OSF approved for multi-million-dollar award to improve hypertension care

OSF HealthCare has been awarded $2.5 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to advance how high blood pressure (hypertension) is managed.

Nearly half of all U.S. adults live with hypertension, making it one of the nation's leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease and premature death. Despite its prevalence, both accurate diagnosis and effective long-term management of hypertension remain clinical challenges.

As one of only 42 health systems nationwide participating in PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative, OSF will use the project to strengthen patient-centered strategies for hypertension care in 123 adult primary care practice sites and over 100,000 patients. Over the next four years, key areas of collaboration include:  

•          Integrating proven, evidence-based strategies into care models
•          Leveraging digital tools to better engage patients in their care
•          Address barriers such as social determinants of health
•          Provide advanced training for care teams
•          Enhance data analytics to support improved health outcomes

“We are excited to collaborate across OSF and other national colleagues through this initiative, leveraging our collective resources to improve the care and experience of those we serve.” said Melinda Cooling, DNP, MBA, FAANP, chief nurse and advanced practice provider executive for OSF HealthCare. “It is our goal to provide team-based care for our patients with a digital component through OSF and to work with a multidisciplinary research team of physicians, advanced practice nurses, an anthropologist and Mission Partners within OSF to help patients better manage their blood pressure, reduce risks and improve their overall well-being. By translating research into practice, OSF will continue to demonstrate our commitment to innovation, exceptional clinical care, and delivering the highest quality support to those we have been called to serve.”

Building on the success of a recently completed capacity building project also funded by PCORI, this project will  improve hypertension management by implementing findings from a PCORI-funded comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) study showing the comparative clinical effectiveness of clinic and telehealth-based models of hypertension care.

This funding award has been approved pending completion of PCORI’s business and programmatic review and issuance of a formal award contract.   

Learn more about the work between OSF and PCORI through the OSF HealthCare Accelerated podcast.