ReferralHub

Purpose: Allows sites to enter the services they provide, when and where they provide those services, and the eligibility criteria for those services. This information is stored in a central location and automatically updates for other sites that subscribe to that information.

When deciding where to refer an applicant or client, the referral process can query the ReferralHub based on data already known about the applicant or client. Potential matching organizations are ranked according to how well the organization's services match the applicant or client's data.

Note:  Either e-transfer must be enabled or Email applications must be accepted.

Cost: $2,000 one-time setup fee. $50/month maintenance. Note: the $50/month maintenance fee is for each site that wants to use referralhub from their site and/or manage their own settings.

ReferralHub Overview

ReferralHub is a centralized database that stores information about a legal services agency and the services that agency provides. This centralized database exists outside of an agency's LegalServer instance and is connected to an agency's LegalServer instance via API, which allows each agency to:

1. Update their own agency's information and have it automatically synch to the ReferralHub database,
2. Optionally create and manage information for Associated Agencies and have that information automatically synch to the ReferralHub database, and
3. View updated information about other agencies and the services that they provide.

Agency information stored on ReferralHub includes:

• Core information about the agency such as the agency's Name, URL, and Type of Organization
• Overall agency eligibility criteria
• Services that are offered by the agency, and any eligibility information required or preferred for those services
• Location Information detailing where and when various services are offered

LegalServer users can search the ReferralHub database for services that match their clients's case, and can limit searches where appropriate to, for example, limit a services search to a given county. The results of the search will include both Full and Partial matchers (described below), and a user can then choose to refer the case directly to any of agencies returned by that search.

Although ReferralHub is "centralized" in that it stores data in a single location, each agency updates and maintains their agency's information via the ReferralHub module on their own LegalServer site.

Finding Services for a Case

Users can search for eligible services for their client using either a dedicated ReferralHub auxiliary process within a case, or the available Services Browser (in beta testing).

ReferralHub Auxiliary Process

From the actions menu on a case, users will select the auxiliary process created by their site admins, likely named something such as, "ReferralHub Services," or "Search ReferralHub." From this link, ReferralHub uses a Service Evaluation tool that compares all of the case data to any published services in the ReferralHub database in order to determine which services may be a match for that case. These matches can be "Full" matches where call case data is an exact match for a given service, or matches returned can be "Partial" matches where the available case data matches the given criteria, but more information is needed before an 'exact' match can be determined. 

For example, if a user is searching for an appropriate bankruptcy referral for a client who is a veteran, if there is a service where "Legal Problem Code" must = Bankruptcy, and "Veteran" must = True, that will show up as a full match for that case. If there are additional services available that additionally require that the applicant be homeless, and the case does not have any information for "Current Living Situation," those results will display as partial matches, and explain what additional information is needed to determine full eligibility. 

Services Browser

The Service Browser (/referral_hub/service_browser), allows a LegalServer user to view services offered for their client based on criteria such as Legal Problem Code and Client County, without using the above in-case referral auxiliary processes. This functionality is currently being refined, and will be updated post beta testing. 

Automated Referral Tool (ART) 

Agencies with LegalServer Online Intake will be able to use the Automated Referral Tool (ART) at the end of on online application to route an applicant to an available service in the ReferralHub database. The ART will query services available in the ReferralHub database and display those at the end of an online intake.  On a site that has the ReferralHub module enabled, admins can check the "use referral hub" option in the Online Intake Referral Organization List block, and the block will then use ReferralHub to search for both full and partial matches, or will indicate where there are no available matches. This feature is currently in beta testing. 

Organization Records on ReferralHub

Basic Information

Each agency on ReferralHub has an Organization record within the central ReferralHub database, which consists of:

• A Unique Organization ID (UUID) Each Organization is assigned its own unique ID, which is stored in the central ReferralHub database in order to ensure that data is stored and displayed consistently for any agency using ReferralHub.
• Core Information An Organization's record contains basic information like that agency's name, site abbreviation, description, web address and contact information.
• Services Each Organization record contains information about the services that agency provides as well as any eligibility criteria associated with a given service.
• Location Information (Offices) An Organization's service locations describes where and how each service is offered, using the "offices" list on an agency's LegalServer site.
• Organization Logo An agency can store a logo which will display both on their Organization record in ReferralHub, as well as in various listviews displaying referral matches in the database.
• Standardized Data Output (HSDS) The data stored on the Organization record is in Human Services Data Specification (HSDS) format, aka, the Open Referral format.

Locations

Within each Organization record in ReferralHub, site administrators can create and manage a list of Locations that describe how and when an applicant can access that location as well as a more granular description of how and when an applicant can access any given services at that location. In addition to physical locations like Main Office, Branch Office, Community Outreach Center, etc. a 'location' in ReferralHub may also be an Online Intake Site or Statewide Website where agencies offer web-based information and services.

Creating a Location

Site admins create Locations using the Quick Add button on the Locations listview:

Location Access Methods

Different agency locations may have different access methods and site admins can define those overall access methods as well as any additional restrictions for accessing a specific location. For example, a location may accept telephone applicants daily, but only take walk-in applicants on certain days and times. See: "Access Methods" in the above listview for examples. 

