On August 10, 2021, Michigan Medicine implemented a security measure to automatically pause/disable access to Michigan Medicine systems while employees are on specific types of leave. The leave status within the HR system determines access to Michigan Medicine systems. An HR leave status of “L” or “P” will result in the account being disabled. Please contact your manager or HR department representative for more information on status “L” and “P.”

In general, when a Michigan Medicine employee is on leave status of “L” or “P”, they will be unable to access Michigan Medicine resources, including Outlook email, MiChart, and shared drives. This is an automated process activated on the date that the employee’s leave begins.

• HR leave status “L”: accounts, data, and permissions will not be deleted or changed while the employee is away, with access reinstated when the employee returns to work.
• HR leave status “P”: accounts, data, and permissions will be deleted 30 days after the account is disabled.
• Examples of leave types that may be impacted by this new process include personal medical leave, teaching or research leave, Reduction in Force, long term disability, or medical education leave.
  
  • If you are unsure of what your leave of absence status will be, please contact your manager or HR department representative for questions on your particular leave of absence scenario.

This new process was instituted to align with security best practices and to protect our institutional and patient data and complies with SPG 601.27 DS-22. Access restrictions will be activated automatically after a manager submits an employee leave request to Human Resources.

Before an employee goes on a HR leave status of “L” or “P” from Michigan Medicine, they should work with their manager to ensure they can be contacted through an alternate means beyond their @med.umich.edu email, whether that’s a personal email address, mobile phone number, or by activating their Google at U-M (@umich.edu) email account.

1. How do I know if I am going on a HR leave status of “L” or “P”?

• Work with your department manager and HR to determine your HR leave status.

2. Why is Michigan Medicine disabling access to email while employees are on leave?

• Data access is limited to those who need it to conduct Michigan Medicine business. Access to internal Michigan Medicine systems, including Outlook email, MiChart, and shared drives, is automatically disabled while an employee is on leave to protect institutional and patient data, and comply with SPG 601.27 DS-22. As employees on these types of leave have no work-related responsibilities, access should not be needed.
  

3. What systems do I use my Michigan Medicine credentials to access?

• Outlook email (uniqname@med.umich.edu account) and Microsoft 365 tools
  
• MiChart
• Human Resources Solutions Center System
• Michigan Medicine Help Center (help.medicine.umich.edu)
• Network Drives (also known as the S,T or R shared drives)
• Internal websites and applications (including the resources linked on the clinical homepage, SharePoint sites)

4. How will I be contacted if I no longer have access to my @med.umich.edu email when I’m on leave?

• Prior to your Michigan Medicine account being disabled, employees who need email access while on leave can activate their @umich.edu email account through Google at U-M, which is accessible using your credentials. To request access, submit the ‘Access Google at U-M email and calendar’ request through the Michigan Medicine Help Center. Otherwise, you may use your personal email address.

Other things to know about using a Google at U-M account:

• Your Google at U-M email address is your uniqname@umich.edu. 
• Emails from your @med.umich.edu account cannot be forwarded to your @umich.edu account, due to HIPAA security requirements.
• By default, messages sent to your @umich.edu address are forwarded to your @med.umich.edu account (but not vice-versa, due to the HIPAA requirement previously mentioned).
• Important note: HIPAA and other sensitive information may NOT be sent or stored in a Google at U-M account. 

5. How do I activate my @umich.edu (Google) email? How long does the process take?

• Submit the ‘Access Google at U-M email and calendar’ request through the Michigan Medicine Help Center. Allow two days for your request to be processed. 

6. What will happen to my @med.umich.edu account while I am on leave?

• For HR leave status “L”, your @med.umich.edu email account will NOT be deleted, however will be inaccessible for the duration of the leave. Email will continue to be delivered to your @med.umich.edu email account. Your inbox history, folders, and messages will remain in place as before you went on leave. We recommend that you put up an out of office reply message before you go on leave. Consider placing your @umich.edu email or personal email account in your out of office message if you want your contacts to reach you while you’re away from Michigan Medicine. 
• For HR leave status “P”, your @med.umich.edu email account will be deleted 30 days after the account is disabled. Email will continue to be delivered to your @med.umich.edu email account up to 30 days at which point bounce back messages will be sent. We recommend that you put up an out of office reply message before you go on leave. 

7. Can I forward my @med.umich.edu emails to another email address while I’m on leave, while the account is paused?

• Emails from your @med.umich.edu account cannot be forwarded to your @umich.edu account or a personal email account due to HIPAA security requirements.

8. What if I need to access my medical record while on leave?

• If you currently use your MiChart access to view your personal medical record, you will need to  set up your MiChart patient portal.

9. At what point is an employee’s Michigan Medicine access disabled?  For example, if an employee takes a leave of one or two weeks, will they lose access to Michigan Medicine systems?

• Your Michigan Medicine access will be disabled immediately once you go onto an “L” or “P” leave status, regardless of how long you will be out. Access will also be immediately reinstated once you are reestablished as a Michigan Medicine employee.

10. What will happen to my credentials when I return from leave?

• You do not need to take any action to reactivate your access to Michigan Medicine systems or change the permissions of your UMICH common password. This will happen automatically once you are reestablished as a Michigan Medicine employee.

11. What about employees who have multiple appointments with Michigan Medicine?

• If you have a leave status “L” or “P” for one Michigan Medicine appointment but have another appointment within Michigan Medicine, you will not lose Michigan Medicine system access.

12. How do I know which HR leave status I’m on?

• If you’re unsure what your leave status is, contact your HR contact. If you don’t know who your HR contact is, reach out to the HR solution center at (734) 647-5538.

13. What if I have other questions?

• If you have other questions about this process, please contact your manager or HR department representative.