Top 5 Digital Health stories of 2025

Digital health continues to reshape how people connect with care — breaking down barriers of distance, time and access in ways that were once unimaginable. In 2025, those advances moved from promise to practice, with new technologies helping patients get care faster and using data to make more informed decisions. OSF HealthCare, through its OSF OnCall digital health arm, has been able to reach communities that have long been underserved. From artificial intelligence and virtual care to immersive technologies and smarter data use, OSF OnCall continued to push health care forward.

These are the Top 5 digital health stories of 2025, in no particular order.

From crisis to confidence: Patient praises new OSF 24/7 primary care – Marci Schneider Batsakis of Orland Park, Illinois was the first patient enrolled in OSF CompleteCare 55+, a new hybrid model of primary care in Evergreen Park, using virtual visits and digital connections to help older people get fast access to providers and stay on top of their health. Schneider Batsakis called the round-the-clock care team number when her blood pressure became dangerously high and that led to timely treatment in the hospital, follow-up support, and a care plan tailored to her needs.

OSF HealthCare receives $1.5 million for new mobile pregnancy and postpartum care unit An OSF OnCall Connect mobile van will offer doorstep service as an extension for women on Medicaid enrolled in a pregnancy and postpartum digital support program. Meridian and Centene Foundation provided $1.5 million in funding for the van to operate in maternity deserts in 12 Illinois counties.

OSF HealthCare offers another layer of monitoring for moms and babies – OSF HealthCare launched 24/7 virtual labor monitoring to enhance in-person care with AI technology. AI software alerts OSF OnCall Acute OB nurses to potential risks, enabling quick coordination with staff at Family Birthing Centers at hospitals across the OSF HealthCare Ministry. This is part of a broader effort to reduce mortality rates among women and babies which remain high compared to other wealthy nations. As part of that effort, we also opted to extend to all patients in the I-80 region, regardless of payor, a Medicaid program for virtual visits and digital support. The area has lost a number of OBGYN providers.

Skip the wait with new OSF OnCall virtual exam visit – OSF OnCall Urgent Care walk-in clinics can get busy, especially during the winter with respiratory viruses. So OSF HealthCare installed new technology in urgent care clinics, allowing patients to do in-office virtual visits and bypass the waiting room. Visitors to the OSF OnCall Urgent Care can get accurate testing and diagnoses using digital tools and an on-screen OSF medical provider.

OSF HealthCare using virtual ER to cut patient wait times – OSF HealthCare is using an innovative approach to help reduce wait times in the emergency departments at OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Ottawa and Peru. Patients who meet certain criteria will be given the option to divert to a virtual medical exam through the use of advanced technology and an onsite nurse.

Top 5 OSF Innovation stories of 2025

As we kick off a new year at OSF HealthCare, we’re looking back at 2025 and the big steps we took to make it easier for patients to access care and health information. Working alongside our academic and business partners, we continued to tap into shared expertise and use artificial intelligence in thoughtful, responsible ways — always guided by what’s fair, appropriate, valid, effective and safe (FAVES).

Those efforts are reflected in our Top 5 OSF Innovation stories of 2025, listed in no particular order.

OSF HealthCare named one of America’s Most Innovative Companies – Fortune recognized OSF for its innovation culture and forward-thinking approach, highlighting digital and AI-driven advancements transforming care delivery. OSF first received this distinction in 2023.

OSF Innovation brings VR beating hearts to life for safer surgeries – Thanks to a breakthrough at OSF Innovation, surgeons can “see” their patient’s heart beating in 3D before ever stepping into the operating room. For surgeons, the benefits are game-changing. They can see not only the anatomy but also how it changes with every beat. This is especially critical for conditions such as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, where the problem lies in how the heart contracts. Even more surprising, the AI began rendering valves — structures notoriously difficult to see on CT scans.

An OSF inventor collaborates to help kids play safely through cancer – Exercise physiologist Nick Kemp collaborated with OSF Innovation Studio to design Port Guard that protects the central venous access port for kids with cancer who want to play and stay active. Seven-year-old Amaneigh Stevenson, pediatric cancer patient, was part of testing and declared, “It makes me feel safe. I love it a lot.”

OSF developing app to diagnose migraines sooner and more accurately – For millions of people living with migraine headaches, getting the proper diagnosis can take years, sometimes even decades. A new digital tool developed by a team at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP) and OSF HealthCare aims to change that by helping primary care and other first-contact healthcare providers to identify patients with migraine quickly and accurately.

