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How to Document a Release of Information (Authorization to Disclose Confidential Information)

  1. With the client open, click the Search icon.
  2. Type “Release of Information” into the search bar.
  3. Click to select “Release of Information (Client)” from the search results.
  1. If there’s already an ROI on file for the client, click the New icon. If this is the first ROI you’re creating, the system will automatically create a new ROI for you, so you can skip to the next step.
  1. The CDAG Program Enrollment window will pop up. Select your program from the drop-down menu and click OK.
  1. This will bring you to the Release of Information document. Complete the “Release To/Obtain From” section. This section is the person or entity that you’ll be sharing information with.
    1. Enter the person or entity that you’re planning to exchange information with. This can be a personal contact or an agency. If it’s an agency, you’ll still want to enter a first and last name for the main point person at that agency, if possible.
      1. If the person you’ll be sharing information with is already a contact person in the client’s Client Information screen, select “Contact”. Then select them from the dropdown menu in the “Release To/From” field. This will bring their information into this document from the Client Information: Contacts screen so that you don’t have to re-enter the information.
      1. If the person you’ll be sharing information with is not a client contact on the Client Information screen, or is an agency, then select “Organization/Provider”. If this is an agency that you’ve used in the past, start typing the name in the “Release To/From” field to search. If you can find the person/entity, click to select it.
        If you don’t find the agency, c        lick on the 3 dots button that appears next to the “Release To/From” field. This will bring up a pop-up window where you can enter in all the agency’s information. After entering the information, click Save. This will close the pop-up window and take you back to the ROI document, where the information has now been entered. This will also save this entity for future ROIs. 
    1. Select whether you will be releasing information to this person/entity and/or obtaining information from this person/entity. You can select one or both, but must select at least one option.
  1. Complete the “Purpose of Disclosure” section. This is the reason you’re sharing information with the person/entity listed in #6 above. Most frequently, the purpose will be “Treatment/Care Coordination”. If you select “Other”, make sure to clarify in the text field. You must select at least one option, but can select more than one, if applicable.
  2. Complete the “Expiration” section. The system will automatically enter today’s date as the Start Date for the ROI document. You can leave this section blank to automatically end-date this ROI 1 year from the Start Date. You can also enter a specific end date or select one of the options available.
  3. Complete the “Information to be Disclosed” section. This is where you document what type of information will be shared. You can select as many as is appropriate.
    1. The “ROI Type” field does not have any functionality built around this. It’s ok to leave this as “General”.
    2. If you’re wanting to only release records from a specific time frame, enter the record start and end dates. Otherwise, leave these fields blank. 
  1. If the client wishes to put any restrictions on this authorization, enter those in the “Restrictions” section. Otherwise, leave this section blank.
  2. The terms section provides the client with information about the authorization they’re signing. Make sure to review this information with the client before signing.
  1. Complete the “Agency Contact Information” section by selecting your program from the dropdown menu. This will bring in the information from the Program Details screen.
    1. You can also enter yourself, or the appropriate person, in the “Attention” field.
  2. Document whether the client received or declined a copy of the ROI.
    1. You can also indicate how you confirmed the client’s identity and enter the name of the person who did so.
  3. Document whether the client is authorizing or prohibiting the release of SUD and HIV/AIDS information.
  4. Once you’ve completed the document, click Sign. This will create the PDF. The document is not considered “complete” until the client and/or guardian co-signs the document. Follow the instructions in How to Have a Client or Guardian Co-Sign a Document for detailed instructions on getting a client’s signature. 

Updated 9/9/24