A new pilot program at OSF HealthCare aims to help people overcome barriers to taking their medications as prescribed. It uses automated text messages to identify care gaps and connect patients with pharmacists for personalized support.

The initiative focuses on patients who may be at risk of medication nonadherence, particularly those taking medications for common chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. By using insurance data to identify patients who may be falling behind on refills, the program aims to reach people who might otherwise go without needed support. The tool serves as an orchestration engine that automatically identifies non-adherent people based on established criteria and schedules targeted outreach and reminders for them.

Nicole Swenson, PharmD, director pharmacy digital care, OSF HealthCare, says for anyone newly prescribed a medication, side effects can become an unexpected obstacle.

“Probably more likely they stop taking it altogether, especially for conditions like high blood pressure, because the patient may not feel that high blood pressure. So, it may not seem really important to take that medication, especially if they're having a side effect,” says Swenson.

Better than phone calls

Rather than relying on traditional cold-calling methods, people can respond directly to text messages, indicate interest in assistance and be connected to a pharmacist through a streamlined scheduling process. Jason Scheid, PharmD, director of pharmacy services, OSF HealthCare, says this can be a more effective approach because many people don’t like answering calls from an unknown phone number.

“Using some of these agentic type tools for advanced outreach efforts through automation, text response, scheduling we’re able to capture a much larger audience and then make sure we’re getting to those patients that need help the most,” Scheid explains.

Automated text messages also allow people to respond at their convenience and schedule a conversation when it works for them.

The pilot helps to bridge the longstanding communication gap between patients and providers, enabling pharmacists to spend less time on manual coordination efforts and more time delivering personalized care. The initiative was developed through a collaboration with Digital Innovation Development within OSF Innovation, Pharmacy Services and Humana which has a significant number of members at risk of falling out of medication compliance.

Learning about barriers

Scheid points out that through the pilot, they’re learning about a variety of barriers to medication adherence.

“Access to a pharmacy, transportation to get to a pharmacy, just the complicated regimens people are on with multiple medications and multiple frequencies and times of day they’re taking the medications so there’s a combination of things going on that make it a challenging situation for patients.”

The technology is intended to offer a one-touch support, making it easier to connect people to the right resources according to Nicole Swenson.

“We’re looking at how we can reach out via text, which we haven’t done in the past, to provide those refill reminders and then also offer visits and see if the visits really do have a positive influence on the medication refills so that we can improve adherence for the patient and know what barriers they’re experiencing.”

What’s next

The program is currently focused on patients covered by Humana insurance, with the potential to expand if the approach proves successful. Its broader goal is to identify care gaps earlier and make support easier for people to access. It is also an opportunity to test language that best works to get people targeted to respond.

Medication refill adherence improved from zero compliant patients at program launch in August to 92 compliant patients through targeted reminders and coaching, demonstrating the measurable impact of proactive patient engagement.

The next phase of the pilot will leverage predictive analytics and AI-driven models to identify patients who may be at risk of medication nonadherence before gaps occur.

Video clips with Nicole Swenson

Video clips with Jason Scheid

B-roll-Medication compliance pilot

As advances in medicine continue to improve patient outcomes, more patients arrive at health care facilities with implanted devices, such as pacemakers, neurostimulators, infusion pumps and other technologies. At the same time, many instruments commonly used in surgical and procedural settings can generate electromagnetic fields that may interfere with these implants, creating potential safety risks.

DeviceWise addresses this challenge by providing clinicians with immediate access to device-specific guidance. Through a simple web-based application, users can select the type and model of an implanted device and quickly receive recommendations for patient management, along with facility-specific instructions, manufacturer contact information and other relevant resources.

The Ministrywide rollout reflects the commitment OSF HealthCare has to leveraging innovation to improve patient safety and support frontline caregivers with practical tools that fit seamlessly into clinical workflows.

"DeviceWise grew from a simple but important question: How can we make critical information easier for caregivers to access when they need it most?" said Becky Buchen, senior vice president, OSF Innovation and Transformation. "The answer came from the ingenuity of OSF Mission Partners who understood the challenge firsthand. Through the support of OSF Innovation Studio, those ideas were transformed into a scalable solution that can help clinicians make informed decisions and enhance safety for patients with implanted devices."

The technology behind DeviceWise originated from innovation developed by surgery nurses Jill Teubel, MSN, BSN, RN, and Mary Marvin, APRN, MSN, RN, and was supported through OSF Innovation Studio's ecosystem for advancing new ideas and startup ventures. OpenSurg Inc., the parent company, has licensed the intellectual property owned by OSF HealthCare to commercialize the technology.

OpenSurg CEO Jim Weldy says of reaching the milestone, "Getting this contract signed is a great capstone to this entire effort. It's a meaningful juncture to reflect on all it has taken to get to this point: initial concept from frontline OSF nurses, prototype build through OSF Innovation, proof of value in reducing cancellations and costs, rolling it out across all OSF hospitals, company launch, intellectual property licensing, commercial productization of the concept, and now getting through the rigorous contracting process."

The announcement also follows a significant intellectual property milestone. The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted a patent for CaseChat™, an innovation related to surgical and procedural workflows. OSF HealthCare owns the patent for the original product, DeviceTable, and underlying intellectual property. OpenSurg holds an exclusive license to further develop and commercialize the technology.

CaseChat represents a future product opportunity and remains under development.

"Every improvement that helps our teams identify risks and access information more efficiently has the potential to make a meaningful difference for patients," says Sherri Greenwood, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, vice president of Surgical & Procedural Services for OSF HealthCare. "Deploying DeviceWise across OSF HealthCare strengthens our ability to support caregivers with timely, reliable information and reinforces our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality care throughout every stage of the patient experience. Greenwood adds, “Having this information at our fingertips prevents potential delays in our patients’ care.”

Weldy says, “OpenSurg is working on ways to bring more of those efficiencies to other hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers around the country, so patients everywhere can benefit!"

OpenSurg is also a participant in the current gBETA Distillery Labs accelerator cohort, a program supported by OSF HealthCare that helps emerging companies accelerate growth and bring innovative solutions to market.

The deployment of DeviceWise across OSF HealthCare hospitals will begin this summer with implementation occurring throughout the Ministry.

Sepsis remains one of the nation's most persistent health challenges, affecting an estimated 1.7 million Americans annually and contributing to hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s the third-leading cause of deaths in U.S. hospitals.

Most recently, sepsis was considered a contributing factor to the death of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, who died at age 41. According to Leon Yeh, MD, an OSF HealthCare leader involved in sepsis prevention efforts, Busch had symptoms of sepsis, but hospital treatment was delayed too long.

Dr. Yeh stresses one of the most important lessons clinicians have learned is that treatment cannot wait for complete answers.

"I think it took some time for our people to understand that you didn't need to know exactly where the sepsis was coming from before you treated it," says Dr. Yeh. "The standard now is to administer broad-spectrum antibiotics. You cast a wide net for anything that could be causing this condition, and then you sort it out later." 

Early intervention saves lives

Dr. Yeh explains that rapid intervention is critical because delays can have deadly consequences.

"The early literature on sepsis showed that with each hour of delay in antibiotics, there was a measurable increased mortality. That's why it's so important to get treatment early." 

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysregulated response to an infection. While pneumonia and urinary tract infections account for most cases, virtually any infection can trigger the condition, including minor cuts and scrapes that are not cleaned well.

Hospitals have increasingly focused on identifying those most at risk and responding more quickly. Advanced surveillance tools monitor patient vital signs and laboratory results, generating alerts when warning signs appear. However, technology alone is not enough.

Success depends on helping nurses and physicians move quickly once an alert is triggered.

OSF has been on a journey to address the sepsis challenge. In 2018, OSF Advanced Analytics division developed a pioneering predictive model, which outperformed other models at the time, that helped establish a foundation for sepsis detection efforts across the organization. In 2024, OSF built on that work when leaders implemented Epic’s Sepsis 2.0 model within the health system’s electronic health record. The system leverages ongoing data updates and evaluates more than 80 clinical variables from millions of patients to generate risk estimates every 20 minutes, supporting timely clinical decision-making. Still, Dr. Yeh notes that no predictive model alone is 100% accurate at detecting sepsis.

Reducing hospital-acquired infections is key

Nearly 85% of people with sepsis arrive at the emergency department with the life-threatening condition. The rest develop sepsis while being treated in the hospital. OSF, along with other health systems, is also working to reduce hospital-acquired infections that can lead to sepsis. Efforts have focused on minimizing the use of invasive devices whenever possible.

"We've made great strides in that over the past few years to help reduce hospital-acquired infections, either by central lines or urinary catheters, for instance," Dr. Yeh says. "There are many interventions that we've put in place, from education toward bundles and best practices, both for providers and nurses." 

One particularly effective strategy, the physician noted, is avoiding unnecessary procedures altogether.

"I think one intervention that's really notable is that we recognize it's hard to get an infection from lines that you don't place. If we can prevent placing a central line and prevent placing Foley [urinary] catheters, then those are infections that we naturally won't get." 

Dr. Yeh says OSF also has implemented safeguards within its order for Foley catheters that require valid justification and include an auto discontinue after 48 hours that can only be overridden with proper medical necessity documentation.

Something else to consider – people who are older with chronic conditions such as diabetes, or are immunocompromised, Dr. Yeh says, are more susceptible to infections and need to pay more attention when symptoms develop.

“If you get a cut or scrape, monitor those things. Certainly, good local wound care and maybe an urgent care visit would be smart … seeing your doctor. But, if things start to get out of control, meaning if you develop systemic symptoms where you feel ill or you’re running a fever, that’s not normal. That means there’s spreading going on so that’s when you really need to pay more attention,” he recommends. 

Post-sepsis syndrome can occur

For people who survive sepsis, recovery can continue long after discharge. There is a condition known as post-sepsis syndrome, which can affect individuals physically, mentally and psychologically.

“And it can be really hard to get back to where you were pre-illness,” according to Dr. Yeh. "Things like chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pains, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome, as well as brain fog and trouble concentrating – those can all be symptoms that linger well after the hospitalization.” 

The length of time symptoms can persist depends on a patient's age, overall health before sepsis and severity of illness.

While some people experience prolonged recovery, Dr. Yeh emphasizes that most survivors eventually regain their previous level of function. In the future, Dr. Yeh sees a post-sepsis initiative at OSF, but for now the focus includes reducing hospital infections beyond current rates, which have been reduced in the past five years.

The overarching message for both clinicians and patients is to recognize symptoms early and act quickly. In the fight against sepsis, speed remains one of the most effective treatments available.

