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In this issue:
FootholdConnect Events
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
What's New in AWARDS
This Month in HMIS
Tip of the Month - Using the Multi-Sort Option in ReportBuilders
For more information on upcoming FootholdConnect events, please go to FootholdConnect on the AWARDS Home screen's navigation bar, or visit the Upcoming Events page of the Foothold Technology web site. And don't forget... If you've missed any recent FootholdConnect events, you can access the recordings for those in Online Help here!
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Highlights from the Project Pipeline
Providers Directory - New Merge Tool Coming Soon!
A new Merge feature is currently in development for the Builders & Tools > Providers Directory feature. This new tool will allow users with permission to merge provider records, combining any unique agency and contact information into a single instance moving forward. We're excited to bring you this new tool so you can better manage the Providers Directory index and its contents. Stay tuned to FootNotes for more information on this update.
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As we have done in previous months, we are continuing to make available a new set of useful features and functions to users of AWARDS. As always, this round of upgrades is provided free of charge to all AWARDS users and is described below. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Help Desk. We hope these enhancements improve the way you use AWARDS and provide services!
Deployment Date: 10/1/19
Health Information Exchange (HIE) Enhanced Compliance - Consents for Minors
To enhance compliance with health information exchanges, AWARDS now accepts consents for minors from parents or guardians, and then zero them out at the consumer's 18th birthday. After the consumer's 18th birthday a consent from the now adult consumer can be collected using Face Sheet > Network Consents.
This enhancement is turned on by default for all health information exchanges, but the health information exchange may not accept certain consents or ask Foothold Technology to turn the feature off based on their specific policies.
HMIS Data Standards - FY2020
For a complete list of changes made for the FY2020 Data Standards, see This Month in HMIS, below.
Interoperability Center - Updates and Enhancements
For a better user experience, the following updates and enhancements have been made to the Interoperability Center:
New fly-out menu items - Users with access to the System Setup > Interoperability Center feature now open a sub fly-out menu when clicking on Interoperability Center. The two menu items on the new fly-out are Administration and Network Messages, described below.
Administration feature - Clicking this menu item opens the existing Interoperability Settings page, where users select a program and action to complete, such as generating the CCDA or working with clinical documents.
Network Messages feature - This new Network Messages feature is used to connect agencies to Medisked for NYS OPWDD customers. Stay tuned for more information about this feature in upcoming FootNotes.
Multi-Delete Option - Now Available on Record Index Pages
On index pages that display an action bar of icons above the table of records, you can now delete multiple records at once. The radio buttons that appeared next to each record have been replaced with checkboxes, and you can select one or more checkboxes before clicking the Delete icon on the index, deleting all checked records at once.
TIP: Before selecting which records to delete, click the Available for Deletion filter on the left-hand menu of the index to narrow the index to only those records that are not locked for deletion.
Along with this update, once you select records on the index, a count of how many total records are selected is displayed in the action bar. Selections are maintained while moving from one page of the index to the next; in other words, you can select records on the first page (showing records 1-10 by default) and move to the next page (displaying records 11-20) without losing the selections made on the first page. Links for Show All selected records and Uncheck All are provided beneath the index table for easy user navigation.
ReportBuilders - Enhancements
As part of our ongoing efforts to make AWARDS ReportBuilders as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible, the following enhancements are now available:
Audit Trail ReportBuilder - A Program drop-down field now appears on the first report settings page, allowing users to see which program selection was passed in from the Reports menu page, and to update that selection if needed.
Employee ReportBuilder - A new "User Login Information" section has been added to the first report options page, containing report options related to employee/user login data. Data variables located in this section include: Direct Address, Local Help Desk Staff, Security Question, Two-Factor Configured (a new field that reports "Yes" for users who have completed the two-factor authorization process), and Username.
Transportation - New Locations Index
A new Transportation Locations feature is available for agencies tracking client rides and mileage using the Transportation feature in the Services - Individual module. Highlights of this new feature include the following:
Permissions - To access the Transportation Locations feature, users with access to the Services - Individual module must be assigned the previously existing Transportation Data Entry and the NEW Transportation Locations Data Entry permissions. Users with this permissions combination are able to create, edit, and maintain a centralized locations list for the agency.
Managing Location Information - To access the feature, navigate to the Services - Individual > Transportation feature. On the Transportation - Ride Schedules index page, a new Transportation Locations link is displayed on the left-hand menu. Click that link to open a new Transportation Locations index page where locations can be managed.
Working with Transportation Locations - Transportation locations are shared across all agency programs and are available for selection when entering pick-up and drop-off addresses for expected and transported passengers.
Transportation Locations ReportBuilder - This new report is displayed on the Transportation Locations index page and allows users to create customized reports on location information.
IMPORTANT BILLING NOTE! As of August 2019, the BillingBuilder feature does not yet generate invoices based on mileage entered in this feature. For that reason, any agency billing for miles must continue to use the existing Rides feature located in Operations. We anticipate completing the billing link to the Transportation feature later this year and then switching users to this new feature exclusively.
