OSF HealthCare Newsroom

Top 10 OSF HealthCare digital health and innovation stories of 2025

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0600

‘Sepsis does not discriminate’

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 02:00:00 -0500

On May 8, 2012, Tony Galbo knew the word “sepsis” was one to make your ears perk up.

He was at a Champaign, Illinois, hospital where his five-year-old daughter Gabby was fighting for her life with what was later confirmed to be Rocky Mountain spotted fever as the result of a tick bite.

Gabby died of sepsis, a condition where your body responds improperly to an infection, three days later. The heartbreak led Tony and his family to become intimately familiar with sepsis. They’re now advocates for sepsis awareness, both ensuring health care providers are following best practices and patients are speaking up.

“I remember slamming every object around me,” in the days following Gabby’s death, Tony Galbo recalls. “I said ‘there’s gotta be a law to protect patients, especially children.’,”

Sepsis and septic shock

Many of the things the Galbo family advocates for to this day are already in place at OSF HealthCare.

Kurt Bloomstrand, MD, is chair of emergency services at OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois. He says aside from following established, rigid protocol, OSF Heart of Mary is going the extra mile for sepsis prevention in a couple of ways. One, the hospital is leading the OSF Ministry in continuing sepsis screening and alerts for people after they are admitted (not just in the emergency department). And two, the facility is among the top 10% of hospitals in the country in following sepsis protocol as measured by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Those CMS core measures include giving antibiotics and fluids and rechecking a person’s vital signs in a timely manner.

“We’re trying to identify a set of signs called the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or SIRS,” Dr. Bloomstrand says. “Those include a fever, a fast heart rate, fast breathing and elevated or low white blood cell count. If someone has any two of those with a source of infection, we consider them possibly septic. We want to establish treatment for them very quickly.”

Treatment includes antibiotic medication or intravenous fluids along with continued testing to pinpoint the problem.

“We take this extremely seriously because we know time is tissue. The sooner we get the treatment, the better the outcome.” Dr. Bloomstrand adds. “Any person who comes into one of our emergency departments, no matter the cause, will be screened for sepsis right from the start. When we get your vital signs, that’s screening for sepsis. If you flag positive, there are alerts that go out to our staff. Then it walks us through a very specific sepsis algorithm for treatment.”

What you can do

Dr. Bloomstrand says young kids, older adults and people with serious health conditions like heart disease and diabetes are at a higher risk for sepsis. Your best bet to prevent sepsis is to practice healthy habits and prevent infection in the first place.

Wash your hands frequently, especially after touching high-germ areas in public like a doorknob.
Avoid touching your face.
Sneeze and cough into your elbow or a tissue.
Stay home when you’re sick.
Treat wounds and bug bites properly, quickly and under guidance from a health care provider. Dr. Bloomstrand notes that pets can also harbor ticks that can cause serious illness.

Dr. Bloomstrand adds that hospital staff are empowered to speak up if they spot a possible sepsis case. But you can also speak up on behalf of yourself or a loved one about what sepsis surveillance is being done.

“It’s appropriate to make sure you are asking these questions just to make sure you’re keeping it at the front of the care provider’s mind,” Dr. Bloomstrand says.

“If we don’t catch sepsis soon enough, it can result in organ dysfunction,” he adds. “There may be long-term complications with their kidneys, such as needing dialysis. If their lungs fail, there may be long-term respiratory issues. There may be brain issues, so they have mental status changes long-term.”

Gabby’s Law

On August 18, 2016, then-Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner came to Presence Covenant Medical Center (now OSF Heart of Mary) to sign Gabby’s Law.

“Senate Bill 2403 requires hospitals to adopt evidence-based protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock that are based on generally accepted standards of care,” the Governor’s office said at the time. “It requires the protocols contain certain components, including those specific to identifying and treating adults and children.”

Tony Galbo recalls many meetings with lawmakers, health care groups and other stakeholders to get the plan the support it needed. And that wasn’t the end. He’s testified before lawmakers in other states and in Washington, D.C., and done countless interviews.

“Sepsis does not discriminate. It does not care about age,” Galbo says.

Interview clips - Tony Galbo

Interview clips - Dr. Kurt Bloomstrand

B-roll

OSF welcomes BlueCross BlueShield Medicaid members

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 09:45:00 -0500

OSF HealthCare is pleased to announce that effective immediately, patients who are enrolled in BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois Medicaid will be able to access all OSF HealthCare hospitals and physicians as part of their insurance plan. The coverage applies across the state of Illinois and includes access to OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, the most comprehensive children’s hospital in the state outside of Chicago.