Video clips with Dr. Leon Yeh

Harvey Castro, MD, known professionally as DR GPT™ highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in health care during an OSF Innovation Showcase at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, emphasizing its potential to shift medicine from a reactive system to one focused on prevention and predictive care.

During an interview ahead of his presentation, Castro said people don't come to the emergency department until something's wrong, but he thinks advances in AI-powered predictive analytics could give health care providers opportunities to intervene before diseases progress.

“Now we’re going to be able to do predictive analytics and know that you’re going to have a heart attack in five years, 10 years from now. Or, like I was saying, this conversation you could say, ‘You know what, the AI is detecting that Dr. Castro has prediabetes and I didn’t know that. And so now the AI is telling me. Now, I’m like wait I need to lose weight, I need to take care of myself, and now I don’t even get diabetes because I’m jumping on it years before the actual condition.”

AI will speed time to diagnosis

Dr. Castro suggests that today’s five-year-old could live to 150 because of the advancements in longevity that artificial intelligence will bring. He also highlighted the technology’s potential in pediatric medicine and rare disease diagnosis, where patients and families often wait months or years for answers. AI systems trained to recognize patterns in symptoms and medical histories could help physicians identify rare conditions faster and begin treatment sooner.

“But what if we could take that year and a half and crunch it down to a day or two, and now we have a diagnosis?” Castro said. “Now as a parent, you know what's wrong. It’s got to be so frustrating not to know, especially when it comes to your children.”

Among those at the OSF Innovation Showcase were physicians who are treating kids at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois. His message hit home as Dr. Castro reminded the audience that 50% of rare diseases impact children.

During his remarks, Castro also discussed how health care systems, such as OSF HealthCare, are increasingly building their own AI models using local patient data. He said using region-specific information is critical to ensuring AI tools accurately reflect the populations they serve. He calls that the “gold standard.”

“Let’s say I'm in Texas and I come up here and I say, ‘Here's my data. Let's use this AI here,’ it's not representative of the population here.” Castro stressed, “Right there you can make the argument that it’s going to hallucinate versus yours which is not. I think that’s key.”

Patients are already leveraging AI

For physicians and other providers, Dr. Castro advised that they should leverage AI because patients are already doing it. However, he said patients should not rely on the technology alone for medical advice. Because AI-generated responses can sound authoritative even when inaccurate, he said physicians must remain actively involved in evaluating and confirming information.

“The problem with ChatGPT is it sounds so real and it sounds so correct and it personalizes to you and it knows what words to use so that if it’s making it up, it sounds so real, so the average person won’t know is this hallucinating or is it saying something wrong or is it right? He emphasized, “That's why I say, especially health care, we need that doctor in the loop.”

Dr. Castro serves on a panel of health care leaders advising OpenAI, which operates ChatGPT, on best practices.

He shared that OpenAI is rolling out a new, optional safety feature for ChatGPT called Trusted Contact. This feature is designed for adult users (18+) and acts as a mental health safety net, allowing users to designate a friend, family member or caregiver to be notified if ChatGPT's systems detect that the user is engaging in conversations that indicate a serious risk of self-harm.

Despite concerns that artificial intelligence could make health care feel less personal, Castro argued the technology may actually improve patient interactions by reducing administrative burdens on physicians. AI transcription tools, for example, can allow doctors to spend less time typing notes and more time focused on patients.

In looking to the future, Dr. Castro envisions a day when wearables will combine with AI-connected devices in the home that will analyze daily waste, weight and other personal data and send a text to alert someone about a medical concern. In the end, he says artificial intelligence will be better for humanity and allow health systems to better care for people.

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA, known as DR GPT™, is an emergency physician, Chief AI Officer, author, keynote speaker, and physician futurist. He speaks and advises on AI in healthcare, digital health, clinical workflow, space health, and the future of human-centered medicine.
 

Media clips with Dr. Harvey Castro

B-roll-OSF Innovation Showcase

This year’s honorees include Colleen Klein, Nicole Esterdahl and Tiffany Magallanes. They have each demonstrated extraordinary vision, creativity, and measurable impact in their respective areas. The awards were announced during the OSF Innovation Showcase at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center.

Driving the Future of Health Care Innovation

“These innovators exemplify the Mission of OSF HealthCare by transforming challenges into opportunities for meaningful change,” says Becky Buchen, senior vice president, OSF Innovation. “Their work is not only improving today’s care experience but also shaping the future of how care is delivered across our Ministry.”

The Innovator of the Year Awards highlight the commitment of OSF HealthCare to advancing innovation that is scalable, sustainable and grounded in the needs of patients and Mission Partners.

Research Innovator of the Year: Colleen Klein, PhD, APRN, Research Scientist

Colleen Klein is recognized for her pioneering contributions to the Medicaid Innovation Collaborative, where she has advanced digital health research through rigorous, implementation-focused methodologies. By integrating an approach that uses mixed-methods research, implementation science and applied health services evaluation, Klein has helped bridge the gap between evidence generation and real-world application.

Her work stands apart by examining digital health interventions within real-world Medicaid delivery systems – addressing access, engagement and equity while accounting for operational realities. Through this approach, Klein has generated meaningful insights into patient trust, digital engagement and utilization patterns. Her research has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications and provides a scalable, equity-focused framework for digital health innovation across health systems.

Klein’s nominator says, “Colleen has supported team members in understanding research methods, measurement strategies and evaluation frameworks, strengthening collective capability and promoting methodological consistency. This mentoring approach has enabled teams to engage more effectively in data-informed decision-making and continuous learning.”

Non-Clinical Innovator of the Year: Nichole Esterdahl, MSN, RN, Director of On Demand Operations, OSF OnCall

Nichole Esterdahl is being honored for leading a transformative initiative that reimagined care delivery within OSF OnCall Urgent Care. In response to rising patient volumes and long wait times, identified as the top driver of patient dissatisfaction, Esterdahl spearheaded the development of a self-service, in-clinic virtual visit model.

This innovative hybrid solution allows patients to independently connect with virtual providers using existing tools, including OSF MyChart and TytoCare diagnostic technology, while seamlessly integrating onsite clinical support when needed. The model has completed 505 visits since implementation, achieving an average door-to-door time of just 23 minutes and 34 seconds and an exceptional Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 92.31.

Esterdahl’s leadership was defined by adaptability and collaboration. After initial workflows proved misaligned with real-world operations, she engaged frontline staff, identified barriers and pivoted to a more intuitive, patient-centered model. Now implemented across all OSF OnCall Urgent Care locations, the solution requires no additional staffing, improves throughput, and enhances both efficiency and patient experience, positioning OSF as a leader in hybrid care delivery.

Esterdahl’s nominator says, “Nichole’s innovation aligns perfectly with current health care trends, including digital transformation, hybrid care models, operational efficiency and patient empowerment. As urgent care continues to evolve, her work positions OSF OnCall as a leader in modern, technology-enabled access to care.”

Clinical Innovator of the Year: Tiffany Magallanes, Vice President of Operations and Special Projects, OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical Center

Tiffany Magallanes is being recognized for her transformative leadership in reimagining radiology care delivery through scalable, technology-enabled models that expand access while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety.

She led the development of two groundbreaking system-level innovations: an MRI remote scanning program and a remote radiologist model for diagnostic breast imaging. Through strategic partnerships with OSF OnCall, Pointcore and GE HealthCare, Magallanes designed a multi-phase pilot enabling remote MRI technologist support that enhances local capabilities, supports staff training and allows complex imaging to be performed closer to home. Approximately 20 advanced MRI exams that previously would have required patients to travel outside their communities have now been retained locally, with no increase in safety concerns and improved technologist confidence.

At the same time, Magallanes reimagined diagnostic breast imaging by implementing a remote radiologist model across multiple sites. This innovation eliminated geographic bottlenecks and significantly improved access, enabling patients to consistently receive diagnostic mammograms within seven days. The model has already expanded to four locations, with a fifth site planned, increasing both diagnostic and preventive screening capacity across the region.

Importantly, these innovations were intentionally designed for sustainability and scale. With standardized workflows, replicable playbooks and minimal additional infrastructure requirements, both programs are positioned for expansion across additional OSF markets and beyond. Magallanes is already advancing new concepts, including remote radiology models for ultrasound and other specialty services, while contributing to enterprise-wide transformation initiatives.

Her nominator says, “What distinguishes Tiffany as an innovator is her ability to anticipate challenges such as workforce shortages, access gaps and care fragmentation, and to proactively design solutions that are both visionary and operationally sound. Her leadership in complex initiatives, including system-wide imaging standardization efforts, has streamlined workflows, reduced denials and improved patient access across the Ministry.”

A new hands-on tool is helping young patients feel more prepared – and less afraid – before undergoing an MRI.

MRIs can be especially intimidating for children, who must lie still in a tight space surrounded by loud, unfamiliar sounds. Until now, child life specialists, like Allison West, at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria relied on educational materials to prepare patients. But West says many young children are hands-on learners.

“They need to be able to see, touch and manipulate. We had prep books and pictures and sounds that we would play for them, but we were missing something concrete,” says Child Life Specialist Allison West. “So, this was a huge need that Savannah was able to deliver for us.”

West is referencing former Tremont, Illinois, high school student Savannah Jost of Mapleton, whose interest in health care grew after her own serious cancer diagnosis.

Inspired by a cancer journey

In January of 2022, Jost was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. She went through eight rounds of chemo and 17 radiation treatments before doctors at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois declared her cancer free in December of 2022.

Jost then joined OSF HealthCare through a high school co-op program, where she helped design a simulated MRI with engineers from Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center. The idea was to help children role-play the experience using stuffed animals or dolls.

Sister M. Pieta Keller, F.S.G.M., an engineer with OSF Innovation Studio, part of the OSF Innovation ecosystem, explains there is a toy MRI available on the market, but it was prohibitively expensive. Instead, she and other engineers speculated that they could create something to simulate the medical imaging experience for kids, using their favorite toy as child life suggested.

“That could kind of show the child what happens and could we do it with a stuffed animal or doll or something that’s theirs – their object that’s special to them that could go through this, and they could see that everything was just fine and what would happen in that experience.”

Creating the MRI model for kids meant balancing realism with durability for young users Sister M. Pieta explains while discussing the creative process.

Design challenges

“As Savannah came to me with plans and ideas of what she wanted to do, we kind of went back through it. We let her do a first prototype of what she was thinking but then I was like we actually need to rebuild it and rebuild the inside so that it can withstand a small child climbing on top of it because,” Sister Pieta points out, “It is big enough to be a little gymnasium as well, so we wanted it to have that strength and robustness.”

West says children often have to have multiple imaging tests throughout their treatment and most of them have to be sedated. But the goal is to avoid having to put young children under anesthesia repeatedly.

