belongs to the primary profile. Only the profile information (Date of Birth, Social Security Number, Name, i.e.) from the primary profile will be retained. The program and service information from all duplicate profiles listed will be merged. 

Step 4: Select Submit Ticket

Reminder: Please never send any identifying client information over email or HappyFox. For Client Records that already exist in HMIS, HMIS Staff only need the client's identifier to find their record. If you must communicate a client’s name to HMIS Staff the only way to do that is by phone (not voicemail.)