<![CDATA[OSF HealthCare Newsroom]]> https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/ en-us Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:56:46 +0200 Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:53:52 +0100 <![CDATA[OSF HealthCare Newsroom]]> https://content.presspage.com/clients/150_1873.png https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/ 144 Top 10 Digital Heath and Innovation stories of 2023 https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/top-10-digital-heath-and-innovation-stories-of-2023/ https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/top-10-digital-heath-and-innovation-stories-of-2023/615402OSF HealthCare spent 2023 continuing to invest in transforming health care by leveraging new technology, including artificial intelligence and digital tools, to expand access to high-quality care. 

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As we begin a new year at OSF HealthCare, we’re reflecting on 2023 and the major strides achieved in embracing digital transformation for the betterment of patients, providers and the communities we serve. This past year, OSF continued leveraging technology and the emerging power of artificial intelligence to support our providers and patients but never replacing expertise, training and experience along with the personal, empathetic approach that is part of the OSF Mission to serve with the greatest care and love.

The efforts are highlighted here in our Top 10 Digital Health and Innovation stories of 2023 in no particular order.

1.    OSF HealthCare celebrating 10 years of Jump Simulation-As part of the 10-year anniversary, OSF HealthCare released a study by Bradley University showing over the 10-year period from 2013-2022, the activities of Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center enhanced economic activity by more than $103 million and created more than 600 full-time jobs. As part of the celebration, OSF HealthCare launched the first of what will be an annual Innovator of the Year Award.

2.    OSF named one of Most Innovative Companies by Fortune-Fortune and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, selected the inaugural group of America’s Most Innovative Companies 2023 based on product innovation, process innovation and innovation culture, which includes the introduction of a corporate culture that promotes creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. OSF HealthCare was among 300 companies and the only health system in Illinois to make this first-time list.

3.    Medicaid Innovation Collaborative hits first-year milestones to improve health and wellness in underserved populations-The Medicaid Innovation Collaborative (MIC) – a partnership between Peoria-based OSF HealthCare and four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), celebrated its one-year anniversary by highlighting milestones achieved. Some highlights include launching a pregnancy and postpartum digital support program, initiating remote patient monitoring for individuals with chronic conditions, training digital health navigators to promote education and understanding of digital care options, expanding breast cancer and social drivers of health screenings among other accomplishments.

4.    OSF HealthCare pilots virtual nursing to reduce burnout and improve patient experience-OSF launched a virtual nursing pilot on three medical surgical floors, covering about 75 patients at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in an effort to reduce the workload of bedside nurses and offer patients more streamlined care. The main focus is using virtual nurses for admissions and discharges, but the pilot is also exploring other duties that can be transferred to remote nurses.

5.    New AI developed at OSF HealthCare to help those who help cancer patients-AI-related news was everywhere in the second half of 2023, and OSF added to the mix with several novel uses created by OSF Innovation leaders and academic partners. Dr. Jonathan Handler led the way and created an artificial intelligence-based algorithm to better balance workloads by predicting upcoming work burdens for each cancer patient nurse navigator's existing patients and for new patients needing navigation. The models use data from electronic health records such as demographics, cancer type and prior health care visits. That work also likely prompted selection of Dr. Handler to serve on President Biden’s cancer panel advisory group regarding cancer caregiving.

6.    AI model prompts end of life care discussions for some hospitalized patients-OSF Innovation researchers developed and tested a new AI model to predict death after a hospital admission to identify patients who need to discuss and document their end-of-life care wishes. When tested, the model held up over time and identified more than half of those who died within five to 90 days after their inpatient admission. 

7.     OSF OnCall empowers patients and improves outcomes with 24/7 connection-Supplementing in-person care with digital support from OSF OnCall digital health is helping improve health outcomes for patients enrolled in new programs, designed to keep them engaged in between medical appointments. For example, OSF saw a 10% or greater reduction in hospital readmissions for those patients who are enrolled in a hospital discharge program. A new OSF OnCall Connect on the Go van in the Rockford region will also help individuals get digitally connected to additional support programs.

8.    OSF HealthCare and Illinois State University launch Connected Communities Initiative to expand research and development-The Connected Communities Initiative (CCI) program was announced in March to bring together clinicians, university faculty researchers, and students to focus on innovation in clinical and patient education, health care engineering, data science, and cybersecurity. Among the first round of jointly funded research projects is an effort to create new curriculum for future nurses and family medicine providers using a telehealth platform with attachable devices that allow for more robust exams in pop-up rural clinics using an off-site physician or advanced practice provider.