“We think with additional education and preparation, that they (kids) would be able to do it successfully without that sedation,” West shares. “So, then we start prepping them. That’s where this beautiful machine comes in because we can use this to make them comfortable, to reduce that fear and really to prepare them for what to expect and kind of set them up for more success.”

The design and build process introduced Jost to the process of innovation. The biggest lesson she learned from engineers at Jump – you will most likely fail before you’re successful.

Lifelong lessons from engineers at Jump Simulation

“When I came in, they just answered all of my questions. They would help me, but they also let me try and fail and they would be like, ‘How would you do this?’ and I would go and do it and most likely fail and then they let me ask them and pick their brains about it. I just loved working with them.”

One of the biggest goals was to make the mini-MRI simulator as realistic as possible. From her own experience, Jost wanted to make sure there was no sugarcoating the experience. Combined with audio from a real MRI that can be played from a tablet, Jost thinks the team hit the mark.

The project represents more than just a design success. Jost stresses that it’s a way for her to pay it forward.

“It’s knowing that I get to give back to the community that helped me, that saved my life when I was 14 years old … just knowing that little kids here are using it and that I have the same cancer journey as some of them – It makes my 14-year-old self proud.” Jost is now a student at Bradley University, an OSF academic partner under its Innovation Academic Incubator. She eventually hopes to become a radiation oncologist.

Meanwhile, West says the simulated MRI has been used with a few patients and will be used with more in the future to help reduce fear, improve understanding and prepare children for real imaging exams – one stuffed animal at a time.

Savannah Jost

Sister Pieta 

Allison West

B-roll-Toy MRI

OSF HealthCare is piloting a new clinical intelligence platform designed to help medical providers quickly identify meaningful trends in patient data without interrupting care or adding clicks to already busy workflows.

The platform, called CliniPane, was developed through OSF Innovation and interfaces with a patient’s electronic health record, surfacing key insights at the point of care. Leaders say the goal is to reduce information overload while supporting faster, more informed clinical decisions.

Roopa Foulger, vice president of Digital Innovation Development at OSF Innovation, says the Peoria-based health system’s innovation ecosystem provided end-to-end support to develop CliniPane. That ecosystem includes internal funding through Jump ARCHES and Community Health Advocacy grants and academic research partners at the University of Illinois in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign.

The project also required collaboration with clinicians to understand what information is most useful during patient visits. Foulger says that early groundwork allowed the team to focus on real clinical needs before scaling the technology.

A new way to see data

OSF Innovation Senior Fellow Jonathan Handler, MD, who launched the effort and served on the research and development team, says traditional decision-support tools often rely on alerts or buried menus that can disrupt care or go unused.

“At the end of the day, we just wanted a new way to surface information to help clinicians during the care that they provide without making them do work and without interrupting their workflow.”

Rather than generating alerts, the platform displays relevant trends, such as lab values moving in the wrong direction. That information is directly within the clinician’s view and tailored to the provider’s role and the patient being seen.

“You may not notice that this person has been trending downward and that that’s a sign of something wrong, and by showing it (with CliniPane), we can potentially help them identify the underlying problem earlier so it can get diagnosed earlier and treated earlier.”

Dr. Handler says surfacing useful data can also help providers decide about whether to adjust medication types or doses.

Visual trends at the point of care

Visualization of data via CliniPane is something Dr. Handler sees as an important feature for patients as well. Physicians in the early testing group reported that during patient visits, they anticipated turning their screen around to show patients the same data they were reviewing.

“That might be something really meaningful to help patients to be empowered to participate in their own care, to understand their health and to see the impact of the changes that they make in their own lives and how it can impact their health.”

There are current solutions that can surface insights for clinicians in a patient’s electronic health record but usually not in a way that doesn’t require clicking to new screens or that allows future uses to accommodate external data from things such as smart watches or ever-expanding AI software. Foulger says that’s what’s different about CliniPane. It’s a platform that can be enhanced.

Built to Scale and Adapt

“Any data can come in – whether it’s variable data, whether it’s data from your EMR (electronic medical record), whether it’s data from a remote patient monitoring system we have, and that’s how the structure is. So, we can integrate more data that might be able to generate insights which, at the end from a user experience standpoint, ensures that it’s going to be valuable for the clinician.”

Foulger points out that researchers and developers also spent time collaborating with Information Technology leaders at OSF to ensure the platform securely protects patient data. It was a huge lift, Foulger says, to ensure data goes only to the right medical provider and that only data needed for decision support was provided at every level.

Because of those and other challenges, developers had to pivot many times. In fact, Foulger says there were at least 50 test versions of CliniPane.

“This is almost a new blueprint that we created at OSF in how you need to build these solutions that can fit with the growing needs on the AI side and how it needs to integrate with security.”

Physician feedback

Justin Holschbach, MD, an OSF HealthCare primary care physician in Bloomington, Illinois, has participated in the pilot. He agrees that the visual trend lines available via CliniPane have been helpful, especially for diabetes management.

“So, if we’re talking about diabetic control and an A1C, you were able to just kind of – in the corner of your screen – see whether the line was holding steady, going down or going up without having to click into multiple labs and see that in a different screen and get off of your space in Epic.”

The platform is currently being tested by a small group of primary care providers, with plans to expand access as technical validation continues. Developers say ongoing feedback from physicians is shaping future enhancements and helping determine which data points provide the most value.

Holschbach sees a future with expanded uses of data, and he believes CliniPane will eventually become standard of care, at least at OSF HealthCare. Innovation leaders believe CliniPane could eventually support multiple specialties and even improve patient health outcomes by turning complex data into clear, actionable insights without adding burden to clinicians.

Video clips with Dr. Jonathan Handler

Video clips with Roopa Foulger and Dr. Justin Holschbach

B-roll-CliniPane

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.

A potentially life-saving pilot program is launching in Bloomington, Illinois to detect a little-known but surprisingly common genetic condition that can dramatically raise cholesterol levels—and the risk of heart attacks and strokes—even in children.

It’s called familial hypercholesterolemia, or FH. It’s estimated that 1 in 200 Americans has the genetic disorder where the body can’t effectively clear LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol from the blood.

Darrel Gumm, MD, vice president of OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute says the pilot will identify people who, due to their genetics, might not know they are at risk.

“It’s estimated about 1.3 million people in the United States have it [FH] and 90% of those patients don’t know they have it, Dr. Gumm stresses. “So, it’s a tremendous opportunity for us to step in and find those patients, identify those patients and provide therapies that may prevent terrible things from happening down the road.” 

OSF HealthCare and OSF Innovation are using artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct a pilot program for detecting and treating FH. To identify high-risk patients for this pilot, the Digital Innovation Development team used a two-step approach. First, an algorithm flagged patients over the past 18 months who had concerning cholesterol levels. Then, they applied an AI tool to scanned physician notes to detect clues—such as yellowing of the eyes or hardening of the Achilles tendon—signs a doctor may have observed but not flagged as FH-related.

People inherit FH from one or both parents, and it puts them at risk for cardiovascular events far earlier in life than normal, sometimes even in childhood.

Two Types of FH

According to Dr. Gumm, there are two kinds of FH:

• Heterozygous FH, inherited from one parent, which can lead to early heart attacks or strokes—before age 65 in women and 55 in men.
• Homozygous FH, a rarer and more severe form inherited from both parents, which can lead to strokes and heart disease in teenagers or even young children.

While most people begin cholesterol screenings around age 40, those with FH can silently develop sky-high levels from a young age.

"They can be a very healthy person, think they’re doing great, be a marathon runner and really they could have astronomically high cholesterol that’s not of their fault,” explains Ryan Loudermilk, a strategic program manager in Performance Improvement at OSF Innovation.

The new screening program was launched in Bloomington, starting with support from a strong primary care network involving 9 providers including Richard Ginetti, MD, who is a champion for the effort. It started with 200 patients found to potentially have FH. If testing confirms the diagnosis, individuals will be offered treatment, typically statins, which can reduce cardiovascular risk by up to 80%.

Dr. Gumm says every time someone is identified with FH, outreach will occur to encourage screening for parents, siblings, and children.

“One of the things I love to tell my patients is the best way to treat a heart attack is not have one. Same thing with a stroke. So, even if they’ve had a heart attack and survived it, now we’re going to be aggressive at not letting the second one occur. But here’s a chance to never let it occur in the first place. It’s primary prevention … really fantastic.” 

Education in a Short-Attention-Span World

Understanding FH—and the importance of early detection—isn’t easy in a world flooded with information. That’s why the pilot program teamed with OSF Innovation’s Medical Visualization team, to create for people identified at possible risk, mobile-friendly education designed to meet people where they are.

Loudermilk emphasizes it’s not just a brochure. The visuals use a unique, semi-animated shimmer effect that adds emotional weight without overwhelming the viewer.

“It’s something that can be easily read on their cell phone; they don’t have to log onto a computer. It’s something that’s eye-catching, something that’s straight to the point – what your risks are, why it’s important for you to get tested and checked … thinking about family members, so it speaks to that. It speaks to the ease of this. That’s the other big piece of this.” 

A Simple Test with a Big Impact

The testing process is easy. It’s just a cheek swab with no needles or blood draw. It takes a couple minutes.

The pilot is tracking how many people go on to be screened after the initial outreach with a goal of at least 30%. The initiative will follow not just how many patients test positive, but how many then go on to get family members tested, the true measure of ripple effect success. Additionally, the pilot includes having the Medical Visualization team provide insights about which content drove the most engagement.

The FH pilot is part of a broader effort at OSF HealthCare to advance care through personalized medicine that is specific to a person’s genetic make-up. Loudermilk sees a time in the future where genetic testing will be even easier.

“Where I could see this going – a patient doesn’t even have to come in. These kits could actually be mailed to them, to their house and they could do the check swab themself and get it mailed in. So, those who don’t want to deal with making an appointment and seeing their provider in person, they could do a virtual visit and have the kit sent to them. That’s the future of all of this.” 

If you receive primary care in Bloomington, talk to your provider if you think you would like to be screened for familial hypercholesterolemia.

Dr. Darrel Gumm

Ryan Loudermilk

B-roll-Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH)

Imagine being a heart surgeon preparing for a complex case. Traditionally, you rely on stacks of 2D images from CT scans to build a mental picture of your patient’s anatomy. But the heart isn’t static – it twists and pumps blood in a rhythm unique to each person. Now, thanks to a breakthrough at OSF Innovation, surgeons can “see” their patient’s heart beating in 3D before ever stepping into the operating room.

