Once the background check has been completed (or skipped), the Appointing, Credentialing, and/or Enrollment sections open up (as appropriate for the Candidate) and are available for completion by Departments and/or the Candidate.

Unlike M-ACE, the Appointing, Credentialing, and Enrollment sections are within the same application as the Offer and Background Check steps (Meridian Hiring), meaning they are accessed from the same URLs as the earlier sections (and those URLs continue to be different depending on who you are):

• Departments, OFA, MSS, PE: https://www.umms.med.umich.edu/meridian/hiring/
• Candidate: https://www.umms.med.umich.edu/faculty/candidate

NOTE: The Department contact has the choice to allow the Candidate to use the Appointing and Enrollment sections themselves or the Department can assist by submitting some (by not all of) the information on the Candidate's behalf. Meanwhile, MSS requires that the Candidate exclusively complete the Credentialing section.

Due to this choice, Meridian does NOT automatically send out an email to the Candidate, alerting them to complete the A/C/E portions. This means the Department contact must send an email with details about what to do next, especially if the Credentialing portion must be completed. (And the URL included must be to the candidate site, not the URL you use as a department contact.)

APPOINTING

Appointing is the process of approving a new appointment into the Medical School for a faculty Candidate. There are many documents to collect, which will ultimately be combined into 'packets' that are used by approval committees. Appointing is managed by the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA).

At the top of the Appointing section is a link to a 'wizard' that will guide you through OFA's requirements for documents and references by track & rank.

This section is primarily composed of:

• Documents for Academic Reference Solicitation
• Academic Reference Letter solicitation
• Other Supporting Documents, such as portfolios or forms
• Approvals by OFA and Committees

First, the Candidate (or Department contact on their behalf) completes the "Documents for Academic Reference Solicitation" subsection, containing the CV, Bib Notes, and Publications options. 

The References subsection is composed of the following:

• A set of input fields that are used to insert the Department contact's name and contact information into the solicitation emails
• A table of References suggested by the Department and/or Candidate. Within this table, you can do the following:
  
  • Add & delete new references
  • Send the solicitation email
  • See the status of each reference
    
    • Note that there is now a History toggle on the Status column. This allows you to see all past actions taken on the assessment record, such as previous send attempts.
  • Review received letters
  • Add letters and biosketches (if sent to Departments by the reference)

A few things to keep in mind about References:

• References can be collected any time, but the sending of the solicitation email is restricted until:
  
  • The Solicitation Document requirements have been met
  • The department contact's Name and Email address fields are filled in
• Department contacts must also add some additional information for References supplied by the Candidate; if not done, Meridian will display a red error box around the reference in question
  
  • For example, Requested By Date

References go to their own mini-site via a link in the email they receive; here they review the Solicitation Documents, and upload their letter (and optionally their Biosketch)

• The user pushing the Send Email button will be copied on the solicitation email
  
  • Meridian will automatically save a copy of the most recently-sent letter, to be used in Packets

Once the reference submits, the Reference row 'locks', which means Departments cannot change most fields while awaiting OFA approval. (Departments can continue to update the Reason for Selection and Biosketch/CV fields.)

OFA must review each letter (they will either Approve the Department's proposed type (e.g. Arm's Length-External) or Deny it). Once approved (or denied), Meridian will send an email alert to everyone on the candidate's Watchlist.

• While Meridian knows some track-and-rank requirements for each Candidate, it does not yet know about Letter types and numbers, so Departments and OFA must keep track of what is required by the Medical School.

Below the References subsection is the "Other Supporting Documents" subsection. It is a continuation of the many documents needed for the Appointing process, and divided between the Candidate ("Document Type") and the Department ("Document Type (Internal Only)"). The Candidate will see only the list of documents needed from them; the Department contact will see both the Candidate's list as well as their own list of internal documents. A combination of both is typically required for the Appointing process.

At any time, Departments can preview the OFA Packet by clicking on the "View OFA Packet" link near the bottom of the section. This launches a viewer that shows you all the documents and references you've collected for the Candidate.

Once References have been received and all required Supporting Documents have been uploaded, OFA's review and committee packet processes can begin. The workflow steps look like this:

• Candidate submits their version of the Appointing section (Solicitation Docs, References, and Other Supporting Documents)
  
  • Alternatively, Departments submit it for them via their 'Submit for Candidate' blue button
• Department reviews the information submitted by the Candidate (if applicable), finishes collecting References, uploads their own Other Supporting Documents, and sends to OFA for Packet Approval
• OFA reviews everything in the Appointing section, and marks it as "Ready for Committee", or sends it back for revisions
• OFA then builds packets based on the submitted information, sends them to the requisite committees, and indicates if each has been approved.
• Once all required committees have been cleared, OFA will mark the Appointing section as Completed.

As in previous sections of the Hiring process, email alerts will be sent to the Watchlist upon every status transition (every time someone pushes a blue button), so that everyone involved with the Candidate workflow is informed.

CREDENTIALING

Credentialing is the process of certifying the Candidate's credentials (licenses, board certifications, education, etc.) if they will be hired into the Health System as a provider (physician). There is much data to input, which will ultimately be reviewed and validated inside another software application called Cactus. Credentialing is managed by the Office of Clinical Affairs (OCA) / Medical Staff Services (MSS).

Credentialing is divided into two separate but related sections: Credentialing for Department and Credentialing for Candidate. Each is independently submitted and approved within Meridian's Hiring process.

Credentialing for Department

This section is only for the Department contact to complete, and is primarily composed of:

• Privileging Departments
• Clinical Start Date
• Proposed Office Information
• Links to Credentialing forms (PDFs)

Note that Clinical Start Date is different from Academic Start Date. Once entered, Clinical Start Date will appear both in the Detail page's header and within the candidate cards on the List page.

