MSHMIS

1
MSHMIS

• Michigan Statewide Homeless Management
  Information System Update and Overview Fall,
  2003

Sponsored by
Funded by
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness
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Presentation Overview

• A Vision of HMIS
• Project Update /Next Steps
• Overview of Pilot and Implementation
• Community and Organizational Readiness
• ServicePoint Overview
• Security, Privacy and Confidentiality
• Data Sharing
• What Does it Cost
• Ideas for Funding

3
What Can HMIS Do To Promote Community Change?

• Examples from Spokane, Washington
• Increased the number of organizations receiving
  HUD funding
• Increased community funding for homeless programs
• Enabled innovative and successful street outreach
  program
• Promoted integration of mental health services
  with homeless programs
• Increased enrollment of homeless persons in
  States mental health managed care system.

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What Can HMIS Do? (continued)

• Led to increased support for shelter and
  transitional housing for Domestic Violence.
• Led to expansion of housing, education and
  support services for homeless teens.
• Supported community education mobilization
• Newspaper Articles,Board Reports, Student
  Reports, Newsletters, Legislative Reports on
  Poverty and Homelessness
• Provided data/needs documentation for grants
• Led to Continuous Performance Improvement.
• Reduced paperwork for consumers

5
Project Update

• Project Manager Hired - Barbara Ritter (MCAH)
• Contact Information
• 517-230-7146 or 616-850-0028
• RitterEval_at_aol.com
• HUD contract for MSHMIS approved
• MSHMIS Steering Committee Appointed
• Contracting with BIS/ServicePoint Near
  Completion

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Project Implementation Long-Range Plan

• Complete Initial Planning Fall, 2003
• Initiate Pilot Phase January, 2004
• Tier I Implementation (Detroit, Flint, Jackson,
• Lansing, Oakland) Spring, 2004
• Tier II Implementation (Balance of State
• Communities) Summer, 2004
• Tier III Implementation (HUD/SHP 2003
• Communities) Fall, 2004
• Tier IV Implementation (BOS) Winter, 2005
• Tier V Implementation Summer, 2005
• Tier VI Implementation Fall, 2005
• Tier VII Implementation Winter, 2006
• Tier VIII Implementation Summer, 2006

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Project Implementation Immediate Next Steps

• All CoCs Submit Pre-Implementation Readiness
  Survey Test Site is established
• Finalize Drafts of Policies and Procedures, User
  Consents, Participation Agreements, and Interview
  Protocols
• Selection of Pilot Phase Provider Sites
• Selection of Tier II Tier IV (BOS) CoC Sites
• Initiate Pilot Phase (2-4 months with small of
  organizations from Tier I communities)

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Going Live!Tier I Implementation(Winter/Spring,
2004)

• Initiated in 5 HUD/SHP-Funded HMIS Communities
• Emphasis on training and human processes
• User groups meet regularly/provide feedback
• Lots of work on reports Information is
  generated routinely

ASAP But Not Until Were Ready
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Rules for the Road

• We will learn throughout the implementation.
  Problem-solving will be continuous.
• Some decisions made during the planning process
  will need to be modified. Flexibility is
  critical.
• Most databases dont fail because of the
  technology, but rather because of the fallibility
  of human processes built around the technology.
• Training, training and more training.
• The ultimate success of the system will depend on
  the degree to which organizations prioritize AND
  utilize the HMIS. For that to happen the,
  information must be useful (complete and
  trustworthy) and it must be used at the
  organization and community/CoC levels.

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Criteria for Priority in Selection of
Implementing Communities

• HUD/SHP Funding for HMIS Implementation
• HUDs Annual Homeless Assistance Reporting (AHAR)
  Sample Sites
• Community Readiness/Technical Capacity
• Community Willingness / Interest

• New tiers will be implemented at four-six month
  intervals
• Tier II Tier IV Balance of State (BOS) sites
  will be identified by January, 2004 prior to
  2004 MSHDA ESG Submission

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Community/CoC Readiness Considerations

• Existing Connectivity
• High speed internet options such as ESL, T1 or
  Cable are available.
• Hardware
• A high proportion of organizations have newer
  model PCs (Pentium 133 Mhz or Macintosh 8.0)
  and commonly use the internet.
• Culture
• Providers are interested in adopting innovation
  and are willing to prioritize the process.
• Complexity
• The number of providers who operate existing
  systems and require systems integration.
• HMIS Support Plan
• Community has identified a local MSHMIS
  Coordinator.
• Community has developed a user support plan

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CoC Issues Community Coordination

• Community has identified and supports a local
  HMIS Coordinator
• Majority of community agencies are ready to
  commit to participation
• Community has mechanism (e.g, Steering
  Committee) for defining and facilitating local
  implementing policies
• Community has mechanism for providing user
  support

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Provider IssuesAgency Implementing Process

• Staff are given time to participate in training
  and to complete data entry.
• Computers and the environment around them are
  designed to support confidentiality, privacy, and
  security of data.
• Agency has identified an internal HMIS Systems
  Administrator.
• The organization is interested in the information
  and committed to using the data.

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Provider Issues Internal Process Planning

• Determine who will enter data at what points in
  the business process
• Will vary in accord with
• Culture
• Access to secure systems and interview space
• Consumer flow though agency
• How the organization wishes to use HMIS data
• Coordinated case management data entered with
  the consumer during interview.
• Grants management, performance improvement,
  community education may be entered following
  interview.
• Be realistic!!!