Services

"Services" describe the various forms of legal assistance that an agency offers. In ReferralHub, each service should have: 1) a description explaining what that service is, 2) a list of any eligibility criteria that must be met in order to access that service, and 3) a description of how, when, and where an applicant can access a given service.

An agency may offer many different services, some of which may not be offered at every location. In addition, services may be only be offered at a given location on certain days or times, or regardless of the overall access methods defined for that location. 

Creating a Service

Each service should have a name and description explaining  core information about the service provided. 

If you have Internal Transfer of Cases set up, you can mark this as an internal only service.  A service description should include information about the specific legal issues and/or problem codes the service addresses, and the counties where the service is offered.

Service Access Methods 

If all services are available for a given location via the default access methods for that location, users can set that default for that service. Here, the "Suffolk County Jail Clinic" would always be available during the default access methods set for that location:

But if that clinic is only available at the Suffolk County Jail during certain times, admins can further define the access method for that given service at that location:

Service Eligibility 

In addition to the problem codes and counties defined for a give services, agencies can create eligibility expressions explaining any other criteria that must be met to receive a given service. Admins can create with conditional logic expressions using and/or filters on a service-by-service basis, and admins can also create a library of these expressions that may be used to define eligibility across multiple services in ReferralHub.

Conditional Logic Expressions

Services are typically limited based on specific Eligibility Criteria. When Adding a Service, site admins can create custom Conditional Logic Expressions using operators such as "and," "or," and "not" to set the eligibility criteria for a given service. ReferralHub uses these Conditional Logic expressions to determine which Services (if any) are available for a specific client based on aspects of that client or their case, so it is necessary to define which conditions must be met for a client to be eligible for a given Service. Admins can create these Custom Expressions for each service, or can create a library of commonly-used expressions that can be used across multiple services: see Expressions Library, below. Note: If custom fields appear as an option, they will not work.  Only system fields can be used in the expression editor.

For example, you might have a service where you can help someone so long as they are either a US Veteran AND this is not an emergency filing, OR if they are Disabled. In this expression, the system is evaluating a few items to see if someone qualifies for a Service -- the person can either be (a) a US veteran without an emergency case; OR (b) they can be disabled. If either "condition" is met, a person will qualify for this service. You'd set up the expression as follows: 

Note the importance of how the operators  join the values within this expression: the client is eligible IF they are {a veteran AND this is not an emergency} OR if they are {disabled}. The "AND" + "OR" Operators are really important; if we change the OR to an AND, it changes the meaning of the expression, meaning you would now have to be (a) veteran and (b) not have an emergency case and (c) be disabled to receive this service.

Grouping by Operator

Another thing to note is the difference between "Add Rule" and "Add Group." By default, the "Add Rule" option will connect all fields using the same operator. So to create an expression where an applicant is eligible if they are Over 18 OR Domestic Violence is Present OR they are Active Military, you would just use the "Add Rule" option to connect all of these fields using that single OR operator:

If what you wanted instead is to create a logical expression grouping multiple fields together using more than operator, you would use the "Add Group" option. So in the following example, an applicant is eligible for a service if they are either: 1) Over 18 and DV is Present; OR 2) if they are active military. To create this expression,  you would first select "Add Group," which creates a slightly-indented and shaded grouping box within the expression where you can add "Age is Equal to or Greater than 18" and then within that grouping, you would use "Add Rule" to link "DV Present = Yes" using the AND operator:

And finally, to show that this service is also available for active military regardless of age or DV presence, you would go back to the highest level Add Rule/Add Group options, and select "Add Rule" to put in the Active Military = Yes Option, connecting it to the above group using the OR operator:

Organization Parameters

Using the Organization Eligibility Parameter Tool, Organizations can enter specific criteria in a single location to define who is and is not eligible for a given service. For example, if an agency requires clients to be over 18 years old, they can enter that as a Parameter. The advantage to using parameters (as opposed to using just expressions) is that if parameters change, you only have to make the adjustment in one place to update all services that call that parameter. 

When you enter a Parameter, you indicate the values for a given field that are necessary to be eligible for services. As per the above example, if your organization requires clients to be a certain age, site admins would create a parameter with the acceptable values (e.g., age is equal to or greater than 18). 

The list of parameters can include values such as: Age, Adjusted Percentage of Poverty, Citizenship Status, Immigration Status,  etc. Admins can build out library of Organization Parameters and edit as needed:

Using Parameters in Conditional Expressions

Preferences

An agency can also use "Preferences" to determine eligibility for a given service. Preferences are similar to Logical Expressions, but are used where an agency wants to indicate a preference in determining service matches, rather than set an absolute requirement. Thus, if you are defining a Service and you indicate the person must be over 18 years old (required), you might prefer that they are also a veteran. Preferences are useful for routing certain cases where more than one service is available and the client more closely meets the criteria of one service over another (based on the preferences of the Service).

Preferences are entered the same way as Logical Expressions discussed above.