9.    Beating hearts pump up virtual reality for pre-surgery planning-Research involving academic collaborator Bradley University will advance the process of translating CT and MRIs into a format for viewing in virtual reality to help heart surgeons better prepare for complex surgeries. Dr. Mathew Bramlet and co-lead researcher Sam Hawkins of Bradley are using AI and machine learning to help automate a process to create a 4D image and advance an effort that once took months to possibly taking only a few hours to complete.

10.  Emergency Department crowding; Can AI, predictive modeling and simulation fix it?-Academic partner, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and OSF Innovation are using a $100,000 Jump ARCHES grant to use de-identified electronic medical records and other historical data to predict emergency demand and then test interventions and optimization techniques to reduce emergency department wait times. Dr. William Bond of OSF says the effort could identify ways to increase efficiencies and reduce provider burnout and patient dissatisfaction.

]]> Wed, 27 Dec 2023 08:30:00 -0600 https://content.presspage.com/uploads/1873/c9a991d2-906c-493b-8a4a-187df33944dc/500_aiimage.jpg?10000 https://content.presspage.com/uploads/1873/c9a991d2-906c-493b-8a4a-187df33944dc/aiimage.jpg?10000 OSF and Bradley U award first-ever Innovation for Health grants https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/osf-healthcare-and-bradley-university-award-first-ever--innovation-for-health-ifh-grants/ https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/osf-healthcare-and-bradley-university-award-first-ever--innovation-for-health-ifh-grants/575794Grants total nearly $200,000 for research and developmentOSF 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 – 10 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. In 2020, OSF OnCall was established, a digital health operating unit, including a hospital-at-home, which delivers care and services when, where and how patients prefer to receive them. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country for 2023. Learn more at osfhealthcare.org.

OSF Innovation was launched in 2016 and includes a multidisciplinary team that inspires, mentors and partners to transform care for patients and providers. With expertise in everything from ideation to commercialization, the division designs agile solutions, connecting everyday needs with inventive approaches and bold advances. More at osfinnovation.org.

Bradley University is a top-ranked private university in Peoria, Illinois, that offers nearly 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students opportunities and resources of a larger university and the personal attention and exceptional learning experience of a smaller university. Bradley offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate academic programs in business, communications, education, engineering, fine arts, health sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and technology. These high-quality programs incorporate global and experiential learning opportunities, preparing graduates to succeed in a complex world. More at bradley.edu.

]]>OSF HealthCare and Bradley University's first  round of grants for novel ideas to improve  health care total nearly $200,000.

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OSF HealthCare and Bradley University are focusing on cancer prevention and treatment, as well as improving overall cardiac imaging plus pulmonary lung monitoring for babies and young children. The grants are the result of a partnership announced earlier this year between the Peoria, Illinois-based health system and the city’s premiere private university. The awards be given twice a year with joint funding from each organization.

This first round of grants, totaling nearly $200,000, have been awarded to four projects for research into rapidly developing the best, innovative approaches to medical training and health care delivery. The IFH grant awards include co-investigators from both Bradley University and OSF HealthCare.

Here are the Innovation for Health projects for spring 2023:


Toward Automation of a 4D Heart from Retrospectively Gated Cardiac CT Scans

Lead researchers
Matthew Bramlet, MD, OSF HealthCare
Samuel Hawkins, PhD, Bradley University

The goal of this project is to determine the feasibility automating the segmentation of the 18 phases of gated cardiac CT scans to generate patient-specific, 4D beating hearts and that these 4D animations can be placed into and analyzed in a digital stereoscopic format such as virtual reality.

Pulmonary Acoustic Sensor Telemetry Array (PASTA)

Lead researchers
Adam Cross, MD, FAAP, OSF HealthCare
Suruz Miah, PhD, Bradley University
Connor Davey, BA, OSF HealthCare
Reid Jockisch, BS, OSF HealthCare

This venture is an expansion of the Pulmonary Acoustic Sensor Telemetry Array (PASTA) project which is focused on developing a device for use with an algorithm to remotely monitor lung sounds in pediatric patients. The primary deliverable of this phase is a physical device that is easily replicable and records eight channels of audio simultaneously without losing quality due to compression with minimal quality loss due to compression.

