Macon Reporter

Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) has introduced legislation to ensure patients have access to accurate medical records, a recent news release from his office said.

Caulkins introduced House Bill 1137 on Jan. 12, and it has been referred to the Rules Committee. The bill focuses on ensuring patients get accurate records as well as notifying patients if their records have been altered after a medical visit or procedure and why the alteration was made. It provides more tools to punish those who cover up mistakes with medical record changes, and it requires audit trails and logs that show who accessed and altered records be released to the patient when requested.

Caulkins noted that the federal 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 34), passed by Congress in 2016, did not provide those protections.

“After some research, I found that some Healthcare Providers are putting limitations in their medical record system to filter out alterations so that the patient never knows and sometimes this is done by those that are not practicing medicine," he said in the release. “The Cures Act did not address healthcare facilities altering records and failing to notify patients of those alterations. This bill aims to protect Illinois residents from this bad practice and improve patient access to their own medical records.”

In a YouTube video, Caulkins elaborated on HB 1137.

“This bill is about patient records," he said. “It's about the patient. It's about the ability to know what's in your record in real and accurate time. It's also about knowing if there's been any change to your record that you weren't aware of at the time that you were discharged, or since the last time you looked at your record."

The 21st Century Cures Act covers a wide range of issues in medical care. In particular, the bill "provides funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) activities required by this bill. The FDA must submit a work plan to Congress that describes and justifies the activities. (Sec. 1003) This bill provides funding for Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to states to address the opioid abuse crisis."

Caulkins was first elected to the Illinois House in 2018, the General Assembly website said. His legislative experience includes serving on the Public Utilities and Prescription Drug Affordability committees. He resides in Decatur.