Decoding your DNA to prevent disease – Using innovative genetic testing, OSF HealthCare stepped farther into personalized medicine in 2025, with a pilot to allow people to be tested with just a swab of their cheek for genetic mutations to determine if someone is at high risk of any of 10 major diseases. So called polygenic testing is not yet covered by insurance but for someone with a a family history of heart disease, cancer or Alzheimer’s, this $250 test could provide some early warning signs and better yet, early intervention.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects the upcoming fall and winter respiratory disease season in the United States will likely have a similar number of combined peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV compared to last season.

As the respiratory virus season arrives, OSF OnCall is also reminding parents that it offers an at-home monitoring and support program for babies and toddlers 5 and under who have an infection from a respiratory virus. Those include: the flu, rhinovirus, croup, pneumonia, and others including RSV, the number one reason for hospitalization of children under age 1 in the United States. It can lead to other infections including bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs), especially in babies.

The digital health arm of OSF HealthCare will provide support for patients with a pediatric respiratory virus and caregivers in the comfort of their own homes. Enrollment offers a connection to OSF OnCall care teams 24/7 and monitoring tools that will aid in proactive response to worsening respiratory virus symptoms, keeping infants and toddlers out of the hospital.

Mary Stapel, MD, lead physician for Community Care for OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center says RSV and other respiratory infections can often be managed at home.

“For the more common cold type symptoms, we can recommend the conservative treatments at home nasal saline with some suctioning, a cool mist humidifier you know, just kind of frequent, small feedings to optimize keeping that child hydrated.”

Clinical Digital Care Supervisor Rose Smith, RN, says OSF OnCall was able to implement its 24/7 digitally enabled, at-home support program for RSV so quickly two years ago because of its experience with similar monitoring to help patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart failure. Smith says parents and caregivers have loved it.

How it works

“They love having support anytime in the day, however they want to do it – text message, phone call, anything. They can send us pictures. We've really kind of taken that to tailor what parents need to feel comfortable taking their children home, you know, from a clinic; from the hospital during the scary time.”

An OSF OnCall software application provides education and notifications to report relevant signs/symptoms over 10 days. Smith says upon enrollment, parents or guardians receive a care kit for at-home use from their provider following a visit or a digital community health worker can deliver one.

“So we have a pulse oximeter to monitor oxygen levels and their heart rate and then we have a thermometer, and we also provide saline spray, and then a bulb syringe. A lot of parents, when their babies are born, they use them in the hospital, but they might not know that they can use them to help relieve any secretions especially before feeding their children.”

Smith adds, it’s also important to clear the nose before a nap or bedtime. Parents also receive step-by-step written instructions as well as a video demonstration for how to use what’s provided in the kit.

The OSF OnCall respiratory illness RPM program is for anyone in Illinois or Michigan. Patients must have a positive test or diagnosis of a respiratory infection to qualify. Referrals can be made by providers in a hospital emergency department, OSF OnCall Urgent Care, OSF PromptCare, medical offices, or following hospital discharge.

Smith says parents who have a child in the program can request a video visit at any time. The OSF OnCall nurse will also recommend a video visit if needed.

“If they think their child looks off, we just have another set of eyes. The providers will look at it (to see if they need a higher level of care). Sometimes our nurses can tell the parents you know, ‘We think they need to be seen. Can we do a video visit just before you take your child out, especially now that it's colder out?’ You know, we don't want them if they're having trouble breathing to go outside, but we really just focus on what works best to still get them the care that they need.”

Last season, the remote monitoring program for pediatric respiratory viruses enrolled a total of 717 babies and toddlers from September through April.

At OSF HealthCare and across the country, there is concern a return to school and more activities moving indoors this fall could accelerate the transmission of RSV, the flu, COVID-19, and other viral illnesses. Dr. Stapel advises making sure you and everyone around you practices good hand hygiene, coughs into the inside of their elbow, and stays home from parties and other obligations if you are sick.

If you suspect your child has symptoms of RSV, the flu, or some other respiratory virus that don’t appear life-threatening, you can reach out to your pediatrician, primary care provider or OSF OnCall Urgent Care which also has a virtual visit option anytime.

Video clips with Dr. Mary Stapel and Rose Smith, RN

B-roll for RPM for pediatric viruses

Marci Schneider Batsakis of Orland Park, Illinois never imagined when she enrolled in a new type of primary care that offers 24/7 digital access that she would be using it the first weekend.