This innovation is called the 4D Heart. Unlike standard 3D models, which capture a single snapshot in time, the 4D Heart recreates every phase of a patient’s cardiac cycle, allowing doctors to watch their heart beat virtually. And it isn’t just a generic animation. Rather, it is the creation of a digital twin.

“This is taking a CT scan of a patient, a retrospectively gated CT scan, and converting a patient’s own heart – in each phase of that cardiac cycle – and making it beat in a virtual environment,” says Matthew Bramlet, MD, who directs the Advanced Image and Modeling (AIM) Lab at OSF Innovation. The lab is focused on improving the understanding of complex anatomy for surgeons and diagnosticians. Dr. Bramlet also specializes in congenital cardiac MRI for OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois and is an associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria and the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering in Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Bramlet’s efforts began in 2018 with manually segmenting parts of the heart so it could be viewed in virtual reality. It continued with an infusion of grant money two years ago. Using an Innovation for Health (IFH) grant with Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, a team used machine learning to convert standard medical images into a sequence of 3D models that, when played sequentially, create a 3D beating heart – the 4D heart. The initial process took an entire summer.

That made the technology nearly impossible to use in real world clinical care. But in late 2024, researchers achieved a major breakthrough. With the help of engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, AIM lab engineers trained neural networks on hundreds of high-quality CT scans and automated the entire process. Now, what once took months can be done with a single click.

“Have you ever seen a flip book where you see a drawing move? That’s what we’re doing with these 3D models in a digital, virtual space.” Dr. Bramlet explains, “We’re just turning them off and on in rapid succession until we have that beating heart.”

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.

“Now we can see that valve which we really couldn’t see before. So, repeat valve procedures are very valuable for this. TAVR or any valve in the cath lab, we’re finding good use with these as well as the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cases.”

Hospitals across the country are taking notice, sending scans to OSF and receiving beating heart files in return. Some don’t even have the technology to view them yet. Dr. Bramlet says OSF Innovation is pushing the boundaries so far forward, some other health systems will need to get on board with the technology to be able to visualize the data being sent to them.

For now, the ability to view a 4D Heart is already changing how surgeons think about the body’s most vital organ. In some cases, the new view is confirming a surgery plan. In other cases, including a most recent pediatric heart case from another hospital, it changed the approach. Dr. Bramlet says as surgeons interact with the models, they are amazed.

He shares, “I see those lightbulbs go on and there’s nothing like being able to observe and interact with these 3D models in a format, and especially a 4D model, in a way they’ve never been able to see them before, and it will become the standard of care, I have no doubt.”

The ultimate vision is bold: a patient enters the CT or MRI scanner, and their digital twin heart comes out the other side – ready for analysis, surgical planning and even analysis of AI-driven measurements like ejection fraction or blood flow strain to help with diagnosis and a treatment plan.

How long until that happens? Hard to say because as Dr. Bramlet points out, “seeing is believing,” and it might take time for health systems to invest in the technology to make the vision become reality. Government reimbursement for the care will also drive adoption. For now, the work is being covered through research grants, most notably; the Jump ARCHES endowment through the Health Care Engineering Systems Center at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and OSF HealthCare.

Dr. Mathew Bramlet

B-roll-4D Beating Heart

It’s an inauspicious start to a nurse-patient encounter. But what happened right before? Why are they both so disgruntled?

The answer is the basis for two short, animated videos, which are intended to help patients and nurses empathize with each other in an era when incivility in hospital settings is on the rise.

The videos were produced by associate dean for practice and community partnerships Carolyn Dickens, PhD ’17, ACNP, FAANP, with Eileen Knightly, MHA, RN, vice president and chief nursing officer at OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park, Illinois. The project had grant funding from the Community Health Advocacy program.

Knightly says the videos are designed to promote empathy. “When patients and families arrive for care at hospitals they are scared, vulnerable and anxious. Our Mission Partners (employees) also have life challenges of their own and might not feel their best and when met with anger or anxiety multiple times a day it is not easy to serve with compassion, says Knightly.  "These videos serve as a reminder that meeting people where they are and leading with kindness makes every situation better.” 

Hospitals, clinics and care settings are encouraged to download the videos in and use them to promote civility between patients and nursing staff.

'A Nurse's Day'  

The video series, called The Silent Exchange, largely relies on visuals so that the message is accessible to everyone, regardless of language.

The two videos, “A Nurse’s Day” and “A Loved One’s Day,” offer insights into both sides of the same nurse-patient interaction.

In “A Nurse’s Day,” a nurse arrives at work to see an unrelenting patient schedule and sets out to respond to a non-stop barrage of call lights from sick and angry patients.

The video is intended for viewing by patients and families to highlight the pressures and demands on nurses that are largely invisible to those they serve.

“Our goal is for hospitals and clinics to download and disseminate these videos widely – to nurses, patients and their families,” Dickens says. “We’ve seen a rise in incivility between patients and staff in hospital settings, and we know this has led to staff burnout and nursing shortages. It’s detrimental not only to the well-being of nurses, but also to patient care and outcomes.”

‘A Loved One’s Day'

In “A Loved One’s Day,” a harried woman must leave work in the middle of the day and find childcare for her daughter so she can go to the hospital, where her father has been admitted. An attempt to ask for help using the call light goes unanswered for 40 minutes before the nurse arrives.

The video is intended for viewing by nursing staff to remind them of the fear and frustration patients and their families feel in unfamiliar clinical settings when they or a loved one is ailing.

Both videos end with the same message: “Everyone’s stressed. Let’s help each other.”

“We want these videos to be a reminder of what may have preceded the interaction that patients and clinicians have in the hospital room, and we’re hopeful they help patients, families and staff treat each other more kindly,” Dickens says.

Short clip of video from A Loved One's Day

QR Codes for ‘A Nurse's Day' and ‘A Loved One's Day'

Eric Martin, DO, chief of Vascular Surgery at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois, has received the OSF HealthCare 2025 Innovator of the Year award.

Dr. Martin is preventing amputations using regenerative reconstruction, a groundbreaking approach that promotes healing and tissue regeneration through advanced therapies including products made up of animal tissue (xenografts) and human tissue (allografts). This includes fish skin, pig intestine, pig bladder, cow tendon and tissue from human umbilical cords that come from women who have planned, elective C-sections.

Dr. Martin received the award during an OSF Innovation Showcase at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center.

The Innovator of the Year award is an annual honor that recognizes individuals who are advancing our vision of transforming health care. These Mission Partners:

• Spearhead transformative change aligned with the Mission and Vision of OSF
• Bring forward new ideas and invest time in exploring novel approaches
• Demonstrate a proactive approach in fostering partnerships to revolutionize health care
• Solve complex challenges internally and within the broader community

“Dr. Martin last year provided the first-ever surgical treatment a patient with a rare autoimmune disease called pyoderma gangrenosum. He is saving limbs and lives because often he’s treating patients whose wounds have become so terrible, they are on the brink of dying from sepsis, a blood-borne infection,” explains Becky Buchen, senior vice president of Innovation, OSF HealthCare. “We have a remarkable innovator in Dr. Martin who has figured out how a wide variety of products can work together synergistically to help save limbs. And we’re proud that he’s teaching other surgeons around the world how to do the same.”

During 22 years in the U.S. Army, Dr. Martin spent time at Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, a partner of the Veterans Administration. While there, he treated many veterans with tissue damage, gangrene or non-healing wounds from multi-level, chronic peripheral artery disease. So, he became immersed in vascular reconstructions as well as reconstruction of lower extremities for limb salvage.

In accepting the award, Dr. Martin emphasized that he’s thrilled to be able to be a source of hope for people.

“I feel fortunate to be at OSF HealthCare, which has invested a lot of time and resources to build up the most advanced regenerative reconstructive practice in the state of Illinois, to serve as a destination center and a tertiary care referral center for cases that other health systems don’t want to take,” Dr. Martin exclaims. “We can offer hope to people who have run out of hope.”

Dr. Martin points out OSF HealthCare is taking on patients with the worst medical co-morbidities including heart, kidney, liver and lung failure, complex peripheral artery disease and poorly controlled diabetes, which results in patients coming to OSF in septic shock, near death with a massively infected chronic wound. “We try to save their life and we’ve been pretty successful doing that.”

He also credited excellent wound care team members along with hospitalists, internal medicine physicians and many medical sub-specialists including endocrinologists, pulmonologists and cardiologists who provide care for these patients.

 “Because of the way OSF is structured, we have so many specialists in our hospital, we’re able to give these patients optimal, premium health care from all levels – not just treating the wound but treating the patient globally with comprehensive health care,” Dr. Martin stresses.                     

 To learn more about Dr. Martin's innovative surgical approach and hear from patients he's helped, listen to this OSF Health Accelerated podcast. 

Dr. Eric Martin and Becky Buchen

B-roll of Innovator of the Year and regenerative restoration surgery

OSF HealthCare has once again been recognized by Fortune as one of America's Most Innovative Companies for 2025. OSF first received this distinction in 2023. 

This ranking is highly competitive, with only the top 300 companies selected from thousands analyzed. Winners were determined by Fortune and Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider, through a rigorous evaluation process that included a survey of 40,000 U.S. employees and 2,500 industry experts, as well as patient data and expert advisory board reviews. Organizations were assessed in three key areas: product innovation, process innovation, and innovation culture.

Of the 300 U.S. companies with the highest score awarded by Fortune as America’s Most Innovative Companies 2025 OSF was rated at 264 overall with an improvement in its culture (249) and process (202) scores from 2023. OSF was the only health care system in Illinois to make the list.

The recognition highlights significant strides by OSF in integrating forward-thinking solutions to enhance patient care and operational excellence.

“This honor reaffirms that innovation isn’t just something we do — it’s who we are,” said Bob Sehring, CEO of OSF HealthCare. “From groundbreaking treatments to AI-driven advancements, OSF is leading the charge in transforming health care.”

OSF HealthCare continues to make headlines for pioneering advancements, including:

• A historic first: Successfully implanting the world’s first extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (EV-ICD) in a 2-year-old patient who suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
   
• Faster, seamless cancer care: Launching a rapid access program at OSF Cancer Institute to speed up and streamline patient access.
   
• At-home pediatric monitoring: Developing a program for RSV and other respiratory illnesses to reduce hospital visits.
   
• AI-powered rare disease detection: Utilizing AI and Large Language Models to enhance primary care diagnostics.
   
• Revolutionizing concussion diagnosis: Creating FlightPath, a cloud-based app that uses AI and eye-tracking to diagnose concussions within minutes.
   
• Enhancing clinical efficiency: Piloting AI-driven software that listens to clinician-patient conversations and generates real-time clinical documentation.
   
• Advancing early cancer detection: Testing AI technology to improve the identification of potential cancerous polyps during colonoscopies.
   
