A physician certification for the Georgia Medical Cannabis Patient Registry rests on two things you bring to the visit: acceptable identification and documentation of a qualifying diagnosis. Nothing about having a condition guarantees an outcome. The certification is a clinical decision the physician makes after reviewing your individual medical history.
Proof of diagnosis
The useful record is the one written by the clinician who diagnosed or treats the condition. In practice that means an oncology pathology and staging report for cancer, neurology notes for multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, ALS, Alzheimer's disease or Tourette's syndrome, rheumatology serology for lupus, hematology results and hemoglobin electrophoresis for sickle cell disease, EMG and nerve conduction studies for peripheral neuropathy, EEG or imaging plus treatment history for seizure disorders, gastroenterology endoscopy and pathology for inflammatory bowel disease, a psychiatric or psychological evaluation for PTSD, a developmental or psychological evaluation for autism spectrum disorder, infectious disease records with CD4 counts or staging for stage III HIV, genetic or biopsy confirmation for mitochondrial disease and epidermolysis bullosa, hospice enrollment paperwork for hospice patients, and pain management records showing duration and prior treatments for intractable pain.
Acceptable identification
A Georgia driver's license or Georgia state ID is accepted on its own. An out-of-state license or ID, a U.S. passport, a military ID, a U.S. birth certificate, a consular report of birth abroad, a certificate of naturalization or a certificate of citizenship is accepted with one document showing current Georgia residency with the cardholder's full name and street address.
If you do not have your records
You can ask Dr. Parimi to request records from your treating physician, or bring what you already have to the visit and discuss it. Most patients can obtain records through their health system's patient portal in a few minutes.