Medical cannabis clinic glossary

Definitions are general. Exact meanings and requirements are set by each state's program.

Medical cannabis certification

A licensed provider's written determination, made under a state program's rules, that a patient may participate in that state's medical cannabis program. Some states call it a recommendation or written certification.

Certifying provider

A licensed clinician permitted by a state program to evaluate patients and issue medical cannabis certifications. Which license types qualify varies by state.

Qualifying condition

A medical condition listed in a state's medical cannabis law or rules. Lists differ by state and change over time; always consult the official program.

State registry

The official state system where certifications, patients or caregivers are recorded, and through which patient cards are often issued.

Registry task

In Everchart, a tracked to-do created when an approved certification is signed, covering the state registry steps staff or providers must complete.

Certification expiration

The date a certification stops being valid. Length varies by state and sometimes by provider decision.

Renewal visit

A follow-up evaluation to issue a new certification before or after the current one expires.

Renewal pipeline

A list of patients grouped by how soon their certification expires, used to plan outreach and rebooking.

Caregiver

A person registered under some state programs to assist a patient. Eligibility and rules are defined by each state.

Patient intake

The information and documents a clinic collects before a visit, such as health history, medications, allergies, ID and records.

SOAP note

A common clinical note structure: Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan.

Amendment

A dated, signed addition to a signed clinical note that corrects or adds information while preserving the original text.

Audit log

A chronological, tamper-resistant record of who accessed or changed records and when.

Business Associate Agreement (BAA)

A HIPAA contract in which a vendor that handles protected health information agrees to safeguard it.

White-label patient portal

A patient-facing website that carries the clinic's own name, logo and domain instead of the software vendor's brand.

Tenant isolation

Keeping each customer clinic's data separate inside shared software so no clinic can see or reference another's records.