10-144 C.M.R. ch. 253, § 5 - IDENTIFYING INFORMATION
A. Limitations of
use of identifying information
1 Identifying
information shall be used only to gain access to medical records and other
medical information pertaining to an advisory body approved investigation
designed to accomplish public health research of substantial public importance
as related to chronic disease or data quality investigations.
2 Identifying information shall be used to
the minimum extent possible to accomplish the purposes of the approved
investigation.
3 Medical
information about an identified patient shall not be sought from any person
without the consent of that patient except when the information sought pertains
solely to verification or comparison of health data that the department is
otherwise authorized by law to collect and the advisory body finds that
confidentiality can be adequately protected without patient consent as set
forth in Section 7.
4 Access to
privileged medical information will be restricted to Department personnel
essential for the conduct of such investigations or personnel appointed by the
Department. Tasks performed by such personnel may include, but are not limited
to, such functions as:
a medical record
reviews
b audits and
abstractions
c review of discharge
summaries
d processing of
abstracted or summary information
e
compilation of datasets
f variable
lists for database corroboration and hardcopy records
g analysis of data with confidential data
elements
B.
Purposes for use of identifying information
1
Verification and validation of Maine chronic disease surveillance data,
including the accuracy of linkage and unduplication systems, through contact
with hospitals and other institutions regarding the completeness of reporting
and other data quality considerations.
2 Data refinement and cross-referencing
chronic disease surveillance data with Cancer Registry case data to improve
reporting and enhance the surveillance systems, to arrive, as closely as
possible, at a system of full case ascertainment of cancers.
3 Scientific and medical verification of
listed diagnoses obtained from hospital discharge, Cancer Registry and vital
statistics mortality records to ascertain that, in fact, a "case" would meet
the case definition criteria which has been previously established, as set
forth in sections 7 and 8 of these rules.
4 Corroboration of community or
individual-initiated chronic disease cluster complaints through verification of
reported cases.
5 Full-scale
epidemiologic follow-up investigation of a chronic disease cluster.
Notes
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