HCSIS Frequently Asked Questions
What is Developmental Services Quality Management Reporting [HCSIS]?
VG/HCSIS Login
How do I obtain a HCSIS user login?
I forgot my password, how do I recover it?
A User’s name is spelled wrong, how can it be changed?
What are Scopes and Roles in HCSIS?
What is the Default User [for User Creation] role?
What do I do when an employee is terminated from employment from my Agency?
I’m having difficulty viewing all our users and their privileges.
I went to Admin>User Admin>Privileges...  Where can I find the instructions to generate the list of Users and privileges?
How can I have Roles modified in HCSIS?
I need access to HCSIS in multiple Area Offices, for example, in both the Berkshire and Metro North Area Offices – how can I get this access?
I am a Service Coordinator [SC] and I do not see my entire caseload, what is wrong?
What is Enhanced Security?
How do I obtain HCSIS Training materials and Quick Guides?
What are Quick Guides?
How can I obtain HCSIS Training?
HCSIS Frequently Asked Questions 
What is Developmental Services Quality Management Reporting [HCSIS]?

This application is designed to be the primary quality management and health care reporting system for the Department. This system captures information related to Incident Management [Incidents, Restraints, and Meditication Occurrences], Health Care Records, Investigations, Death Reporting and National Core Indicators.
 
VG/HCSIS Login

How do I obtain a HCSIS user login?

For Providers, contact the VG Access Admin/Local HCSIS Administrator for your Agency.  This individual will complete the HCSIS User Request Form (URF) and submit it to the DDS Customer Service Center [866-367-8163]. 

New accounts for new Departmental employees are handled by the local HR representative and/or their Supervisor.  Existing Departmental employees should contact their Supervisor to initiate access to HCSIS. In both cases the HCSIS URF is sent to the DDS Customer Service Center for processing.

I forgot my password, how do I recover it?

Password resets for HCSIS are handled by the Virtual Gateway.  Please contact:

Virtual Gateway Customer Service 
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm 

800-421-0938 (Voice) 
617-988-3301 (TTY for the deaf and hard of hearing)  

It is possible to submit a request for password reset by selecting the ‘forgot password’ hyperlink on the Gateway portal web page.

In either case, you must have the four-digit PIN that was established when your account was setup.

For Provider accounts, please contact your local VG\local HCSIS access Administrator to retrieve your four-digit PIN.

For DDS accounts, please contact the DDS Customer Service Center [866-367-8163] to retrieve the four-digit PIN.

A User’s name is spelled wrong, how can it be changed?

A HCSIS URF form should be filled out and sent to the DDS Customer Service Center for correction.  The HCSIS URF form also allows for additions and deletions.

What are Scopes and Roles in HCSIS?

Each user in HCSIS is assigned a Scope and at least one role.  A user’s Scope represents the data that the user has access to.  Scope types are Commonwealth, Region, Area Office, Providers, SC Entity and Investigations.

Roles represent what a user can do with the data they have access to and are linked to Scope types.

What is the Default User [for User Creation] role? 

Each scope has a Default User Role that was designed to be the initial role used when creating a new user, but the business process was changed to allow the local HCSIS Admin to select this role designation.  Selecting this role will remove all access to any screen functionality.  The user will see all menus, but clicking any 3rd level menus will result in a ‘No Access’ message to be displayed.

What do I do when an employee is terminated from employment from my Agency?

Any employee terminated from employment for any reason must have their role changed in HCSIS to Provider/State Default User (for User Creation).  This can be done by the VG Access Admin/Local HCSIS administrator. 
Secondly, a delete request [HCSIS URF form] should be sent to the DDS Customer Service Center by the local HCSIS administrator requesting that the user be removed from HCSIS.

I’m having difficulty viewing all our users and their privileges.
I went to Admin>User Admin>Privileges...  Where can I find the instructions to generate the list of Users and privileges?

As the local HCSIS Admin, the report available to you is under Reports Inbox: 
Select
Administrative Security
          Administrative Analysis Report By User
However this report runs overnight and will be available on the next day.
Secondly, you can search by Admin/User Administration/Privileges. This will provide you will a list of all the users under your agency by which you can modify the users one by one.  Further, in the User Search Criteria dialogue box, there are different options to use for displaying information for your users.  Please review each option to see which option best suits your needs.

How can I have Roles modified in HCSIS?

For Providers, contact your agency’s VG Access Admin/Local HCSIS Administrator.  This person has the ability to modify Roles.

Departmental employees should contact their Supervisor to initiate Role changes to HCSIS.  In turn, the Supervisor can submit a HCSIS User request form to the DDS Customer Service Center [866-367-8163].

I need access to HCSIS in multiple Area Offices, for example, in both the Berkshire and Metro North Area Offices – how can I get this access?

The user would need two User IDs – one for Berkshire and one for Metro North.  For any questions of this type, please contact the DDS Customer Service Center [866-367-8163].

I am a Service Coordinator [SC] and I do not see my entire caseload, what is wrong?

The caseload is not mapped correctly in MEDITECH OR the SC User’s MEDITECH ID in HCSIS is incorrect OR the SC was created in HCSIS after caseload information existed in MEDITECH. Please address this issue with the DDS Customer Service Center [866-367-8163] for resolution.

What is Enhanced Security?

Enhanced Security makes it possible for Providers to limit the amount of information a HCSIS user can see.  A person with the IM supervisor role can “see” every consumer agency-wide; enhanced security can provide the provider with the ability to limit access to just a certain group of consumers.  For example, using enhanced security, a user with the IM supervisor role can be limited to a particular residence or group of residences.  The provider is able to ‘turn-on’ or ‘turn-off’ locations and consumer visibility to staff; consumer confidentiality is ensured by only allowing staff limited access to consumer records in HCSIS. 

How do I obtain HCSIS Training materials and Quick Guides?   

All training materials and quick guides can be accessed at http://www.mass.gov/dds/key initiatives/HCSIS
What are Quick Guides?

Quick guides are brief, concise reference guides using pictures of the screens that the user would need to see in order to complete the recording/reporting of an event. 

How can I obtain HCSIS Training?  

A request can be made to Valarie Oresto, Director of Training, via email (valarie.oresto@state.ma.us) or by phone on 617-624-7730.  DDS employees, can enroll online via PACE.