HMIS Project Management Topics and Tools - OneCPD

HMIS Project Management Topics and Tools4. Job Description: Lead Agency and Local System AdministratorSource: Michigan Statewide Homeless Management Information System, MichiganDescription: A large statewide implementation with multiple CoCs has a system administratorfor each Continuum and a system administrator at the lead agency. This document describesthose jobs.All participating CoCs must identify a Lead Agency as well as at least one individual who will managethe process locally. Those involved in the local administration of the system will hold SystemAdministrator I access levels. To optimize your HMIS outcomes (participant buy-in, ongoing usersupport, data quality, and routine reporting), it is very important for leadership at the local level toimplement local users. Tasks completed by System Administrator I include: training and support forlocal agencies, routine monitoring of data quality, formal report preparation, and routine mining of thedatabase to respond to information requests. Local access to help is especially important to thoseorganizations that are less comfortable and/or skilled at automation. A local advisory committee providesguidance with regard to implementation and reporting issues. Each Continuum will be assigned an HMIStrainer and will have on-going access to the HMIS Help Desk. However, HMIS staff time will be spreadacross 50 plus continua and the support protocol requires all questions pass through local staff.All Systems Administrators necessarily have access to all agency records within their continua (but notother continua). It is therefore important to address and resolve the local trust issues inherent inidentifying these individuals/organizations. Policies and agreements have been developed to guideindividuals in this position and to assure protection of all record level data. Some of the issues addressedin these policies and agreements include:1. Lead Agencies will sign a QSOBAA (Qualified Service Organization Business AssociatesAgreement) that will assure that all organizations involved in the administration of the Systemmay not re-release record level/identified data. That agreement also requires that the LeadOrganization resist subpoenas in the same manner that a service organization would, and tomaintain the data in a secure manner, meeting all confidentiality requirements.2. The HMIS Participation Agreement restricts and specifies the use of aggregate data. Issuesaddressed include the fact that only the organization or continua may approve publication of dataspecific to that organization or continua, and that analysis and publication of community-widenumbers will be guided by a local CoC designated committee.3. Anyone with System Administration Access must be willing to sign individual agencyConfidentiality Oaths as desired.Job Description: Lead Agency and Local System Administrator 62