“Medicaid is an incredible asset in the communities we serve as many of our patients count on this program for medical coverage assistance,” said Bob Sehring, chief executive officer, OSF HealthCare. “We are glad to partner with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois to expand options for Medicaid beneficiaries.”

Medicaid helps ensure that the health care needs of vulnerable patients are met, including children, parents and caretakers, and people with disabilities.

“Across the communities we serve, we have the opportunity to impact 200,000 lives through this new partnership,” said Michael Wells, president of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center and interim president of OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois. “As a destination center that provides the highest levels of pediatric and neonatal intensive care, it’s critical that patients’ insurance carriers support and ensure members’ access.”

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois Medicaid members have access to a wide range of health care services through OSF HealthCare beginning now. In addition to primary care services, members will benefit from in-network inpatient admissions as well as laboratory tests, x-rays, medical equipment and more.

For more information, members can contact BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois Customer Service at 1-855-639-2258. Information is also available by visiting the OSF HealthCare website.

OSF, State of Illinois prepare for PACE

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 09:58:15 -0500

The landscape of health care available for older adults in Illinois is evolving.

OSF HealthCare is in the application process to partner with the State of Illinois to improve access to home-based, high-quality, comprehensive care for people served by Medicare and Medicaid. These services will provide expanded care for those living in under-resourced communities in the Greater Peoria area.

With an expected date of mid-2024 to begin the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), OSF HealthCare remains committed to serve elderly patients with the greatest care and love.

One way OSF HealthCare serves the older population in the Greater Peoria area is through OSF Senior World. Located in downtown Peoria, OSF Senior World has provided care for the frail elderly, disabled and cognitively impaired since 1981.

“Coming to Senior World prevents social isolation. Participants are able to get out, make friends and they become our family,” says Susie Smith, OSF Senior World Manager.

OSF Senior World provides meals and is staffed with nurses, activity and social services coordinators and certified nursing assistants. On-site nurses can help getting the required physician referral needed to receive Senior World services. Nurses also provide medication management, check vital signs, and monitor weight and mobility issues. Smith says the social service team coordinates transportation for participants.

“Transportation is a big need. A lot of these folks have a hard time getting around, especially if their caregivers are working,” Smith says.

Dawn Lemmert, MD, director of Home Care for OSF HealthCare, says PACE will improve the health care infrastructure throughout central Illinois.

“PACE is not only the provider of care, but the insurance for the frail elderly,” Dr. Lemmert says. “PACE really works to keep the frail elderly in their homes as long it’s safe with the support of PACE, including those wraparound services.”

Dr. Lemmert says it’s easier for older adults to access services when they’re all under one roof.

Nathan Pritzker, director of PACE operations and strategy for OSF HealthCare, agrees. He adds PACE will expand services that will be available around the clock for individuals.

“PACE brings different providers into a team so that people are working together, in real-time, 24/7, to meet the goals you have for life,” Pritzker says.

The area Agency on Aging can help people determine eligibility for Senior World and your payment options, Pritzker says.

While it is expected that OSF Senior World is set to transition to services offered under PACE by next summer, Pritzker says the way to enroll will largely remain the same.

What is PACE?

PACE is a Medicare and Medicaid risk-based care program with set fees that offers comprehensive, team-based medical and social services for seniors through collaborating health care agencies. PACE has already been deployed in over 30 other states. It is now being introduced in Illinois.

The overarching goals of PACE are to improve the health and wellness of individuals at risk of having to be placed in a nursing home, while providing personalized solutions that improve outcomes, decrease disparities and are sustainable over time. The program offers all-inclusive support for older adults to age at home. PACE also brings relief to the growing number of family caregivers meeting the health care and social needs of older adults every day.

Program features high engagement

The program will include at-home care while also building on the Adult Day Center model that focuses on increasing social interaction opportunities through regular interaction with others and creating friendships to prevent social isolation and to strengthen communication skills.

Senior Vice President for OSF Innovation Becky Buchen adds, “We are confident and enthusiastic about exploring additional opportunities to leverage our growing experience in new care delivery models that allow patients to receive wraparound services and more holistic, robust care in their home. The new, innovative approaches will build on our decades-long history of providing Home Care, operating Adult Day Care Centers, plus deep experience with bringing team-based, complex care to elderly, frail residents.”

