[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E225-E226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SPRINGFIELD CLINIC LEADS ILLINOIS IN OPENNOTES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 27, 2018

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to 
recognize the Springfield Clinic, one of the first multi-specialty 
clinics in downstate Illinois. With more than 400 physicians and 
advanced practitioners practicing in 80 medical specialties and sub-
specialties, Springfield Clinic now proudly stands as one of Illinois' 
largest private multi-specialty clinics and serves nearly one million 
patients throughout the central Illinois region.
  In 2010, as part of their ``leading the way'' initiative, all 
Springfield Clinic offices began working with the OpenNotes movement. 
This puts them among the nation's leaders in integration of electronic 
health record technology, which enables clinicians to share their visit 
notes with patients through fully transparent medical records. This 
secure system encourages patients to become active participants in 
their health care by providing a convenient way to access and manage 
personal medical records, communicate directly with medical 
professionals, schedule appointments and prescriptions, receive email 
and text reminders for preventive care and upcoming appointments, and 
pay bills online.
  This dynamic state-of-the-art system provides Springfield Clinic the 
necessary tools to expand patient services. However, we cannot hope to 
automate and streamline provider workflow unless more patients sign up 
for and participate in these portals. I'm proud to represent 
Springfield Clinic, which is on the forefront of this innovative 
approach to the doctor-patient relationship. 19 million patients are 
already taking advantage of their new ability to

[[Page E226]]

access medical information online through OpenNotes, and my hope is 
that this number only continues to grow both in my district and across 
the country. More and more medical professionals and citizens should 
take advantage of this patient-centered program so we can focus on what 
matters most--patient care.

                          ____________________