Schneider Batsakis was the first patient to enroll in mid-June in OSF CompleteCare 55+. The service offers around-the-clock digital support, plus virtual and in-person care at its new clinic at 99^th and Western in south suburban Evergreen Park. She liked the idea of coordinated care that was connected to a hospital system.

“I wanted my care to be coordinated in a more organic way. I wanted my doctors to have privileges at the same hospital, have a passing recognition of each other, so that I knew I truly had a team working with me.”

OSF Complete Care 55+ is operated by OSF HealthCare, a 17-hospital system that includes OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park. OSF CompleteCare 55+, focuses on patients who are 55 or older and experiencing two or more ongoing health conditions. For Schneider Batsakis, that’s high blood pressure and arthritis.

High blood pressure was the issue six days after first enrolling. The retired nurse knew something was wrong and sure enough, her blood pressure was extremely and dangerously high. Schneider Batsakis used the OSF CompleteCare 55+ 24/7 care team phone number, and an advanced practice registered nurse listened to her symptoms and immediately told her, “Either you call an ambulance, or I will.”

Schneider Batsakis said she needed that clear advice and was glad she could get it at 11:30 on a Saturday morning. She spent that night in the hospital where she received tests and was monitored.

“I'm fine now, but had he not told me what to do, I might have spent the next hour trying to figure out if I really wanted to do it. Should I be calling someone to drive me to the hospital? So, it really was exactly what I needed.”

Schneider Batsakis jokes that her daughters have degrees from Google university and in this case, they were glad their mom had someone to call and get great, reliable advice. She has also given them, as medical power of attorneys, the 24/7 care team phone number.

Schneider Batsakis’ follow-up at OSF CompleteCare 55+ was the Monday morning following the weekend health emergency.

Schneider Batsakis shares. "What CompleteCare offered me was a place to come in on that Monday, admit that I was scared, talk about my concerns, and I felt like they [her concerns] were listened to. I felt like I was validated, and we sat and came up with a plan of care that's right for me.”

Part of her care plan will include a referral to a registered dietitian because while in the hospital, she was tested for diabetes, and her A1C, a measurement average blood sugar levels over time, was a bit high.

Schneider Batsakis welcomes the referral and says she's pleased to get expert advice on how to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

The newly built OSF CompleteCare 55+ clinic features 12 exam rooms, on-site labs, and extended hours. Features were developed through listening sessions with the older adult community on Chicago’s south side and southwest suburbs to hear what care the community wanted.

Managing medical director Sandy Valino Stock, DO, says future plans include group visits for education. OSF CompleteCare 55+ offers at-home digital monitoring tools and devices that allow 24/7 support. The clinic also features a Connect Bar, an area of the lobby where care navigators help patients get connected to OSF MyChart, messaging options and to make appointments with specialists.

Schneider Batsakis looks forward to feeling a part of a community and to getting the care where and when she needs it. The active suburban resident also encourages those 55 years and beyond to consider enrolling so they can experience a new level of access and a more personalized approach to care.

“Especially if you’re a woman who no longer needs your OB/GYN and you’ve been using urgent care as your primary care; this is where you need to be. The community of people understand that we are not youngsters. They understand what’s going on with us. They’re looking at our age and our concerns and helping us be the best that we can be as we move forward.”

Here's the website for more information, including frequently asked questions or to get started with OSF CompleteCare 55+.  

Marci Schneider Batsakis

B-roll-OSF CompleteCare 55+ patient story

OSF OnCall Senior Vice President Jennifer Junis has been named to the American Telemedicine Association’s newly formed Leadership Council to facilitate collaborative problem-solving and expedite practical solutions to today’s health care challenges.

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is a broad and inclusive member network working to advance industry adoption of telehealth, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalization, and provide education and resources to help integrate digital care into emerging value-based delivery models of care.

OSF HealthCare has been a member of the American Telemedicine Association for more than 10 years. The association has been a resource as the Peoria, Illinois-based health system built its OSF OnCall digital health platform to expand access to care, particularly to vulnerable communities.

“I believe the future of health care keeps patients at the center of new models that provide expanded access to high quality, lower-cost care to improve individuals’ health and wellness, and therefore their quality of life,” said Jennifer Junis, senior vice president OSF OnCall.  “I’m excited to be among dedicated professionals committed to tackling the biggest challenges facing telehealth, uncovering new opportunities while keeping momentum strong and bipartisan support high.”  

OSF OnCall recently shared its journey to create a digital health arm at the ATA’s Nexus 2024 conference in Phoenix, Arizona. A system spotlight presentation and a high-profile, interactive exhibit showcased many OSF OnCall digital care programs.