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Provider Issues Maintaining Paper Records

• Depends on
• What is the data entry plan?
• What are agencys audit requirements?
• Does everyone who needs information have easy
  access to computers?
• What sort of record keeping will help correct
  data errors and incomplete entry?
• HMIS should be a helpful tool -- not a barrier to
  getting information needed to complete job tasks.

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Provider Issues Meeting Unique Needs of Agency

• MSHMIS allows for multiple user-defined fields.
  These allow for attention to agency-specific
  needs, e.g.
• Agency outcomes or performance indicators
• Teen returned to their family
• Households stably housed for 6 months
• Customer satisfaction
• Grant management fields
• Fund source, grant year, staff person.
• Other demographic and assessment data
• Number of years on the street
• Other family members involved in services.

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ServicePoint System Structure

• Designed to meet the needs of all Human Service
  Organizations
• Web-based software using a shared host server.
  No software installed locally.
• Every user is licensed and assigned defined
  levels of access to records
• Modular with options to customize different
  screens

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ServicePoint -- Security

• System provides encryption in transmission and
  within host-server
• Firewalls
• Authentication (passwords and user
  identification)
• Audit trails
• Ongoing systems testing
• Requires attentiveness to staff and privacy
  policy management within your agency i.e., the
  privacy culture in your organization.

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ServicePoint -- Data Sharing Concerns

• Statewide policy development on data-sharing is
  still in process. MSHMIS Steering Committee will
  distribute guidelines and best practices.
• Fundamentally, all decisions to share or not
  share MUST be made by the individual consumer
• Technology allows for organizations to negotiate
  interagency sharing protocols that serve and
  protect -- the needs of the consumer.
• MSHMIS will provide templates and trainings for
  consents and agreements.
• ServicePoint allows for high degree of agency
  control of data flow

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ServicePoint -- How Data Sharing Works

• Each record or specific fields may be designated
  as
• Restricted Only agency may see data,
• Selected Access - Seen by data-sharing partners,
• Read Only Only the agency may edit, but open to
  all other users, or
• Open Seen and edited by other database users.
• Agency Administrator defines whether information
  is considered open or restricted

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Data Sharing Decisions Will Vary (in accord with
issues below)

• Type of data Some information is statutorily
  protected (e.g., substance abuse, mental health,
  HIV/AIDS, domestic violence)
• Who do you receive referrals from and who do you
  refer to? Analyze the referral stream.
• Relationship with collaborating partners
• Privacy culture of collaborating partners
• How the information can and will be used

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What About Implementing Costs? Shared Costs
Model

• MSHMIS
• Basic infrastructure hardware
• Master software platform
• Encryption/Security
• Systems administration
• Coordination of development
• Training protocols
• Volume Pricing
• Trouble-shooting support/Help Desk

• CoC/Local Agencies
• User licenses/support fees
• Connectivity/Internet Access
• Local training and coordination
• Technical support for local users
• Customization of software
• Data conversions/ integration
• Hardware as needed
• Local policies
• Resource referral info

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ServicePoint User Costs

• User Licenses Support
• One-time Licensing Fee/User 175
• Annual Support Fee/User
• 44/Year Years 1 2
• 65/Year Year 3
• Protegrity Security Licenses Support
• One-time Licensing Fee/User 60
• Annual Support Fee/User 15/Year
• BIS Shared Hosting of Data
• lt250 users 4/user/month
• 250 to 650 users 3/user/month
• gt650 2/user/month
• (Not charged to BOS communities)

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Service Point Per User Cost Summary

• Year 1 294 Hosting Fee (48)
• (175 44 60 15) Hosting Fee
• Year 2 65 Hosting Fee (36)
• (44 15) Hosting Fee
• Year 3 80 Hosting Fee (24)
• (65 15) Hosting Fee

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Other ServicePoint Systems Costs (Relevant for
CoCs who plan to provide own HUB functions
and/or operate separate servers)

• Disaster Recovery
• lt201 users 499.95/month
• 201 to 500 users 645.95/month
• gt500 users 799.95/month
• Training / Support Fees
• 795/day -- Years 1 and 2
• 895/day -- Year 3
• Travel Expenses
• Project Management - 85/hour
• AIRS Taxonomy License - 250/annually

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Other ServicePoint Systems Costs (Relevant for
CoCs who plan to provide own HUB functions
and/or operate separate servers)

• Customized Local Data Conversion/Systems
  Integration - 85/hour
• (Project estimates prior to work)
• Routine Data Merges between Co-located Servers
• Set up fee 800
• Costs range from 910/month to 2290/month
  depending on size of transfer. Calculated and
  billed monthly.

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HUD-SHP Funding for HMIS

• Can be addressed through annual Supportive
  Housing Program competition
• No additional SHP funding available Must be
  carved out of communitys pro-rata need
• SHP funding will support most HMIS implementing
  costs e.g., Staffing, Systems, Technology,
  Support
• MSHDA/ESG funds may be used for HUD-required
  match (20 of project costs)

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MSHDA Funding for HMIS

• Statewide Systems Infrastructure Costs supported
  through MSHDA/HUD funding
• Continuum-Wide Coordinating Costs supported
  through MSHDA/ESG
• Agency-Specific HMIS Costs supported through
  MSHDA/ESG
• Supplemental Funding for Balance of State CoCs
  supported through MSHDA/HUD
• Licenses Up to 3 licenses (and all associated
  fees) allotted for each participating agency
• Coordination 2,500/Continuum will be allotted
  to help fund HMIS coordination, staffing,
  connectivity, and/or other community-wide costs