The Proposed Office Information requires you to first select a Building, and then its address will pre-fill for you; you may additionally add the specific Suite, Floor, and/or Room Number, if you know it for your faculty candidate. Their office phone number and fax number is required.

The Forms To Be Completed contain paper (PDF) forms that need to be completed and sent to MSS outside of Meridian (such as via email). There are specific instructions about each.

Once the Department contact is finished completing this section, they click the Submit for Approval button. MSS then reviews and approves it (marks as 'Complete') or sends it back for revisions.

As in previous sections of the Hiring process, email alerts will be sent to the Watchlist upon every status transition (every time someone pushes a blue button), so that everyone involved with the Candidate workflow is informed.

What is the Skip button for?

Typically the need for Credentialing is indicated via questions in the Candidate Prep section, and Meridian automatically opens or closes the Credentialing sections as appropriate. However, if it is determined that Credentialing is no longer needed for this Candidate workflow, the Department contact can use the Skip button (one for each Credentialing section). This will close each section and mark it as "Skipped". 

Credentialing for Candidate

This section is only for the Candidate* to complete, and is composed of:

• ARI (to be re-signed since Background Check)
• NPI
• Assessors for Clinical Assessment solicitation
• Candidate Application (education, board certifications, work experience, etc.)
• Supplemental Disclosures
• Attestation

(*) Why can't the Department contact complete this section for the Candidate, like can be done in Appointing or Enrollment?

The Executive Committee on Clinical Affairs (ECCA) and therefore MSS requires that the Candidate personally complete this section. Other privacy requirements further prevent subsections such as Supplemental Disclosures from even being seen by groups other than MSS.

In this first part of the Credentialing section, the Candidate must re-sign the Authorization, Release, and Immunity (ARI) form that they originally saw in Background Check. This is to supply a fresh copy (which has an expiration date) for MSS; additional re-signs can be uploaded here as well.

Next, the candidate can enter their National Provider Identifier (NPI).

Below that is the Clinical Assessments section, where the candidate provides at least three references. MSS will be sending out the invitations for these assessments but it is up to the Candidate to suggest people.

• NOTE: the Candidate cannot see the 'Meets Criteria' and 'Status' columns in the Assessments table (these are only for Departments and MSS).

Note that there is a History toggle on the Status column. This allows you to see all past actions taken on the assessment record, such as previous send attempts as well as declines or undeclines.

This next portion is considered the "Candidate Application", which is composed of areas to collect education and training, board certifications, work experience, licensure, and insurance history). The Candidate must add at least one entry for each of the subsections marked "Required", and there are instructions about what is required by MSS for each.

This next lengthy set of questions is the Supplemental Disclosures, which the Candidate must answer about themselves.  These answers are confidential and only visible to the Candidate and MSS.

This final portion of the Credentialing section requires the Candidate to attest by downloading form via the "Attestation Verification" link, signing it, photographing or scanning it, and then uploading the signed version using the Choose File button. There are also links for them to review such as the Bylaws and Applicant Rights.

Once the Candidate is finished with this section, they will submit it for review by MSS. MSS then either approves and marks the section as "Complete" or sends it back to the Candidate for revisions.

As in previous sections of the Hiring process, email alerts will be sent to the Watchlist upon every status transition (every time someone, including the Candidate, pushes a blue button), so that everyone involved with the Candidate workflow is informed.

(*) Why can't the Department contact use the Messages area in this section?

As mentioned above, MSS considers parts of this section strictly private, and so they may be discussing personal details in the Messages area that other groups should not see. Therefore this Messages section is only for MSS and the Candidate to use.

ENROLLMENT

Enrollment is the process of gathering all the information and documents needed to enroll a provider (candidate) with payees (insurances) in order to bill for services in the Health System. Enrollment is managed by the Provider Enrollment (PE) group.

This section is composed of:

• Medicaid CHAMPS
• CAQH ID
• Clinic & Practice Information
• Off-Site Service Agreements

The Candidate can only see and complete two of these: CHAMPS and CAQH ID. Once they are finished, they must push the blue "Submit" button.

As of the November 2022 Meridian update, the Candidate must complete the CHAMPS section themselves (Department contact cannot fill it out for them).

CHAMPS is the State of Michigan's billing enrollment system, and the candidate can choose one of two paths:

• The first ("Yes") option is for the candidate to log in to the CHAMPS website and follow the provided instructions to add the University of Michigan to their profile.
• The second ("No") option is to digitally sign a CHAMPS enrollment form, which Provider Enrollment will send on to the State of Michigan for them. 

Department contacts must complete additional subsections: Clinic & Practice Information and Off-Site Service Agreements.

The Clinic & Practice Information section replaces the older Provider Change Form (PCF); this data stays in Meridian and no longer needs to be submitted to PE separately.

The last subsection is optional, and only if the candidate is continuing their affiliation with another organization.

Once this section is completed, PE's review process can begin. The workflow steps look like this:

• Candidate submits their CHAMPS information and/or CAQH ID
• Department reviews the information submitted by the Candidate, finishes adding their own information, and sends to PE for approval
• PE then either approves and marks the section as "Complete" or sends it back to the Department (or Candidate) for revisions.

As in previous sections of the Hiring process, email alerts will be sent to the Watchlist upon every status transition (every time someone pushes a blue button), so that everyone involved with the Candidate workflow is informed.

What is the Skip button for?

Typically the need for Enrollment is indicated via questions in the Candidate Prep section, and Meridian automatically opens or closes the Enrollment section as appropriate. However, if it is determined that Enrollment is no longer needed for this Candidate workflow, the Department contact can use the Skip button. This will close the section and mark it as "Skipped".