Several OSF services are being evaluated for inclusion including home health, nutritional counseling, social work, wound care, pain management, and various therapies.

OSF HealthCare has been an active participant with the state of Illinois on several innovative programs.

Last year, OSF and the state of Illinois signed a five year $60+ million-dollar contract to deliver care and services including maternal and women’s health to the Medicaid population.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, OSF partnered with the State to deliver a full continuum of digital health services including COVID-19 call centers, remote patient monitoring, digital pre-hospital care, and hospital at home services available for all ill and at-risk individuals within the state.

Susie Smith video interview clips

Dr. Dawn Lemmert video interview clips

Nathan Pritzker video interview clips

Community Health Worker training teaches high-touch, high-tech support for better health

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 08:42:56 -0500

Some experts have referred to trust as a social determinant of health – meaning a factor outside of a medical office that can influence as much as 80% of a person’s health and wellness. If someone doesn’t trust health information or their health care provider, they’re not likely to comply with what they need to do to be their best self.

Thus, the importance of Community Health Workers (CHWs). These community health care workers are local, trusted members with a close understanding of the community they serve. This trusting relationship enables the CHW to facilitate access to services by serving as a link between health and social services and community organizations.

OSF HealthCare, through an innovative partnership with East Peoria-based Illinois Central College (ICC), has created new training for the next generation of digitally-enabled CHWs. Many of the CHWs will soon begin working with federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs), under a Medicaid Innovation Collaborative (MIC) contract with the state of Illinois. MIC is aimed at improving health and wellness by providing underserved individuals with a personalized approach to coordinated care that leverages CHWs and digital tools to provide the right care, at the right time, using the right method that works for the individual and their family or caregivers.

Karlen Sandall, manager of the OSF OnCall Digital Health Worker program, says the training makes it clear that trust is critically important and that connecting individuals with community resources is one way of providing help beyond the clinic or hospital.

“It shows we’re caring about not only what’s bringing them into our health care center, but also what’s going on outside of that; how we can bridge those gaps and keep them healthy all the way around, I think really shows we want to build trust with them, and we want to align them with the resources that are going to keep them safe and healthy.”

Sandall says CHWs will be embedded in the communities they serve and will represent the diversity of those neighborhoods. Many in the first CHW class already served as Pandemic Health Workers which were developed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to support individuals through digital tools to keep them connected to their care team and any resources they might need to keep them healthy and out of the hospital. Sandall says they’re passionate and most have already visited many community-based organizations (CBOs).

“To understand all of their offerings … to understand the funding because that changes a lot with CBOs. That’s something we learned with the pandemic and aligning individuals to resources so as they gather more expertise, they’re definitely going to be able to guide and support individuals from the community to the resources they need.”

Maura Lansing is one of those passionate, newly-trained CHWs who also worked to support individuals during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She says the training through ICC went beyond what she already knew through first-hand experience.

“We talked about and learned about how we could become community advocates and we could actually plan community events based around a health care issue, and all the different ways we could reach out to the community at large, as well as helping individual patients.”

Class uses specially-trained actors

Ann Willemsen-Dunlap of OSF Jump Simulation is a curriculum developer who designed the training to exceed core competencies identified but not yet finalized by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Willemsen-Dunlap incorporated the use of Jump’s standardized participants (SPs) – trained actors - a unique aspect of the curriculum.

“They’re trained to do both coaching and give feedback to our community health worker learners and help shape the way they go forward and interact with clients later. Not many programs have this,” Willemsen-Dunlap explains.

The capstone project for the training included using an SP in a scenario with a man recently diagnosed with diabetes. Lansing used what she learned about motivational interviewing, which includes the OARS approach – open questions, affirmations, reflective listening and summary reflections. Lansing says every aspect helped build trust, and it was particularly impactful to acknowledge the recently-diagnosed man was trying to be the best grandparent by helping watch his grandchildren regularly.

“’I know that’s a lot of hard work. Can we possibly include a quick 10-minute walk each day with the grandchildren so that you don’t feel like you’re having to add exercise into your already busy schedule?’” Lansing says he felt heard and understood. “He seemed like, ‘Wow, she understands what I’m going through.’”

