[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 38 (Monday, March 5, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SPRINGFIELD CLINIC LEADS ILLINOIS IN OPENNOTES

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                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 5, 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 put 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. Nineteen million patients 
are already taking advantage of their new ability to 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.

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