• Shaping the future of AI in health care: As one of 38 payers and providers partnering with the White House, OSF is helping define responsible AI-driven change in the industry.
  
   

“Since our founding in 1877, innovation has been the heartbeat of our Mission,” said Michelle Conger, president of OSF HealthCare. “Being named one of America’s Most Innovative Companies for the second time reflects our relentless pursuit of cutting-edge solutions, from leveraging AI to empowering our frontline Mission Partners to bring transformative ideas to life.”

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

To explore how OSF is reshaping the future of health care, tune in to the OSF HealthCare Accelerated podcast on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts.

Payton Glinkski watches TV medical shows with her mom, but she never thought about a career in medicine because she doesn’t like, as she puts it, “blood and guts.” But, with a virtual reality (VR) controller and headset she learned not every job in health care has a potentially gory element.

“I just knew there were nurses, doctors, dentists and social workers but it kind of went into more depth into every part of what a doctor does or (what) everyone in a hospital does … all the workers.”

A two year-collaboration between OSF HealthCare, LaSalle County government, and the Regional Office of Education District 35 in North Central Illinois included design, equipment installation and training, led by OSF STEAM, under the umbrella of OSF Innovation. Healthcare Careers 360, a web-based application, and the Enduvo VR Career Explorer remove barriers and allow middle school students to explore a wide variety of health care careers.

OSF I-80 Innovation Hub Director Zack Vankeulen of OSF HealthCare explains the web-based app and VR offers immersive learning in health care settings that would otherwise be off-limits to students due to federal privacy and safety regulations.

“An observer isn’t allowed in the emergency room or in the operating room (OR) so they can’t learn about those careers as well as some of the other areas (outside of health care) that they have access to. So, by creating this virtual reality environment the students are immersed right in the middle of an OR during a surgical case and they’re able to do as close to hands-on experiences they can without actually being in the room.”

Gamified learning

While some students used the VR headsets and worked in such careers as surgery technician, dental assistant, or an emergency medical technician, other students worked on computers playing games to identify and learn about items in medical settings. For example, Brooklyn Verda showed how she found a pressure washer in a biomedical engineering lab. Kids also had to find a bonus ‘lucky pickle’ and then watched videos about the environment and career they were exploring.

Verda liked the gamified learning and didn’t find it too challenging

“I didn’t really have any difficulties. It was pretty fun and easy to do. But other than that, it was really cool.”

Vankeulen says OSF targeted careers that are hard to fill in rural communities such as Earlville, Mendota and Ottawa.

“So, we focused on those, mainly, as well as the large volume careers such as nursing and dental hygiene, which you wouldn't think traditionally is an OSF career, but we recognize the need and included that as well.”

The collaboration for STEAM programming picked up steam when state lawmakers enacted Illinois PaCE, which requires school districts prepare students in grades 6-12 for a career or technical education pathway by introducing them to opportunities for a wide variety of high-skill, high-wage or in-demand career fields. It also requires high schools to implement College and Career Pathway Endorsements or opt out of implementation by July of this year.

ROE 35 Superintendent Chris Dvorak says he would love to continue the collaboration and possibly expand the career opportunities included in the programs. Additionally Dvorak says, “The ROE will hold future professional development opportunities that will allow teachers to share thoughts, ideas, and successes as we continue to support STEAM implementation.”

Earlville Junior High Principal Jenette Fruit has a philosophy that small schools can do big things and collaboration is key. Even if the technology brings a new challenge, Fruit says, students readily embrace it.

“And they will figure it out and they like being able to explain what they did to solve the problem. And I think that comes with this too. I didn't know about the boundaries. I didn't know about the different things with the VR and they're like, ‘No Mrs. Fruit. This is what you have to do, and this is why.’ And kids just like to know how to solve stuff. We just have to put it in their hands.”

The ‘boundaries’ she references are the areas within the sterile environment in an operating room. Those are the kinds of concepts students are learning as they experience surgical procedures, patient interactions and medical decision-making in a simulated environment that mirrors a real hospital and clinical setting.

Science teacher Kirsten Sweeney says for a small, rural school district it’s rare that students would have exposure to using VR headsets.

“To be able to work with equipment like this, that they just aren’t going to be able to because they just can’t afford these types of systems, so it’s so valuable to be able to have that in the school system for them.”

Next steps

OSF STEAM builds programs to help students see how their skills and interests align with potential careers, encouraging them to pursue further education and training. In fact, Sweeney says the next steps for students include using another OSF STEAM-designed web-based app called healthcareers.guide.

It will allow them to explore more deeply one health career including such things as duties during a typical day and of course, salary.

“They always want to know how much they’re going to make so we’ll be looking at what the average pay is for those positions, and we’ll actually have them create a resume and a cover letter as if they were sending it off to OSF," Sweeney says.

And that’s what it’s all about. Getting the next generation ready to fill the significant shortage of health care positions, not only physicians, nurses and vital staff, but the many important support roles. Without a strong pipeline, patient care and access to quality medical services could be in jeopardy, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Schools interested in partnering with OSF for STEAM programming, can contact events@jumpsimulation.org. 

Zack Vankeulen

Students Payton Glinski and Brooklyn Verda

Principal Jenette Fruit and Teacher Kirsten Sweeney

B-roll of ROE-OSF STEAM

The OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute is about treating more than a person’s cancer.  In the year since it opened its doors in Peoria, Illinois, the premiere treatment center has developed a personalized approach to help people more easily and quickly get answers.

The comprehensive OSF Cancer Institute opened in February of 2024 as the main hub of an integrated cancer network across OSF HealthCare, with patients receiving care near home when possible. It has already far exceeded expectations, with 70,000 patient interactions. The rapid access approach is a way to get individuals started on their diagnostic and treatment journey as quickly as possible because when it comes to cancer, no one wants to waste time.

Sarah Ince, BSN, RN, director of Contact Center operations at OSF OnCall, the digital health arm of OSF HealthCare says oncology leaders who have witnessed challenges for individuals with cancer have provided valuable input in the collaborative process to design a seamless entry point. Together with select members from an OSF Innovation performance improvement team, health IT and others across the OSF Ministry, the team started with benchmarking with the best of the best cancer institutes across the country.

Ince says the new rapid access model provides a central point of contact for the patient.

“They're seeking care, they're confused, they're anxious, they've maybe just received a cancer diagnosis," Ince explains. “So being able to get our patients to us quickly and effectively. So being able to give them different means – a portal, a phone call, that one central phone number to get to us, to allow patients to get where they need.”

In some cases, patients are waiting for a referral from their primary care provider or an emergency department doctor, and they want to know where that stands. In other instances, patients received a diagnosis but don’t know the next steps.

Mandy Luczkowiak, (pronounced luh-KOH-ee-ack), MSN RN, manager of Contact Center operations at OSF OnCall, says patients can call (844) OSF-HOPE or (844) 673-4467 to be connected immediately with an access coordinator who can check on the status of that referral, and assist with questions regarding supportive services.

“And they feel like, oh my gosh, it started. The journey now has started. I have this person that I've spoken to, I've told them all the things I need to tell them, and they're going to take it from there.”

Luczkowiak says the goal is to get patients booked within 24 hours for a telephone appointment with a nurse who has an oncology background. During that appointment, the nurse will learn more about the patient’s story and medical history, then they gather all records that could be relevant to the patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan.

“So, if we have a patient who is in Florida X amount of months a year, they might have had imaging done there, they might have had treatment there. We’re gathering all that information, so the providers are really excited that the first time they see that patient – that first visit, everything is there.” 

To date, the access advocates and nurses from OSF OnCall have had nurse visits with patients and entered more than 445 referrals based on individuals’ diagnosis and needs. Referrals can be entered not only for a provider, but for services such as transportation, dietary, social work or genetic counseling.

The easy transition to cancer care and support is something Ince says is personal for her.

“For me, my dad has stage four kidney cancer that's metastasized, and a patient in the community, and this is just what I needed a few years ago. So, I really feel connected to this journey through my diagnostic imaging scheduling, that journey and now to the Cancer Institute, I feel blessed to be part of this role.”

The rapid access model will continue to expand, capturing referrals from providers outside of OSF HealthCare. Ince says there have also been preliminary discussions of how this model could be applied to other major medical care offered by OSF HealthCare.

Sarah Ince and Amanda Luczkowiak

B-roll for rapid intake at OSF Cancer Institute

Jump Simulation, a part of OSF Innovation and among the largest purpose-built simulation and health care engineering centers in the world, recently received a five-year reaccreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). SSH is an international organization that seeks to improve performance and reduce errors in patient care through the use of simulation. It is also the world’s largest health care simulation accrediting body.

The designation comes after an application process that included a visit to the 67,000 square foot Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, Illinois, which opened in 2013. The re-accreditation covers the areas of assessment, research, teaching/education and systems integration. 

In their final report, reviewers noted several strengths of the Jump Simulation program:

•  The whole organization is built around innovation and integration, co-located with performance improvement, data analytics and other resources.
•  Strong organizational buy-in
•  Exemplary OSF STEAM program

“The Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center's STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) programs cater to a diverse range of students, including college pre-medical students, middle and high school students, at-risk youth, young learners nationwide through remote learning, community and youth organizations, and undergraduate and graduate students from various majors.” The report continues, “These programs aim to inspire interest in health care and STEM fields by offering hands-on, immersive learning experiences designed to equip participants with valuable skills and knowledge for future success in technologically demanding careers.”

The accreditation indicates the Jump Simulation program has served as a resource for quality improvement, patient safety, risk management and related groups, contributing to the enhancement of health care systems which have used its programs and facilities.

Clinicians, scientists, and engineers are encouraged to collaborate in the development of new ways to solve the most pressing problems in health care. This work is funded through competitive grants sponsored by four Jump-university partnerships. Besides the ARCHES program Jump collaborates with three other Illinois universities, including University of Illinois-Chicago (Community Health Advocacy); Illinois State University (Connected Communities Initiative); and Bradley University (Innovation for Health).

Other related facts:

•  22,730 learners were instructed in FY24 through 2,031 different events
• 348 simulations used 56 standardized participants who are highly trained individuals who portray characteristics of a patient, family member or clinical team member
• Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center has been selected to host Society for Simulation in Healthcare SimOps 2025 Conference in July of 2025

Jump 10-year anniversary B-roll

It is also the site of a newly placed telehealth kiosk as part of a continuing grant-funded project through the Community Health Advocacy (CHA) program, a partnership with OSF HealthCare and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). The kiosks integrate an iPad with a user-friendly display, which is operated through a touchscreen interface.

