Once clients have been added to the HMIS database, they can be easily accessed through the ClientPoint search tool. The way ClientPoint is designed, you must search for a client before entering a new one to prevent client count duplication. Therefore, the initial step in adding clients is to search for an existing client.

1.   Click the ClientPoint tab on the navigation toolbar. The screen will refresh and display the Client Search screen. (See Figure 1-1)

2.   Use a less-is-more approach to search a client by only entering the first few letters of a person’s first and last names into the Search fields. (1)

• Less-is-more means to enter the least amount of data in your search fields to pull back a wider set of results.  This will allow you to monitor for any variances in spelling.
• Example: John vs Jonathan; Smith vs Smyth

3.   Click Search to return a list of possible matches. (2) The screen will refresh to show a possible list of matches. 

• Review the returned list of possible matches. To verify if your client is among this list, reference the date of birth.  If you identify an existing record that appears to be a match, click on the client’s name which will take you directly into the cline’s profile.  Scroll to Client Demographic and view the ethnicity.  Compare this to your client to confirm match.  
• NOTE: if you confirm that there are multiple records for your client (same or similar spelling of names; same birthdate; same ethnicity) please email hmis@calgaryhomeless.com to request a merge of these records.  ONLY INCLUDE CLIENT ID’S IN THE EMAIL. Never send a client’s name in an email message.  
• If the less-is-more search returns no suitable matches, you may proceed with creating a new client record.        Helpful Article: How to add a new client record in HMIS             
  
  View Related Video: Module 3: ClientPoint Workflow, Topic 1: Duplicate Data & Less-Is-More Search