OSF chosen for groundbreaking effort to improve patient care
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has named OSF HealthCare one of 42 health systems nationwide to carry out a pioneering initiative to accelerate and improve the implementation of research results in clinical care to improve patient outcomes.
As a participant in PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII), OSF HealthCare will bring its experience and expertise in health care delivery to help develop and implement viable strategies to actively adopt new practices, with a goal to cut the typical years-long lag between publication of research results that have been shown to improve patient outcomes and the widespread implementation of those practices.
This prestigious opportunity will allow us to continue to lead efforts to support changes in care delivery to improve patient health outcomes.
“OSF HealthCare has been committed to transforming health care since 1877 when our pioneering Sisters started this Ministry,” said Melinda Cooling, DNP, chief clinician executive of OSF OnCall and senior vice president of advanced practice at OSF HealthCare. “This prestigious opportunity will allow us to continue to lead efforts to support changes in care delivery to improve patient health outcomes. We are pleased to partner with PCORI to lay the groundwork for broader adoption of evidence-based practices.”
OSF started the rigorous selection process in early 2022 under Cooling’s leadership. Other members of the team who worked to secure this opportunity include Colleen Klein, PhD, APRN, OSF HealthCare education and research scientist; Matt Dalstrom, PhD, MPH, professor, Saint Anthony College of Nursing; William Bond, MD, director of Simulation Research; Nikki Delinski, DNP, MSN, RN, director of Inpatient Surgical and Neuro Services, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center; and, Katrina Rewerts, grant writer for OSF HealthCare.
HSII will give OSF HealthCare and other participating health systems options for projects to participate in, with each deciding on the projects they are best suited for. OSF could receive up to $500,000 for a project in the initial stage that supports preparation for future implementation strategies. A second HSII funding opportunity will support practical and innovative projects that promote the use of evidence from PCORI-funded research studies within the health systems, with funds ranging from $500,000 to $5 million per implementation project.
Through the HSII Learning Network, OSF and other participants will share experiences and learn from one another about best practices for implementation, evaluation metrics, and other topics integral to successful implementation of care-informing strategies. Through the network, participants will provide input to PCORI on topics and specific PCORI-funded findings of interest for future implementation projects.
HSII participants represent 800 hospitals serving 79 million patients across 41 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to OSF HealthCare, they include other academic medical centers, community-based systems, integrated healthcare delivery and finance systems, safety net health systems, other faith-based systems, public health care delivery systems and a medical center within the Veterans Health Administration. See the full list on PCORI’s website.
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs nearly 24,000 Mission Partners in 150 locations, including 15 hospitals – ten acute care, five critical access – with 2,089 licensed beds, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore, Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More at www.osfhealthcare.org.
HSII is part of a portfolio of PCORI-funded efforts that aim to improve the awareness, uptake and use of results from patient-centered comparative effectiveness research. PCORI is an independent, non-profit organization that funds comparative clinical effectiveness research, which provides patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence to make better-informed health and healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.