Willemsen-Dunlap says the digitally-equipped and trained CHWs will not only coordinate care with FQHCs and their provider partners, they’ll help by serving as additional eyes and ears for medical providers.

“When it comes to interacting with the clients and seeing what’s happening in their home or living environment … they can take that back to the provider and help the provider understand what might need to be tailored in some specific way to maximize treatment effectiveness.”

More advanced training will enable them to help individuals and families use digital tools that might be needed for education, remote monitoring, or even a virtual exam. They can also provide calming reassurance, especially at a stressful time during a pending or recent diagnosis.

“Having this neutral third party who’s able to manage the tech and be that intermediary and that calming, confident presence is going to be very important,” Willemsen-Dunlap stresses.

The next training session for becoming a certified digitally-enabled CHW starts July 11 through ICC. It includes 12 sessions of online instruction (Monday and Wednesday evenings) over the first six weeks, followed by a two-week internship for participants who do not have previous CHW experience.

Here is more information and an option to register.

Video Clips with Karlen Sandall, manger Digital Health Worker program, OSF OnCall

Video clips with Ann Willemsen-Dunlap, director of Educational Development, Jump Simulation and Education Center

Text reminders, Digital Health Workers reverse gap in breast cancer screening

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:01:50 -0500

Targeted text reminders and other interventions erased disparity in the rate of breast cancer screening between economically advantaged and disadvantaged patients, according to an OSF HealthCare study published in Population Health Management.

While screening has been shown to reduce breast cancer deaths, women who are economically disadvantaged are less likely to have breast cancer screening and more likely to die of the disease, often because the breast cancer isn’t detected until it reaches a more advanced stage. Mammography screening rates plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which only increased the disparity between economically advantaged and disadvantaged patients.

OSF HealthCare researchers analyzed the effectiveness of interventions created and supported by the OSF OnCall digital health team to reduce that disparity, with: text messages that included a link to schedule a mammogram and information about the importance of breast cancer screening; calls from a digitally-enabled community health worker (CHW) to help schedule mammograms and solve challenges such as transportation; and an invitation to a health fair offering on-site mammograms. Breast cancer screening rates more than doubled among Medicaid patients who received interventions.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend annual mammography for most women beginning at 40 and earlier for women at higher risk for breast cancer.

“Previous studies have found that similar interventions help increase the rate of breast cancer screening, but not whether they would reduce disparities among different populations,” said Jonathan A. Handler, MD, FACEP, FAMIA, senior author of the study and senior fellow, OSF Innovation at OSF HealthCare.

The study included more than 4,000 women in two groups: an economically disadvantaged group (those with Medicaid coverage), and an economically advantaged group (those with private commercial insurance). All were 41 or older, were aligned with an OSF primary care physician and appeared to be overdue for their mammogram – typically by two years or more. All with Medicaid were randomly assigned to one of three intervention arms and compared with a subset of commercially insured women randomized to receive no intervention

All in the Medicaid group received the first intervention (at least one text message reminder). The moderate intervention arm also received additional educational content, a reminder text after a mammogram was scheduled, and phone outreach by a CHW to answer questions, assist with scheduling a mammogram, and address other issues related to the screening. The third arm had all of those interventions, and also received an invitation to a health fair where attendees could participate in interactive educational activities, schedule a mammogram or receive a same-day mammogram at the health center after attending the event.

In the Medicaid group, the rate of mammogram screening more than doubled following the interventions, from 5.4% to 11% of eligible patients. Interventions targeted only to the Medicaid group reversed the disparity in screening rates. Before interventions, the Medicaid group had 2.6% lower breast cancer screening rate than those with private insurance. After the interventions, the Medicaid group’s screening rate was 3.7% higher than those with commercial insurance who had been randomly assigned to receive no intervention.

Medicaid covers mammograms

Researchers determined Medicaid participants who had moderate to maximum intervention had a significant improvement in screening rates. Many in this group were reluctant to get a mammogram because of the expense until learning from a CHW that appropriate screening is covered by Medicaid.

Screening rates also increased after intervention among privately-insured women who were assigned to intervention arms. Therefore, researchers said economically disadvantaged women might require more intense intervention than their economically advantaged counterparts, with private insurance, to close the disparity gap moving forward.