The newest version expands an effort that began a couple of years ago. It includes features and functions based on input from OSF HealthCare Faith Community Nurses who provide street medicine to unhoused and vulnerable populations. For example, the kiosks and embedded tablets will use cellular technology, which is important because some areas in vulnerable communities don’t have reliable Wi-Fi.

Scott Barrows, MA, director of OSF Innovation Design Lab at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, says he worked with other OSF Innovation teams including engineering, medical visualization and OSF OnCall to come up with the best design and user-friendly navigation and apps for the kiosks.

“Right now, we have two basic languages – English and Spanish – on the opening page and then other languages in the findhelp portion but it has to be super easy to use. And, that’s another thing we’ll look at.” Barrows explains, “We’ll see how many times does someone have to tap the screen and get to where they want to go? Are they happy with it?” 

Findhelp is an application that provides a directory of community-based resources within a pre-selected geographic area. Users can type in a ZIP code and then select what they need. Some of the options address social drivers of health, such as food, housing, work, money, transportation and education. These are things outside of direct medical care that significantly impact a person’s health.

Mary Stapel, MD, lead physician of Community Care at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, says current community needs assessments show housing, substance abuse and mental health treatment among the biggest needs. But Stapel says the findhelp app will collect data that could help provide concrete, up-to-date information about what services are most in demand.

Data could drive future services

“I don’t know that we yet fully understand all of the maybe unmet needs that are still apparent for the population that are served here. So again, I think this will help us understand by seeing what people are utilizing on the kiosk.” 

Sommerville agrees data collection will help as social service advocates apply for additional grants and government services to improve community health and well-being.

“It could lead to a shift in the community. I always say some programs are created from individuals who feel as though they know what the community needs. This would be the community telling us exactly what they need and now it’s on us to create something specifically for them.”

Sommerville is also looking forward to having the findhelp app as a resource for him to tap when someone reaches out looking for help.

“It’ll be nice to be able to say, ‘Hey the Dream Center provides this, or hey CASA provides this, or The Center for Prevention and Abuse provides X’ and to know what I’m talking about when I’m saying it. That’s the part that I appreciate because in the past, it’s always been a phone call or reference of some sort.” 

In Peoria, the kiosks will also be located at the Dream Center, the Jolt Foundation and the Peoria City-County Health Department. Barrows says staff at each location will be trained to direct visitors to the kiosks and to help them with navigation if they have issues. However, he says the kiosks should be so user-friendly that they could be used independently. Barrows says research for the next six months to a year will include user feedback.

“We’ll do focus groups. We’ll meet with people one-on-one if they prefer or in small group settings but that is critical in user design. The emphasis is on the people that use it and the resources.” 

The same will be occurring in the Chicagoland area where many unhoused Chicagoans also suffer from chronic medical and behavioral health conditions that can make them vulnerable to premature mortality. Under the CHA grant program, kiosks will be located at the Revive Center and Hope’s Table as well as in the outpatient pharmacy at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Faria Munir, PharmD, MS, BCPS is clinical assistant professor of the drug information group at the UIC Retzker College of Pharmacy and is co-lead investigator for the research. She says the secure kiosks will not collect identifying information from users. However, users will be asked if they are willing to fill out follow-up surveys that will include important questions that will inform the second phase of this pilot.

“Like how they're paying for medications. What kind of assistance they need in terms of their health? What kind of are their biggest barriers and receiving both health care and both prescription and OTC (over-the-counter) medications? What kind of concerns do they have about their health? And a lot of questions that are focused on their attitudes toward telehealth. 

Down the road, Munir would like to see more health care providers engaged in designing resources that could be available through the kiosks, including potential telehealth visits. But she knows that effort would require bridging a lot of hurdles including protecting user privacy.

In the next phase of the research, Munir does envision expanding the health kiosk locations to more community pharmacies and emergency department waiting rooms. In the meantime, by providing access to information about preventive care, disease management and available quality health care and community resources, researchers from OSF and UIC believe the kiosks can improve individual and community health.

Scott Barrows

Mary Stapel and Faria Munir

Marcellus Sommerville

Kiosks B-roll

Gabe Koch (pronounced Cook), DO, a native of Tremont, Illinois, is a first-year Emergency Medicine resident at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria who says he’s not sure why he felt drawn to a career in medicine. He wasn’t particularly drawn to TV medical dramas and his only family connection is an uncle and two aunts who are nurses. But he thought it would be cool to take a class to become an emergency medical technician.

As a volunteer EMT in his hometown, Koch was exhilarated and felt a strong calling to emergency medicine. He then became an emergency department technician at OSF Saint Francis. After he initially failed to get into medical school, Koch decided he should enroll in an OSF STEAM course, Pre-Med Immersion.

OSF Pre-Med Immersion Experience is a two-week clinical program for college students who are interested in medical school. The program is offered by Jump Simulation which is part of OSF Innovation and is a collaboration with the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP). Students are exposed to a variety of roles in the clinical environment. Koch says the OSF STEAM course gave him invaluable experience and confidence in skills such as suturing, drawing blood and reading an electrocardiogram.

“I feel like the STEAM program really gave us bits and pieces to kind of start putting the broader picture together. And that was beneficial, because I think it gives you just a bit of a leg up. Even something as simple as reading an EKG – you're going to get exposure to EKGs in the STEAM course, that maybe your classmates in medical school weren't exposed to.”

Koch says medical school is very competitive. He was among thousands of applicants for one of 110 seats at Western University of Health Sciences COMP-Northwest in Lebanon, Oregon. He was accepted after taking the Pre-Med Immersion course. Koch thinks the experience showed his commitment and perhaps gave him an advantage over other applicants.

“So, I wanted that experience and also wanted to show medical schools on my application, you know, ‘Look, I'm taking initiative. I'm doing something extra here, because I am committed and really driven to succeed and get into medical school.’”

“These are my people”

The OSF STEAM course was a good start to creating a comfort level with the idea of working in a medical setting. Koch was exposed to the sights, sounds and smells that are unique to being in that atmosphere. It validated his career choice.

“These are my people. Health care is where I belong. The physicians and the other staff and the people that we got exposed to and got to meet. I think it was just a validation that, yes, this is what I want to do, and these are the people I want to call my colleagues.”

He was also inspired by the physicians who seemed so passionate about what they do every day.

“There's a lot of things in the news about burnout, physician burnout, and it's inspiring to see there are still people who love what they do and have been doing it for years, and that it’s not all doom and gloom. You can have a great career.”

During his experience, Koch was exposed to surgery, the Anatomy Lab at Jump Simulation, and he heard from a neurosurgery resident who shared some hard truths.

“It wasn't all rainbows and lollipops. And we saw real life examples of that by that resident coming and speaking to us and saying, ‘You know, very bluntly, like, it's hard. Residency is hard, medicine is hard. And so, you really have to be committed.’ So that was, that was something that really stood out.”

Koch appreciated the honesty, and it spurred him to want to push ahead with schooling to become a physician specializing in emergency medicine. But he says even if that wasn’t the case, the experience is worthwhile for anyone exploring the idea of a medical career.

“You know, if I hate the STEAM course, then I'm going to change my biology major, and I'm not going to apply to medical school, right? If I love it, or if I'm equivocal about it, I'm going to investigate further. If I love it. I'm going to keep going full steam ahead to try to get into medical school.”

OSF STEAM has been recognized by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare as an “Exemplar” for simulation programs world-wide. Participation was just the beginning for Koch who, after six months of his residency, already knows he’s landed where he belongs. And that is the idea behind the OSF STEAM Pre-Med Immersion Experience — to expose pre-med students to the OSF, UICOMP facilities and instructors with an eye on recruiting them to study and then live and work as medical providers in central Illinois.

Koch hopes to do that and to eventually give back by serving in the future as one of those passionate providers encouraging young people with an interest, that medicine can be a very rewarding career.

First-year medical resident Gabe Koch

B-roll of OSF STEAM Pre-Med Immersion

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recently suffered his third confirmed concussion in 25 months – just another reminder that football and other contact sports pose the threat of a traumatic brain injury.  Research indicates it’s important to accurately and immediately diagnose a concussion because the consequences of misdiagnosis or faulty management can lead to major disability or death.

Illinois State University senior Cyerra Hibbert knows about concussions. She’s had multiple ones while playing soccer in high school and at ISU, the most recent just a month ago. Hibbert is one of the first athletes to test a new FlightPath concussion app. The lead app developer is *Adam Cross, MD, a pediatric hospitalist and clinical informaticist for OSF HealthCare and director of the OSF Children’s Innovation Lab at Jump Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, Illinois. He is working with co-lead Inki Kim, of the Health Care Engineering Systems Center at the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The concussion assessment app is a grant-funded project through Jump ARCHES, a research collaborative that partners teams of clinicians and engineers working together to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs. The FlightPath app is being tested at Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan and Bradley Universities as part of a clinical trial and research coalition.  Hibbert used the FlightPath app after receiving instructions from her athletic trainer six days after she received a blow to the head during a game.

Hibbert was able to finish the test. It only takes about two minutes to collect more than a million data points as a person tries to catch a hummingbird within a 3D space on a screen.

“After a while it did bring a little confusion or if I wasn’t aware of where the bird flew on or off the screen, that did trick a little bit of my memory and concentration skills, so I do think it’s definitely approachable," Hibbert explains. “It’s definitely doable. I think just based on your outcome will determine where you are in your concussion level.”

Dr. Cross says the single biggest risk factor for prolonged time to recovery is delayed diagnosis, so FlightPath is his answer with its ability to diagnose a concussion within minutes. His research team has done some internal testing.

“Regarding how well it detects differences in impairments with people – how well they can determine if someone is functioning, acting appropriately, or if there's if there's something else going on. The challenge has been really doing that with individuals that have true concussion,” says Dr. Cross.

Athletes with a suspected concussion are challenged by FlightPath to walk in their environment while trying to keep a hummingbird in a bubble on the screen.

“The players themselves are trying out this app while concussed after having been consented earlier on in the year so that we can get data around how they perform with this app while concussed versus not concussed, and comparing that to the normal, typical present-day evaluation techniques that the trainers perform.”

Dr. Cross stresses, right now, the clinical trial does not involve trainers using the app to help make decisions. He says the research is not that far along and data collection needs to happen first. But, Karan Rai, MD, a sports medicine physician with OSF HealthCare who also serves as the team doctor for ISU Athletics, says eventually, the data from FlightPath could help beyond diagnosis.

“It in turn can help us with making prognoses, coming up with recovery timelines, implementing certain vestibular therapy. Other than diagnostic purposes, we can extrapolate that data to help us come up with a better treatment plan as well.”