“We were honored to share the challenging but exciting journey we’ve taken to capitalize on new technology and partnerships to enhance access, improve outcomes, and foster a culture of proactive health care management,” Junis said of the experience.

ATA Leadership Council members will meet twice a year to help prepare their organizations for emerging developments and best practices that will enhance efforts to expand telehealth.

American Telemedicine Association CEO Ann Mond Johnson says members are committed to creating evidence and building trust in health care and telehealth, and to using telemedicine to eliminate disparities in health care.

“OSF OnCall demonstrates how telehealth can be done and in fact, that it can be done. So, it represents how health systems can meet patients where they are, which is what we’re trying to do as an industry,” said Mond Johnson. “I’m so pleased to have Jennifer’s experience on the Leadership Council to help us drive policy and efforts that can help others achieve what OSF has been able to accomplish.”

Health systems, including OSF HealthCare, want the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend for five more years the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program to allow payment for at-home, hospital level care such as what’s being offered through OSF OnCall, the digital arm of OSF. The additional time would allow health systems to continue to build out logistics, supply chains and staffing and gather enough data to convince lawmakers at-home hospital care is safe, cost-effective and patients love it.

Paesani, who has COPD and a heart condition, was recently discharged from the OSF OnCall Digital Hospital program which she called, “an impossible dream.” She received regular in-person visits from a team of nurses who answered questions, took vitals, dispensed medication and made sure she had enough portable oxygen. An OSF OnCall provider overseeing her care checked in with virtual visits twice daily while Paesani enjoyed being home with her dog and having three meals delivered daily to her home from the hospital.

The one-time marketing coordinator lives alone but enjoyed her family being able stop by so easily each day without having to navigate parking decks and long walks down endless hospital hallways.

Robert Thornton, 78, of Belvidere just outside of Rockford spent five days receiving hospital-level care in the home he shares with his wife, Nancy. He had COVID and pneumonia, in addition to his COPD. His trip to the hospital was scary but his trip back home for a five-day stay in the Digital Hospital program was far better than he expected.

After passing both clinical and social screenings at the hospital, Thornton authorized the OSF OnCall team to set up all the equipment he would need at home to communicate and receive treatment. That includes a personal emergency response system which rings to the OSF OnCall Command Center for a nurse to respond to, triage and send an ambulance if necessary. Think of it as the call light in a hospital, only with someone monitoring it remotely at all times.

Thornton was visited by a field team of a nurse and nursing assistant, in addition to the twice-a-day virtual visits via a tablet that he didn’t even have to turn on and off.

“They came in three to four times a day to ensure that I took my medicine, that I had blood tests done, that I conversed with the main office via phone, and to give me my IVs and to see that everything went smoothly ... that I was progressing towards the final goal of being better.”

Navigating the equipment was easy for Thornton and his wife who recommend the program to anyone who qualifies. He points out a month ago, he was winded climbing just a few steps to get into his house. Now, he can manage that without a problem. His advice, “Just go for it.”

Care is safe and convenient for patients

Research to date shows patients in digital hospital programs recover faster, experience fewer falls and hospital acquired infections. OSF OnCall Digital Care Manager Melissa Meier, MSN, RN says the model also increases capacity to provide acute-care without additional costs. As patients are brought home, it frees up beds within the medical center for the most critically ill patients.

Courtney Dahnert, MSN, RN, supervisor of Clinical Digital Care for OSF OnCall Digital Hospital in Rockford, says the care team at the OSF OnCall Command Center will identify patients aged 18 and older who could be enrolled. Criteria includes their diagnosis, condition stability, whether their insurer offers coverage, and they must live within 30 minutes of OSF Saint Anthony.

Dahnert loves the return to a more personalized approach that includes Bluetooth enabled devices for patient-specific data which offer valuable insights into how the patient is doing, allowing proactive interventions. Personalized care plans for digital hospital patients are developed around individual routines – even must-see TV shows.

“It takes us back to being able to provide that really good care; getting to know someone even though we're only caring for them for two or three days and making their health relevant to them. And it gives us time to breathe. So it's an amazing opportunity for both the patient and the provider.”

OSF was the first provider of hospital-at-home care in Illinois and has served more than 400 patients since the program was launched in 2022 in Peoria. CMS is currently gathering comments about hospital-at-home and will make recommendations to Congress this fall about whether to extend the waiver program, make it permanent or end it. 

Video clips with patient Robert Thornton and  Courtney Dahnert 

B-roll of first OSF OnCall Digital Hospital patient in Rockford area