“The goal is equity in health outcomes, not always standardization of an intervention or what we think of as equality. So it’s vital to strategically implement interventions among patients who would most benefit,” said Sarah Stewart de Ramirez, MD, MPH, principal investigator of the study, medical director for Population Health Services at OSF HealthCare, and associate dean for Population Health Equity Innovation at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. “For example, we found that simply providing interventions such as a text message equally to the entire patient population might actually widen that disparity, because economically advantaged patients have fewer hurdles to access care and therefore are more likely to be able to act on those reminders.”

Dr. de Ramirez added, “Ultimately, we hope to find an engagement approach that achieves equity while also improving screening rates for all women. It’s imperative that we continue to study new population based interventions so we can apply them with the same science as clinical interventions, and ensure our patient populations receive the highest level of care, wherever they are.”

The study was funded by the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.

Visit osfhealthcare/innovation to learn more about how OSF HealthCare is working to transform health care.

Sample of video message for education efforts

How technology facilitates chronic care management

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:07:00 -0500

“It’s about pushing ourselves to meet them (patients) where we can, but setting realistic expectations that telehealth can’t be all things to all patients," OSF Vice President of Digital Care Brandi Clark told health leaders during a virtual online summit focused on how technology can help people with chronic diseases.

Clark emphasized that specially trained community health workers provide the human touch in communities, paired with technology, to help patients manage conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure. During a Technology NOW with HealthLeaders! virtual summit panelists, including Clark, envision a future where patients will knowingly share data from wearables or in-home technology to prevent chronic disease and to help providers spot potential trends managing an existing medical condition.

Watch the entire HealthLeaders session.

State funding, collaboration to expand health care access in underserved areas

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 08:57:55 -0500

Nearly $66 million in funding is on its way to improve access to health care for people across many communities in central and northern Illinois living at lower income levels.

The Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS) is providing the funding over the next five years to Peoria-based OSF HealthCare and several Federally Qualified Health Centers (HQHCs) that have formed the Medicaid Innovation Collaborative (MIC), which will address social factors that impact health such as financial strain, housing, and food insecurity among others.

The MIC includes OSF HealthCare, OSF Medical Group, and Heartland Health Services (Peoria, IL), Chestnut Health Systems, Inc. (Bloomington, IL), Eagle View Community Health System, Inc. (Oquawka, IL), and Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness (Danville, IL). Through this partnership, the MIC will engage with community-based organizations to address social determinants of health needs. Additionally, the MIC has partnered with Illinois Central College in East Peoria to develop education for community health workers.

MIC’s action plan aims to meet patients where they are; combining technology with trusted community health workers, making it easier to schedule and access care in-person or virtually, whatever best meets patients’ needs.

High Tech, High Touch

MIC will improve access to care through the combined resources of OSF OnCall and of the federally qualified health centers that make up the Collaborative.

OSF OnCall is an always-available digital care platform that lets patients navigate health and wellness from anywhere and at any time. It serves as a single point of contact for patients to manage their care, schedule appointments and services, and request information. Communty health workers at the partner entities will be the face of the Collaborative and provide the human touch in communities throughout the state. Each partner operates a FQHC which is community-based, serves people living at or below the federal poverty level, and provides a variety of primary and behavioral health care services for people of all ages.

“We learned during the pandemic that virtual care was a game-changer for patients, and the new funding will help us implement the latest technologies to expand access to care for underserved communities and vulnerable populations,” said Michelle Conger, CEO of OSF OnCall Digital Health.

How it will work

OSF OnCall will equip community health workers and medical care teams with digital technology so that the workers can provide care for more patients facing a broader range of health concerns. Offerings will include apps and remote monitoring for patients with chronic health conditions. A clinical team in Peoria will remotely monitor and support the health workers’ efforts in their communities.

Digitally-enabled community health workers and medical care teams will regularly engage with patients to assess their conditions, provide education, and refer them to a provider when needed. MIC will focus on the following:

Stress, anxiety, and depression management
Improved maternal and child health
Health literacy and wellness
Chronic disease management
Cancer screening outreach
Dental clinic expansions or staffing increases
Implementation of the Epic electronic medical record system to enhance care coordination and communication
Tech-enabled vans to deliver care in areas where the population is at risk
Addressing digital connectivity in rural or underserved areas

MIC could create nearly 100 health care jobs across the service area, potentially covering up to one-third of the state. There will be a significant emphasis on employment opportunities for communities of color to ensure a workforce that reflects the population being served. The target is to provide 1 million episodes of care for Medicaid patients over five years in some of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities in the state.