Takes the pressure off
Both Hibbert and Dr. Rai are excited to be part of what they consider ground-breaking research that has the potential for helping athletes in the future. Hibbert, who plans to go into medical sales, says it’s helpful to have an objective tool for an evaluation. She thinks it takes the pressure off athletes.

“Because as athletes, we’re always eager to be on the field or play the game and to have that mindset to be better and get back on your feet as quickly as you can. I think this app will allow you to really settle and to really take your time with your symptoms.”

The clinical trial is looking at whether FlightPath can do as good or better as traditional methods in diagnosing a concussion.  So far, Dr. Rai says nearly 15 athletes who have suffered a concussion have completed a FlightPath assessment and it’s been performing well.

“Results are early so far but in our sample size we found some associations at least where FlightPath has shown some abnormalities similar to what other examinations have found as well, whether that’s the SCAT test or the ImPACT test.”

There are other concussion applications commercially available, but Dr. Cross suggests none are as robust as FlightPath.

“There aren't any, as far as I've seen, that use this mixed reality approach to gather the kinds of data that we're gathering. This is very rich data in a very short time in our app. One of the things that makes it so unique and sets it apart is that we get so much data about so many different manifestations of concussion in such a short time.”

Testing is expected to take at least two years. After testing, the app will be submitted to the FDA for clinical approval.

Here is a video demonstrating how the app works.

*Dr. Adam Cross also holds these positions:
Assistant Professor, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Adjunct Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Health Care Engineering Systems Center (HCESC)
Clinical Research Informatician, OSF HealthCare | Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center (JTSEC) 

Dr. Adam Cross, ISU soccer player Cyerra Hibbert and Dr. Karan Rai

B-roll of ISU soccer player Cyerra Hibbert on soccer field

B-roll of FlightPath app demonstration

OSF OnCall leaders realize many colleges of nursing faculty and students are just getting back to the classroom the end of the month of August, so they've extended an early bird registration deadline for its first-ever OSF OnCall Digital Health Symposium October 16.

The digital health arm for OSF Healthcare offers full-scale digital health and convenient care options for using digital health platforms and software to connect people with care 24/7. This immersive conference brings together digital health experts, clinicians and leaders to discuss current trends, program development and implementation, and the future of digital health care.

The event will be held at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, an accredited facility for improving patient care. The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), have certified education and training at the center to provide continuing education for health care teams. This symposium was planned by and for health care teams. Learners will receive 6.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change. 

A woman behind one of the Top 100 health blogs to follow in 2024 is the keynote speaker at this conference to explore innovative solutions to enhance patient care. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, a health economist, advisor and trend spotter known for her Health Populi blog will provide an update on the state of digital health on the local, state and national level. 

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October 16 at Jump at 1306 N Berkley Ave in Peoria, Illinois.

Enjoy an engaging panel discussion moderated by OSF OnCall Senior Vice President Jennifer Junis, “Building a quality structure to drive clinical excellence in digital health.”

The patient’s voice will be front and center during a fireside chat. After lunch there will be a variety of break-out sessions with practical takeaways including:

·         Building capacity and engagement with a digital hospital

·         Creating capacity with virtual hospitalist models

·         Five hundred miles of intensive care (how digital intensive care supports bricks and mortar care)

Plus, ambulatory care sessions including:

·         Chronic disease management with remote patient monitoring

·         Saving moms and babies: improving prenatal care via 24/7 digital access and clinical partnering with OB/GYN

·         Virtual urgent care

And, we’ve added FRANC talks, the OSF OnCall version of TED talks – short, engaging presentations with compelling content and storytelling.

“We learned so much at the recent American Telemedicine Association Nexus 2024 convention in Phoenix and we wanted to continue the conversations,” said Junis. “There are so many possibilities to transform how we care for our patients; using AI to help identify patients at risk, leveraging telemedicine for specialist care, enlisting remote monitoring and digital health tools to facilitate real-time communication between patients, caregivers, and health professionals to promote timely interventions and more coordinated care.” Junis added, “We can learn from each other, while always recognizing each community and each patient we serve is unique.”

Registration includes breakfast and lunch. Wrap up the day with a cocktail reception for networking and fun!

Register NOW for $250 and get your discount.

*Registration is $300 after August 30.

Registration closes October 9. 

Distillery Labs held the official ribbon cutting for its new innovation hub on July 30. The event marked a significant milestone in the mission to support startup founders and small businesses.

Located in downtown Peoria, Distillery Labs is set to become a cornerstone of innovation and entrepreneurship for the Greater Peoria area. By providing a dedicated space for startups and small businesses, Distillery Labs aims to foster a vibrant community where all entrepreneurs have the opportunity to learn, connect, grow and thrive. The new facility offers a range of resources, including coworking spaces, mentorship programs, networking events, and access to essential business tools.

"We are excited to open our doors and welcome the community to Distillery Labs," said Doug Cruitt, Executive Director of Distillery Labs. "Our goal is to create a supportive environment where entrepreneurs can collaborate, innovate, and grow their businesses. The ribbon cutting is just the beginning of many great things to come."

Distillery Labs was launched in 2019, funded through a $10 million grant that is part of the larger Illinois Innovation Network (IIN). It is one of 15 hubs developed across the state of Illinois including ones in Chicago, Dekalb and Champaign-Urbana and is the first one to officially open.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was on hand for the original announcement unveiling the vision for Distillery Labs and sent his congratulations.

"The Illinois Innovation Network represents a nexus of partnerships, innovation hubs, public and private universities, and national laboratories that will drive startups and small businesses to new heights in Illinois," said Governor JB Pritzker. "With the opening of this new innovation hub, Distillery Labs is turning that vision into a reality for entrepreneurs in the Peoria region, proving that our commitment to making Illinois the best state to start and grow a business extends to every corner of our state.”

OSF HealthCare, the University of Illinois System, Illinois Central College, and the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council have been key supporters in developing Distillery Labs.

“Distillery Labs is committed to strengthening the local economy by nurturing the next generation of business leaders. By bridging the gap between aspiring entrepreneurs and the resources they need to succeed, Distillery Labs is poised to make a lasting impact on the Peoria community,” added Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council.

Among other things, Distillery Labs will be dedicated to finding solutions to improve the wellness of underserved populations and advance systems related to food, farming, and transportation and will contain spaces for startups, corporate partners, community organizations, universities and other stakeholders. A specific focus of the Labs will be crafting a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming environment.

Melissa Knuth (pronounced kuh-NOOTH) predicts a year from now, many Mission Partners (employees) at OSF HealthCare and elsewhere will be asking how they did their job without using generative artificial intelligence. Generative AI is a type of machine learning that uses artificial intelligence to create new content, including text, images, videos, code and simulations based on existing information.

OSF HealthCare, a 16-hospital system headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, has a vision that includes harnessing the power of generative AI to advance the exploration, use and adoption to optimize health care delivery, empower health care professionals and improve patient experiences across the health care system.

Knuth led a multidisciplinary team tasked with creating mandatory, on-going education to help more than 24,000 Mission Partners (employees) – from the CEO to cafeteria workers – learn about generative AI and how OSF HealthCare sees the benefits of using it. The education initiative is in place because Knuth and leaders believe that to take advantage of generative AI, everyone must understand how it works and the best practices for deploying it.

“Unless we really have the power of our entire workforce, pushing on the same side of the rock, it will be even more difficult to reap the benefits this technology presents and so it's really critical that everybody understands generative AI and the rewards we are seeking,” Knuth stresses.

Education is also designed to dispel fears the technology could replace employees.

“We’re really trying to put their minds at ease to let them know that we're trying to use generative AI here in a way that really enables them and allows them to get back to some of the work that is more meaningful for them.”

With only six weeks to create the first lessons, Knuth tapped the Medical Visualization team at OSF Innovation to take their approach from social media content and use generative AI to create education about the technology.

“We also used mixed media, so it was a mix of video. Some interactive content, and text to continually sort of change through the course to keep somebody's attention. So, it was like small vignettes of content that we had created for them.”

Mitigating risks from generative AI

OSF HealthCare was one of several organizations last year to sign the president’s voluntary commitments to keeping AI safe, secure and trustworthy. Oversight of research and implementation starts at the top and includes C-suite leaders at OSF, but all levels of leadership are engaged including those from legal, compliance, ethics, policy, process, clinical and non-clinical areas.

Tyler Fitch, MD, director of Medical Informatics co-chairs the OSF generative AI exploration and planning committee. Dr. Fitch says any new use of AI or generative AI will be evaluated using an approach known as FAVES or evaluating whether the technology is fair, appropriate, valid, effective and safe.

“We wanted to ensure that we're applying all those FAVES to anything that we would release and endorse from OSF. So, thinking of things as (for example) fair. We want to make sure that it treats different groups of people similarly and that it doesn't advantage or disadvantage, certain groups.”

The governance structure at OSF HealthCare ensures the appropriate use of AI. It helps clinicians use the right tool at the right time. This process involves validating results through testing to meet researchers' expectations. The goal is to ensure that AI effectively generates better outcomes and experiences.

Lastly, the technology also must be secure, so it doesn’t open the health system to cyber security risks.

Transparency with patients will be important for building trust with how OSF is using generative AI.

OSF is part of a pilot project with Epic, the medical records system, that will test the use of Nuance DAX Copilot which can use ambient listening to help medical providers communicate better with patients during their exams.  Instead of being distracted with the task of writing the note while talking to their patient, the provider will have a completed note at the end of the visit.  A few medical group offices are part of the trial.

An easy sell

Dr. Fitch says it has been an easy sell getting providers to embrace technology that should make their jobs easier.

“I'm also hearing from our physician recruiting department that we're getting asked about what kind of tools we have here. So, this is really an area that people are seeking out and they want and so from a physician standpoint, the change management is going to be a little bit easier than some of the some of the other things we’ve done in the technology area.”

Microsoft Copilot will be built into tools already used daily by OSF HealthCare Mission Partners. Knuth says it will include an app, called Prompt Buddy, developed internally, which will allow employees to share the best prompts to help them simplify work.

“We’ve developed internally a crowd sourcing app so when somebody has written a prompt, or discovered a prompt they have really found beneficial, they can share that.”

Dr. Fitch believes OSF HealthCare is among leaders in developing governance and education and is farther ahead than many health systems trying to navigate the benefits and develop guardrails at this inflection point for generative AI. Strong partnerships with academic institutions and technology companies will also aid in creating learning opportunities to test the benefits and pitfalls while always keeping patients at the center of every effort.

Knuth is preparing more education for OSF Mission Partners to address generative AI which she says has created a transformative moment in business and health care.

