The long term care ombudsman in Michigan has long had access to nursing homes, and patient records, in order to carry out their mission.  The many Covid-19 related restrictions though made this work challenging, particularly if it seemed that a face to face meeting or the like might be smart in order to advocate on behalf of the nursing home resident.

For those interested in tracking down recent legislative changes intended to clarify you can go here: https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2021-2022/billenrolled/Senate/pdf/2021-SNB-0213.pdf