As previously communicated, the BillingBuilder feature does not yet generate invoices based on mileage entered under Services - Individual. For that reason, any agency billing for miles must continue to use the Rides feature located in the Operations module. We anticipate completing the billing link to the new module later this year. Once this work is completed, we anticipate switching users to the new module exclusively.
For more information on using the Transportation Locations feature, click here.
Two-Factor Authentication - New!
Keeping your AWARDS database secure is Foothold's top priority. Behind the scenes we've done a lot of work to keep your data safe and we've also provided system administrators with a number of tools to make sure the users with access to AWARDS are actually the users who are logging in. This month we're adding another powerful tool for system administrators.
Two-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security to complex passwords and good user behavior by creating a token on a personal iOS or Android mobile device that must be used to log in. If a password is compromised and an attacker attempts to log in, without access to the user's mobile device to get a code, they will be unable to do so. Two-factor authentication greatly decreases the success rate of brute force and phishing attacks on a database. Please click here to learn more about using two-factor authentication in your database and consider enabling it today!
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In order to meet requirements for FY2020 Data Standards, many AWARDS changes were deployed for HMIS projects as of Tuesday, October 1st. Please review the full list of changes below.
TIP: For more information on the data standards we encourage you to read the HMIS Data Standards Manual. We also recommend viewing the recording of our HMIS Data Standards Updates - FY2020 webinar (46 min), in which the AWARDS changes were demonstrated ahead of deployment.
Key Changes
For programs that upload to an HMIS:
October uploads will be delayed until October 15th due to changes to the CSV standards. You will not be penalized for late uploads in the month of October.
For programs that use the old Entitlement Filter to specify which clients need to be uploaded to the HMIS, it was previously mentioned those programs will need to be split into two programs. If you have a combined program that has not yet been split, please contact your Foothold Customer Success & Advocacy team representative before doing your next upload. The Entitlement Filter should no longer be used. The new HMIS Data Standards requires programs either be designated as 100% participating in HMIS, or 0% participating in HMIS.
All Changes Implemented as of October 1st
Project Descriptor Data Elements
The following were made to "Project Descriptor Data Elements," which define how projects are set up:
Victim Service Provider moved from the program level to the agency level - from "Agency Program Information" to "Continuum Provider Agency Information." Continuum Provider Agency Information is a feature under System Setup > Agency Program Information where information about your entire agency/division is stored.
Add/Edit Entire Program Feature
The following changes have been made to the Add/Edit Entire Program feature under System Setup > Agency Program Information:
In the "HMIS Project Type" list, Coordinated Assessment has been relabeled as Coordinated Entry.
Emergency Shelter Tracking Method is a new option used by Emergency Shelter programs to record information that was previously only stored behind the scenes. Options are "Entry/Exit Date" and "Night-by-Night." Night-by-Night shelters are those that require clients to leave every morning with no guarantee of a bed that night.
HMIS Participating Project is a new question and it needs to be set to "Yes" for any program that is uploading to the HMIS. This question, and the implications behind it, are why programs can no longer upload just part of a census to an HMIS database.
Federal Funding Source has been relabeled as Funding Source and some of the options have changed:
- ADDED: HUD: CoC – Joint Component TH/RRH
- ADDED: VA: Grant Per Diem - Case Management/Housing Retention
- ADDED: Local or other Funding Sources (with an "If other specify" text box)
- REMOVED: VA:Compensated Work Therapy Transitional Residence
HMIS Bed Inventory Feature
The following changes have been made to the HMIS Bed Inventory feature located under System Setup > Agency Program Information:
Information Date has been removed.
The following options have replaced Chronically Homeless Bed Inventory, Veteran Bed Inventory, and Youth Bed Inventory:
- Beds dedicated to chronically homeless veterans
- Beds dedicated to youth-veterans
- Beds dedicated to any other veteran
- Beds dedicated to chronically homeless youth
- Beds dedicated to any other youth
- Beds dedicated to any other CH
- Non-dedicated beds
Bed Inventory has been relabeled Total Bed Inventory, and is the sum of those previous 7 options.
This information should be updated at least annually, as it is needed for the Housing Inventory Chart (HIC) and Longitudinal Systems Analysis Report (LSA).
Data Elements
Even more changes have been made to the client-level data elements known as Universal Data Elements and Program Specific Data Elements:
In the Special Needs section at Intake, Face Sheet, and Discharge, the follow-up questions for HIV/AIDS and Developmental Disability have been removed. If a consumer has these special needs, then it is already known that it is of a long-term nature, and it counts as a Disabling Condition.
The logic behind Disabling Condition is being changed to be in alignment with the changes made to Special Needs. In addition, if AWARDS auto-calculates that the client does have a Disabling Condition the user will no longer be able to overwrite "Yes" with "No;" however, if AWARDS does not determine that the client has a disabling condition the user will be able to overwrite the "No" with a "Yes."
Living Situation has been renamed Prior Living Situation and a few changes have been made to the list:
- ADDED: Host Home (non-crisis)
- ADDED: Rental by client, with HCV voucher (tenant or project based)
- ADDED: Rental by client in a public housing unit
- REMOVED: Interim Housing
TIP: For the removed "Interim Housing" option, please run the HMIS ReportBuilder and see if any clients had selected this option. If so please revisit the Intake form for those clients and change the answer to their actual residence prior to entry.
