Section 144-253-5 - IDENTIFYING INFORMATIONA. 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: b audits and abstractionsc review of discharge summariesd processing of abstracted or summary informatione compilation of datasetsf variable lists for database corroboration and hardcopy recordsg analysis of data with confidential data elementsB. Purposes for use of identifying information1 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.10- 144 C.M.R. ch. 253, § 5