Service Expression Library

Expressions Library

Site admins can create a Service Expression Library listing all of the Conditional Logic Expressions of common eligibility criteria. 

The library stores commonly-used expressions so admins do not have to re-enter each conditional logic statement for a given service; admins  can simply select the saved Expression from the Library and apply it to a given service. Admins can also create custom expressions on a service-by-service basis, as described below. 

Viewing Referral Hub Data for Your Agency

There are a few ways in which to view ReferralHub Data in LegalServer:

• You can find your organization's ReferralHub data by going to Admin and searching for ReferralHub (or by adding /referral_hub to your LegalServer URL (e.g., abc.legalserver.org/referralhub)
• You can find other legal aid agency's ReferralHub data within their organizational profile in LegalServer (assuming it is configured with both the Organizational UUID and the Blocks to Display ReferralHub data.
• Using the ReferralHub Services Browser (the URL is appended to your LegalServer URL as /referral_hub/service_browser) (e.g., abc.legalserver.org/referral_hub/service_browser)

Viewing Referral Hub Data for Other LegalServer Agencies

In order to be able to view another organization's ReferralHub data, you will need to (1) make sure that organization is appropriately linked to its Organizational UUID and (2) set up the ReferralHub Data Blocks.

• ReferralHub Organizational Information Data Block
• ReferralHub Organizational Location Listview
• ReferralHub Organizational Services Listview
• ReferralHub Organizational Services Change Logs

Agencies may also be interested in viewing the cases that you have Electronically Transferred to that organization, as well as the cases that they have Electronically Transferred to you. Those can be viewed using the listviews for:

• Referring History
• Referral History

Suggested Section Front Listviews for ReferralHub Agencies:

• List of Agencies that have been linked in your system to a UUID
• List of Agencies registered in ReferralHub
• List of Agencies registered in ReferralHub but not setup in your LegalServer instance
• Block to show recent changes in a Service for a given agency
• Block to show recent changes in a Service within the state

Viewing Referral Hub Data for Non-LegalServer Agencies

Site admins can also create and manage ReferralHub agencies that are part of their ReferralHub group (which is a regional, and/or issue-based designation set by LegalServer for each agency), and may also create and administer agency data for those agencies that are not on LegalServer. Admins can then set the Overall Eligibility Criteria for these agencies, and also set Locations and Services as they can for their own agency. 

To do so, an admin will navigate to their ReferralHub homepage, such as https://rnp.legalserver.org/referral_hub. At the bottom of the organization profile,  note the  section labeled "Other organization that can be administered". For any records already in the system, this contains links to those organizations' pages, where you can view their details, services and locations, etc. There's also a button "Add new organization to manage".

Note that there are only two required fields: Organization name and also Group Membership. Site admins will only be able to add and manage organizations to groups that they're already a member of.

From the Managed Organization Profile Page, admins can click on the quick-add buttons in the various listviews to add services and locations for these agencies.

ReferralHub Service & Organization Preferences

Description: The ReferralHub Preferences system allows admins on a given site to weight certain ReferralHub services above others when making recommendations in the Online Intake Referral Organization List (link) block on the site where the weight is set. Weights can be set on both ReferralHub organizations and their services in a range of +3 to -3.

Set Up

To access the weighting page, go to the actions menu in ReferralHub and click on “Set weights for services and Organizations.

You will see a list of the site's ReferralHub organizations with a +3 to -3 range that you can set. Because the Online Intake Referral Organization List block looks at services when making the referral, this effectively sets the weight for each of the organization's services. 

If you need to set a different weight for a particular service, by clicking "Show services" you can set the weight on just that service. 

These weights are added together by the Online Intake Referral Organization List block for a final weight. The service with the higher number will be favored over services with a lower number. 

When the Online Intake Referral Organization List block identifies that an intake is eligible for a bankruptcy clinic, the organization’s clinic, with a weight of 4, will show up ahead of any other services with a weight of 3 or lower. Their divorce clinic, however, has a weight of 0, and will show up accordingly.

You want volunteer lawyer programs to be recommended before full service programs. Leave the VLP organizations at 0, and set the full service programs at -1.

You want domestic violence cases to be referred to a specific program. Set the corresponding DV service for that program to +3.

You weight the organization as 1, their bankruptcy clinic as a 3 and their divorce clinic as a -1.

Example

Organization A has bankruptcy and divorce clinics, both of which have services in ReferralHub. It has a great bankruptcy clinic, but the divorce clinic leaves something to be desired. Your agency doesn’t do clinics at all, but you want to refer users to their various clinics where you can’t help.

Troubleshooting

If you’re ever curious about why a certain service showed up above another, you can find out by going to to a case report and adding the column referral_hub_sort_result (Case Data > referral_hub_sort_result) This will show you the relative weights of all services the case could have been referred to.

Then, you’ll want to go to the Online Intake Referral Organization List block and check “Use ReferralHub weights” to enable it on the block itself.

To set the weight, just click on the number, watch the spinner spin for a few seconds, and you’re good to go.