Department of Health

Registration of mental health clients in the CMI/ODS system

Key messages

  • When a public mental health service accepts a person’s referral, they should be registered in the CMI/ODS system.
  • Registration involves recording demographic and clinical patient-level data for each client of a Victorian public mental health service.

When a public mental health service accepts a person’s referral for service delivery or intervention, the person becomes a client of the service and should be registered in the Client Management Interface/Operational Data Store (CMI/ODS) system.

The registration process

Registration involves recording demographic and clinical patient-level data for each client of a Victorian public mental health service.

Give each client a statewide unit record (UR) number when they first register.

The client will use the same UR number if they register subsequently at another public mental health service.

When to register a client

A consumer must be registered on CMI/ODS if any of the following criteria are met:

  • A face-to-face (either in person or using videoconference) psychiatric examination including mental state assessment was completed, including such assessment in any community mental health service; mental health non-admitted/ambulatory service; or emergency mental health service.
  • A clinical decision is made that CMI/ODS registration is appropriate and a medical record is created.
  • When a person is not registered at a public mental health service, and receives admitted or residential mental health care.
  • When a decision is made following triage to provide further clinically significant mental health services to the person.

A person must be informed of their registration under the provisions of HPP 1.4 of the Health Records Act 2001 but does not need to provide consent to registration. Authority to register is expressly permitted under the provisions of s.347 (1) of the Mental Health Act 2014.

When to not register a client

A person must not be registered on CMI/ODS:

  • If they have only received a brief mental health telephone triage service and there is no clinical
    indication that registration is required
  • If a person presents seeking information only and does not require a psychiatric examination.

Downloads

Registration of Mental Health Clients in CMI/ODS
pdf 152.34 KB

Reviewed 31 March 2023

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