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.

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), is recognizing two leaders of OSF HealthCare for their remarkable contributions to advancing telehealth and virtual care. The 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.

Brandi Clark, vice president, Digital Care, OSF OnCall, received the ATA Leadership in Care Transformation Award during a ceremony at the ATA NEXUS 2025 gathering in New Orleans on the opening day of the organization’s annual conference.

“Under Brandi’s leadership, OSF OnCall Digital Care has successfully rolled out eight new programs across virtual ambulatory and acute care, reflecting her ability to transform ambitious goals into measurable success,” said Jennifer Junis, RN, MSN, president, OSF OnCall. Junis nominated Clark for her many standout achievements including her leadership in establishing the OSF OnCall Digital Hospital, a pioneering model that provides acute care directly within patients' homes. Through the Digital Hospital's clinical command center, she launched a 24/7 Virtual Hospitalist program, significantly reducing the need for locum coverage in rural hospitals and enhancing quality outcomes.

Additionally, Clark’s strategic vision also led to the implementation of virtual nursing at two hospitals within the Ministry – an effort which has positively impacted patient care. By centralizing tasks such as admissions and discharges for medical-surgical beds, virtual nursing has reduced discharge times while contributing to higher satisfaction levels among both nursing staff and patients.

Melinda Cooling received the ATA Telehealth Champions: Advancing Access to Virtual Care Award for her achievements as chief clinician executive for OSF OnCall. Cooling recently accepted a new position as chief nurse and advanced practice provider executive for OSF HealthCare.

Junis nominated Cooling for her approach to redesigning health care options to improve access. “As OSF OnCall introduced new programs, Melinda’s dedication to research and evidence-based insights proved invaluable, addressing the questions and concerns of those more familiar with traditional care models.”

In her nomination, Junis highlighted that Cooling initiated a nationally accredited fellowship program for APPs, providing a platform for education and professional growth. Additionally, she established a medical school rotation and developed a telehealth curriculum to expose providers to the specialty of virtual care demonstrating her commitment to shaping the future workforce in telehealth.

As a leader of the Illinois Medicaid Innovation Collaborative research team, Cooling has advanced positive changes to telehealth access, contributing to the broader goal of making health care more accessible to all.

Junis, who nominated both winners, is a member of the American Telemedicine Association’s Leadership Council that facilitates collaborative problem-solving and expedite practical solutions to today’s health care challenges. Junis is also among the Main Stage speakers at the ATA NEXUS 2025 conference. She’ll be presenting, From Silos to Systems: Centralizing Digital Care Leadership for Scalable Innovation.

As CNE, Cooling will provide strategic direction aligned to the future development of nursing and advanced practice within health care transformation, overseeing nursing and advanced practice providers (APP) across all clinical areas. Additionally, Cooling will be accountable for the executive leadership and strategy for the College of Health Sciences and the Nursing Innovation Hub.

Cooling has served OSF HealthCare since 1997, most recently as senior vice president of Advanced Practice, chief clinician executive of OSF OnCall and interim president, College of Health Sciences.

Cooling earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Illinois College of Nursing in Peoria. Additionally, she earned a Master of Business Administration from Baker College in Flint, Michigan, and a Doctor of Nursing from the University of Illinois College of Nursing in Chicago.

Lori Wiegand, DNP, chief nursing officer, will retire in May after 32 years with OSF HealthCare. She began her career with OSF in 1993 as a student nurse extern at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, later becoming one of the first 6 Sigma Black Belts in the Ministry and the first Nursing Master Black Belt at OSF Saint Francis. Wiegand was named vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer for OSF Saint Francis in 2008 and then was named chief nursing officer for the Ministry in 2013.

As chief nursing officer, Wiegand worked with facility chief nursing officers on innovative solutions such as implementation of robust nursing recruitment and retention strategies inclusive of the first nursing career ladder program; Precision Staffing technology; clinical resource team for nursing resources across the Ministry; and patient flow strategies including the design of the OSF CareHub. In addition, Wiegand championed the development of educational frameworks for the OSF Corporate University and the College of Health Sciences 
which will continue the commitment and investment in current and future Mission Partners.