Characterization of Changes in Biomechanical Properties and Cell Aggression in Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells Following Exposure to Chemotherapy

Lead researchers
Kalyani Nair, PhD, Bradley University
Craig Cady PhD, Bradley University
Daniel Chan, MD, PhD, OSF HealthCare

The objective of this concept is to determine whether treatment with a chemotherapeutic agent will induce identifiable changes in the biomechanical properties of cancer stem cells which can be correlated with an increase in cancer stem cell aggression. Identifying biomechanical properties linked to an increase in aggression may suggest alternative approaches to suppressing cancer stem cell activation and reducing the recurrence of cancer.

Humanizing Breast Cancer Prevention: A Community-Based Approach to Increase Health Literacy and Address Breast Cancer Health Disparities among Local Underserved Women

Lead researchers
Heather Ford, MFA, Bradley University
Scott Barrows MA, FAMI, OSF HealthCare
Tianjiao (Grace) Wang, PhD, Bradley University|
Rachelle Pavelko PhD, Bradley University
Mary Stapel, MD, OSF HealthCare

This project aims to address health disparities among underserved groups by developing a community-based solution to effectively increase breast cancer health literacy and raise awareness of breast cancer prevention among local ethnic minority women.   

]]> Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:06:18 -0500 https://content.presspage.com/uploads/1873/a9ab78ca-0d6f-4a0c-b8e2-351fddf219f2/500_ifh-news-710x400-0623-fin.jpg?10000 https://content.presspage.com/uploads/1873/a9ab78ca-0d6f-4a0c-b8e2-351fddf219f2/ifh-news-710x400-0623-fin.jpg?10000 OSF named one of Most Innovative Companies by Fortune https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/osf-named-one-of-most-innovative-companies-by-fortune/ https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/osf-named-one-of-most-innovative-companies-by-fortune/568107OSF 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.

]]>The 300 U.S. companies with the highest score were awarded by Fortune as America’s Most Innovative Companies 2023. OSF was rated at 194 in product rank, which helped it place 254 overall.

]]>OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of America's Most Innovative Companies for 2023. It is the only health care system headquartered in Illinois to earn the distinction.

The 300 U.S. companies with the highest score were awarded by Fortune as America’s Most Innovative Companies 2023. OSF was rated at 194 in product rank, which helped it place 254 overall.

Fortune and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, selected the inaugural group of America’s Most Innovative Companies 2023 based on product innovation, process innovation and innovation culture, which includes the introduction of a corporate culture that promotes creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. The evaluations were based on a compilation of online surveys and input from experts in various fields, from recruiters to management consultants and patent attorneys. 

“It's incredibly humbling and exciting at the same time. I think a lot of health care systems are committed to innovation, but this is really part of the DNA of OSF, the Sisters have been innovating for 100 years,” said Michelle Conger, OSF HealthCare Chief Strategy Officer and CEO OSF OnCall Digital Health. “This recognition is an outgrowth of innovating for our communities and being true to the Mission of OSF. We’re excited about where OSF is going to go next in terms of focusing on innovation. No industry needs innovation more than health care, and we're committed to that and are really hopeful that 10 years from now, we'll be talking about the types of innovation that we've been able to bring forward.”

OSF HealthCare has been making headlines due to its groundbreaking advancements in recent months, including:

  • Launching a digital hospital that allows patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their own homes
     
  • Expanding remote patient monitoring for patients with chronic conditions which also allowed the Ministry to quickly implement a solution to address a surge in childhood RSV cases
     
  • Developing a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly for vulnerable older individuals
     
  • Using 3D printing and virtual reality in life-saving surgeries
     
  • Collaborating with the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services and several Federally Qualified Health Centers to form the Medicaid Innovation Collaborative, which addresses social factors that impact health 
     

Learn more about America’s Most Innovative Companies and the Fortune recognition, visit Fortune.com.

Interview clips with Michelle Conger

]]> this is really part of the DNA of OSF HealthCare, the Sisters have been innovating for 100 years! This recognition is an outgrowth of innovating for our communities and being true to the Mission of OSF.]]> Wed, 29 Mar 2023 11:39:46 -0500 https://content.presspage.com/uploads/1873/2f9541a8-655c-4031-895c-90531bb93c43/500_healthcareinnovation.jpg?10000 https://content.presspage.com/uploads/1873/2f9541a8-655c-4031-895c-90531bb93c43/healthcareinnovation.jpg?10000