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"It is not enough to make sure every Illinois family has access to
health care. We need to make sure that people have enough
information to make informed decisions about the doctors who treat
them. This new online tool will provide valuable assistance for
patients as they choose their health care providers," said
Blagojevich.
The search engine is easy to use and allows health care consumers
to search by the physician's name, specialty, geographic region or
hospital affiliation. The program also allows consumers to compare
several doctors with similar specialties.
State Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, has been a leading advocate
of the creation of the physician profile search tool.
"This physician profile search engine is exactly what I had hoped
we could provide for Illinois consumers," said Flowers. "With these
tools, each of us will be able to learn about our doctors'
education, training, and any disciplines or judgments against them
-- all of which can help us make the best possible choice when
deciding who should provide our health care."
Over 85 percent of all licensed physicians and surgeons have
provided the information necessary to create their profile.
Information is provided about location and scope of practice, the
type of insurance the physician accepts, specialties and
certifications, legal and disciplinary actions taken against the
physician, his or her educational background, and any professional
activities or honors the physician would like to add. Physicians'
licenses are subject to renewal in July 2008. Before a license is
renewed, physicians must provide the information for their profiles.
(Search
physician profiles.)
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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