Patient/Caregiver/Physician Confidentiality Protections

The following confidentiality rules shall apply:

(1) Applications and supporting information submitted by qualifying patients, including information regarding their primary caregivers and physicians, are confidential.

(2) The department shall maintain a confidential list of the persons to whom the department has issued registry identification cards. Individual names and other identifying information on the list is confidential and is exempt from disclosure under the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL 15.231 to 15.246.
(3) The department shall verify to law enforcement personnel whether a registry identification card is valid, without disclosing more information than is reasonably necessary to verify the authenticity of the registry identification card.

(4) A person, including an employee or official of the department or another state agency or local unit of government, who discloses confidential information in violation of this act is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or both. Notwithstanding this provision, department employees may notify law enforcement about falsified or fraudulent information submitted to the department.

From the MDCH website:

Question: Who has access to the patient registry list?
Answer: The state will maintain a confidential list of "qualified patients" and "approved caregivers" to whom the department has issued registry identification cards. Individual names and other identifying information on the list must be confidential and is not subject to disclosure, except to:
a] authorized employees of the department as necessary to perform official duties of the department; or
b] authorized employees of state or local law enforcement agencies, only as necessary to verify that a person is a lawful possessor of a registry identification card.

Question: Is my confidentiality protected?
Answer: Yes. The MMMP does not give out lists of patients or caregivers. Law enforcement personnel may contact the MMMP only to verify a specific name or address of a patient, caregiver or person responsible for a grow site. The MMMP will tell law enforcement staff if the patient or caregiver is registered, or if an application is in process. The MMMP will disclose patient information to others only at the specific written request of the patient. MMMP computer files are secure and paper files are kept locked when not in use.