A new section called Current Living Situation replaces the Contacts previously collected in Street Outreach, PATH projects, and Night-by-Night shelters. This section is also included for Coordinated Entry projects. It is collected for Heads of Households and Adults. It is collected at Intake/Admission, as well as every time you have an encounter with a client. The encounters are recorded on either the Outreach Encounter form (for Street Outreach projects), or on the Face Sheet (for all other types of projects). Note that:
- The section starts with Currently Living Situation, with the same options as Previous Living Situation and "Other" and "Worker Unable to Determine"
- A Location Details field is also present.
- If the client is NOT currently homeless, a follow-up question is asked: Is client going to have to leave their current living situation within 14 days?
- If "Yes" is answered for the follow-up question, additional follow-up questions are asked:
Has a subsequent residence been identified?
Does individual or family have resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing?
Has the client had a lease or ownership interest in a permanent housing unit in the last 60 days?
Has the client moved 2 or more times in the last 60 days?
The Staying On The Streets/ES/SH option previously located on both the Outreach Encounter form and the Supportive Services Checklist in PATH projects has been removed. It has been replaced with Current Living Situation.
In PATH projects, one minor change has been made to the PATH Status option. Under "Reason not enrolled" (for clients not enrolled) a new "Unable to location client" option has been added.
Sexual Orientation is now being asked in YHDP projects in addition to RHY projects. A new "Other" selection has been added with a "Please Specify" text box.
Employment Status is now also required in VA: GPD – Low Demand and GPD – Case Management/Housing Retention (previously just RHY, VASH, and SSVF).
VAMC Station Number is now also required in VA: GPD, VA: CRS Contract Residential Services, and VA: Community Contract Safe Haven Programs.
At Discharge, the Destination list has been reordered with headers for Homeless Destinations, Temporary Destinations, Permanent Destinations, and Other. There are also three new options in the list: "Host Home (non-crisis)," "Rental by client, with HCV voucher (tenant or project based)," and "Rental by client in a public housing unit."
For SSVF projects, the list of eligible services on the Supportive Services Checklist has been updated with three new service types and one new Financial Assistance service type:
- SSVF Rapid Resolution
- SSVF Extended Shallow Subsidy
- SSVF Returning Home
- SSVF Financial Assistance - Extended Shallow Subsidy – Rental Assistance
Coordinated Entry FormBuilder Forms
Two new Coordinated Entry data elements have been added as FormBuilder forms, located on the Services - Individual fly-out menu:
Coordinated Entry Assessment - Will be completed each time you complete a crisis needs assessment or housing assessment
Coordinated Entry Event - Will be completed each time a referral is made for a client.
These forms and the related assessments will be included as part of HMIS exports and imports.
Communities have until April 2020 to implement them in preparation for the new CES APR coming out in the fall of 2020. If you'd like to begin using these forms please reach out to your Foothold Senior Project Manager for help in customizing and turning on these data elements.
APR and CAPER Changes
Several changes are being made to the CoC APR and the ESG CAPER reports. An additional question about Income/Disabling Condition has also been added.
CSV Version Update
Finally, the CSV version used to transmit data between system is changing from CSV version 6.12 to CSV FY2020 version 1.6. AWARDS will support exports in either version; however, the code values of some data elements such as Prior Living Situation have changed and the codes that are exported may be incorrect if you use the old format.
NOTE: The new version will be available starting on October 15th. No uploads or imports will be allowed between October 1st and October 14th. Communities will not be penalized for missing their October upload.
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Tip of the Month - Using the Multi-Sort Option in ReportBuilders
Most AWARDS reports have a variety of sorting options available as part of their initial settings; however, it may also be necessary to re-sort the data once the report has been run. In reports, sorting is as easy as clicking the column header of the data you would like to sort by. But what do you do if you need to re-sort the report by more than one type of data? With most AWARDS reports you can sort on as many columns as you want by pressing <Shift> each time you click on a column header.
For example, when gathering demographic data for your medical clinic's annual report, you may first want to sort your data by type of medical condition, followed by the gender makeup of individuals living with each medical condition, followed by the age range for each gender category.
With these data options included in your report, first click on the column header for medical condition. While pressing <Shift> on your keyboard, click on the gender column header, and then click the age column header. This multi-sort shortcut allows you to re-sort the data easily without having to jump back, change the report settings, and re-run the report.
TIP: Clicking on a column twice will reverse sort the alphabetical/numerical data. If you've sorted by multiple columns,pressing <Shift> while clicking a column header twice will only reverse sort that particular column.
You can even sort on a column and then hide that column using the Column Display icon at the left of the first column and AWARDS will still remember how the report should be sorted. Please note that the Excel link will not change and will contain the report's original sort order.
Bonus Tip!
This type of "sorting on the fly" is an easy way to check for missing data. Just run a report that includes all the fields you care about and then re-sort the report on one column after another. Each time you sort on a particular column the blank missing data will jump to the top of that column.
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