Client Profiles and Privacy
The Cincinnati/Hamilton County CoC takes client privacy very seriously, so it is vital to understand why, when, and how to set a client profile to Private.
Basic client demographic and contact information on the client profile screen is defaulted to be available to be shared between Agencies in Clarity. This data sharing helps reduce duplicated clients, saves clients from having to repeat basic information, like SSN, and helps maintain a healthier HMIS database. However, this basic information is only shared if the client agrees to share this data by signing an HMIS Client Consent to release information (ROI) (click here for a printable copy of the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS Privacy Notice and Client Consent Form).
Follow these steps if a client chooses to not share basic information in Clarity:
It is important to ask a client if they are comfortable sharing basic information before searching for the client in Clarity. If a client does not consent to share basic client information within HMIS, do not search for an existing client record. Instead, create a new client record.
1. Create a new client record
If the client agrees to share information, search for an existing client record and follow the process for enrolling the client into your program (see our article on Program Enrollments for more information).
2. Set ROI permission to "No"
After creating the new client record, be sure to set the HMIS Release of Information (RoI) permission to "No."
3. Set the client record to private
After adding the client record, you'll see the yellow warning banner alerting you the HMIS Release of Information is missing or permission is not provided. This warning is alerting you the client's data has not been set to private.
Click the Privacy Icon (shield) on the right sidebar under the yellow banner.
Click on 'Private' then 'Save Changes.'
Now the client record is set to private. Basic client information will not be shared in Clarity with other agencies.
Data Used by Multiple Agencies Must be Shared
You may find you cannot set an existing client record to Private. This is because the client's information has been either shared previously among agencies, or the client has contacted multiple agencies. For example, a client may be enrolled in programs in two or more agencies. So even if the RoI is missing or the client revoked consent, you cannot set the record to private as long as the multiple enrollments are in the record.
If your client requests their data to not be shared but you are not able to set the record to private, create a new client profile and set the new profile to private. Information that has already been shared cannot be unshared. Email HMIS Support at HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org if you have any questions. Be sure to provide the client's Clarity Unique ID number and a description of the situation.
Contact Us
If you need help, or wish to offer suggestions or feedback, please contact the Cincinnati/Hamilton County HMIS support team at HMISsupport@end-homelessness.org or by calling 513-263-2790 9:00am - 3:00pm Monday-Friday (excluding holidays).
When contacting HMIS Support, please do not include any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) such as names, social security numbers, birth dates, etc. Please use the Clarity Unique Identifier found on the Clarity client profile page.