Searching for a Client

Author: Reid Lemker | Date Created: July 1, 2024 | Date Updated: June 4th, 2025

Overview

This article will show you best practices for how to search for and locate existing clients in HMIS.

Step-by-Step Video

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💥Searching Best Practice: To prevent duplicate records from being created, users should always perform three (3) separate search attempts when attempting to locate a client in HMIS. Each search should include a combination of the three primary identifiers of the client: full name, social security number, or date of birth.

To search for a Client Record in HMIS:

From the main menu, navigate to the Clients workspace:

Select Find Client within the menu group:

On the search page, enter the first three letters of the client's first and last name into the corresponding fields. If you know the client's ID you can enter that into the Client ID field

Look for your client in the list of results below. If found, select the client to enter their record:

If no search results are returned, search a second time by entering the last four digits of the client's SSN in the Social Security Number field

If the client still does not appear in the list of search results, search a third and final time by entering the client’s date of birth into the Birth Date field, and then click the search button again:

If the client still cannot be located after three different search attempts, you can then proceed to add a new client.

Core HMIS Workflow How-to Guides:

Questions? Email the Helpdesk: MNHMIS@icalliances.org