Video clips with Melissa Knuth

Video clips with Dr. Tyler Fitch

OSF HealthCare is turning to researchers for improved insights as it strives to make sure care teams know patients better to prevent health challenges and to manage their chronic diseases.

A recent Connected Communities Initiative (CCI) grant of up to $75,000 will support research to improve health care outcomes by incorporating social drivers of health (SDoH) data into predictive models. Social drivers of health are non-medical factors that have a big impact on a person’s health and wellness. Those can include a person’s financial constraints, housing, transportation, childcare and access to fresh food, among others.

Those needs can often be revealed by where a person lives. For example, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has tied ZIP codes to data showing a person’s life expectancy by neighborhood.

By integrating SDoH factors with information from traditional patient records, the project seeks to develop more accurate predictive models for 30-day hospital readmission and health care costs. Led by a collaborative team of data science experts and health care professionals, the research involves exploring SDoH data features, enriching already existing predictive models, and fine-tuning them for better accuracy.

Chris Franciskovich, vice president for Advanced Analytics, OSF Innovation, stressed, “The goal is to provide actionable insights and develop advanced predictive models to transform health care decision-making and resource allocation. Ultimately, this initiative should benefit patients, health care providers and insurance providers while contributing to advancements in health care technology and practices.”

Illinois State University co-lead researcher professor Maochao Xu, who directs the master’s program in the Mathematics Department, is excited to bring his expertise in statistical modeling to help patients and health systems. Graduate students will also contribute to the work, something Xu thinks is important as the role of artificial intelligence and predictive modeling will have growing applications in health care.

“We have three faculty members working on this who have great experience and can help students develop expertise in dating mining, statistical analysis and building and optimizing predictive models so they’ll help future generations better take care of patients.”

The CCI program is a partnership between OSF HealthCare and Illinois State University. The funding supports research involving clinicians, engineers and social scientists to rapidly develop technologies and devices that could revolutionize medical training and health care delivery.

Answer a few questions on a social media quiz and it’ll tell you which character on Friends you’re most like. That’s the same concept behind a new healthcareers.guide developed by OSF Innovation and the Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).

The health careers guide is aimed at creating awareness and helping middle and high school learners understand the types of skills, length and cost of education, and potential earnings for a chosen health-related career. Noël Adams, vice president for academic collaborations and operations at OSF HealthCare says the easy-to-use guide allows young people to explore careers on their own or filter according to a few questions about their personality.

“They can also go in and answer a few questions that relate to their personality like, ‘How do you feel about blood?’ or ‘Are you introverted or extroverted?’ Adams continues, “Then, we map those types of skills to the different health care careers. So, after they answer those, it’ll return a whole list of types of careers that would fit those particular personality types.”

The guide can be accessed easily according to Adams.

“It’s mobile friendly so that can do that through a phone, or they can do it through their Chromebooks at school. We really tried to make the content school-friendly so that schools can help promote this version of learning and what these different types of careers are through their own curriculum.”

Adams says despite a nation-wide shortage of critical health professionals such as physicians and nurses, there is not easily accessible educational content to reach young people, particularly in underserved communities where those professions are needed the most.

OSF HealthCare, through its Innovation division, has developed free STEAM programming focused on health careers and the National Center for Rural Health Professions (NCRHP) at UIC has led innovations in health career pipeline programming to address the significant disparities in underserved areas. The Center has established programs in rural and urban underserved high schools, community colleges and four-year universities throughout the state of Illinois.

App is unlike any available

“This is a really innovative approach in reaching today’s generation of learners who often access information online and in interactive ways,” said Hana Hinkle, Hana Hinkle, PhD, MPH, UIC’s assistant dean for Rural Health Professions. She continued, “We aren’t aware of any other program available in the country that leverages this this type of platform and algorithm and we are very grateful for the partnership with OSF Innovation and through the CHA programming to make this idea a reality that so many students will benefit from.”

The health careers guide was created with support from a Community Health Advocacy (CHA) grant, a partnership between OSF HealthCare and UIC that brings together faculty researchers and health care professionals to develop innovative solutions to health-related problems in urban communities.

Adams says the guide is unique – unlike what is available at most schools or career centers. It uses technology developed by the OSF Innovation Medical Visualization team and content from an existing, extensive guidebook used regularly to support additional education through the Rural Health Professions Center at UIC.

The platform allows the user to drill down into jobs to learn far more than what’s available from a typical brochure.

Adams explains, “It helps youth understand what a job is all about, how it works, and then gives lots of detailed information like how much school you need, how much you might get paid, how long it takes to train, and then helps find job openings on different websites.”

Throughout development of the health careers website and app, researchers had students attending career events, beta test the app and provide feedback for improvements. Adams says not many tweaks were needed.

“We received many positive comments from youth test groups about how we've used pictures to explain information related to careers instead of having too much text in the application,” Adams says.

Researchers have sought CHA grant funding for phase two which would focus on adding more careers to the app and tapping into existing regional networks to provide direct mentorship, coaching and support to identified students.

Video clips with  Noël Adams

B-roll of health career guide

Eight years ago, two surgery nurses at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria were approached about a big problem that cost their hospital several million dollars a year in lost revenue – cancelled surgeries.  An anesthesiologist approached surgery nurses Jill Teubel, MSN, BSN, RN and Mary Marvin, APRN, MSN, RN to see if they had a way to prevent cancelling surgeries because of overlooked implanted medical devices.

Hundreds of surgeries each year at OSF Saint Francis were being cancelled or delayed because patients had implanted medical devices with electrical components, such as pacemakers to regulate the heart and spinal stimulators to suppress pain. Without the devices temporarily turned off during surgery, patients and the devices could be harmed.

Jill Teubel says nurses, surgeons and anesthesia providers need to know, in advance of the procedure or surgery, specific instructions for each device and how to keep the patient safe.

“With that comes some pretty specialized directions when you come in for a procedure. Those are usually hidden and so it’s very difficult to find those.”

Teubel and her colleague, Mary Marvin, set out to create a spreadsheet to list every implantable medical device on the market with model numbers, surgery instructions, even contact information for the device sales rep who - in some cases - would have to come on site prior to the planned surgery.

Teubel and Marvin often spent their personal time researching, documenting and regularly updating the information in a matrix they called Device Table.

Marvin says the effort was worth it because 4.5% or more than 1,900 patients coming to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center for surgery each year have an active medical device implant.  By addressing these patient devices in the pre-operative area, the hospital saved $1.9 million dollars annually in lost revenue due to cancellations which have since been reduced to nearly zero because of implants.

“Doing all his work upfront, we save the patient the misfortune of being cancelled. A lot of times the patient’s family will come in to be with them; to take care of them after the case,” Marvin explains.

Their Device Table document was laminated and attached to surgery carts. Over the years, it expanded from two pages to 80. Teubel and Marvin knew they needed something more manageable, so they pitched their idea to the OSF Innovation Studio, a part of OSF Innovation.

Kip McCoy, vice president, OSF Innovation Studio says his team initially built an Access database that could be more easily updated. But after learning there were no other solutions in the marketplace, the Studio team realized it needed additional expertise to more fully develop a scalable and potentially commercial product.

A Peoria-based company Enoch Collective worked with the Innovation Studio team to create, test and revise a web application that could be expanded and customized to meet the needs of the surgery team.

With an added ability to connect to Epic, one of the largest electronic medical records software systems in the country, Teubel expects to see the software commercially licensed.

“It was a solution we solved for our surgery area, and it’s been neat to work with the physicians and staff. For them to come back to us and say, ‘This really helps us. We use this all the time,’ that’s really satisfying because as a nurse, you go into the profession to help people.”

Lasting impact on patients and safety

Marvin relishes the idea of having a lasting impact by sharing their labor of love.

“The thought that someday someone in California or New York could be protecting their patients by utilizing our app is something that is very special to us because as nurses, taking care of the patient always comes first.”

The Innovation Studio team helped support a patent application. Approval can take between two to four years. In the meantime, the women are joining forces with a former member of the Innovation Studio team to form a new startup company, OpenSurg, to further develop, scale and eventually market the software and app that now includes information about 75 medical devices.

Senior Vice President for OSF Innovation, Becky Buchen says this spin-off company shows the benefit of leveraging the talents of frontline workers and then having a system in pace to help Mission Partners (employees) explore development, testing and possible commercializing of their idea.

“When you really start to leverage the ideas they have, because they’re at the frontline of care, they’re seeing the challenges being faced every day, whether it’s by our patients or their fellow Mission Partners (employees), and then bringing forward those ideas really starts to advance the transformation of health care.”

In preparation for the results of creating an innovative ecosystem, OSF developed an intellectual property policy in 2018. It provides the opportunity for revenue-sharing for intellectual property created by Mission Partners through the course of their employment. OSF HealthCare and OpenSurg recently signed a comprehensive licensing agreement.
 

Video clips with Jill Teubel and Mary Marvin

Video clip with Becky Buchen

B-roll for Device Table solution

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Some people with skin cancer that’s on the surface of the skin can still require large doses of radiotherapy, but precise delivery can be challenging. Skin tissue is not a flat surface so it’s difficult to give a uniform and accurate amount of radiation.

Enter an innovation that can help provide a more localized, effective delivery of the treatment – a device called a radiation bolus.

“Normally when a beam hits the skin, it'll dissipate and that'll increase how the treatment affects that area. And so if it's right on the surface of skin, it can dissipate, and you can't get the correct dose in the way that you need. So a bolus is a piece of silicone that will move that surface of the skin kind of out so that the treatment area can get affected properly.”

That’s Reid Jockisch, an engineer with Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center. He helps design, fabricate and rapidly 3D-print patient-specific boluses that can be used throughout a patient’s treatment. He says software combines patient CT scans with computer-generated radiation planning data to create models sent to Jump engineers for 3D printing.

The material conforms perfectly to the patient’s skin, Jockisch explains.

“It'll literally just stick to the skin because it's silicone and they're soft and stretchy. You can see it's pretty malleable and would be comfortable to wear and it would just like sit right on the eye socket, on the nose, really in the ear in and around the ear, very comfortably.”

The method of creating a bolus eliminates the need for patients to come into their oncologist’s office to get fitted for the device.

“The scans that are already a part of their treatment plan can be created or can create the models that we would need to create this so we can kind of do all of it in the background.”

Jockisch says oncologists report feeling more confident using a patient-specific device, rather than a commercially-made bolus which might not provide the proper thickness or fit.

“This bolus is better than some of the ways it's been done in the past or some of the ways it's still sometimes done when it's not this kind of hard-to-reach place.” Jockisch continues, “And what's used in those cases is really a flat piece of silicone, and that on a patient's nose or ear can create an air gap which changes the way that the radiation interacts with the bolus and that patient's cancer, which might lower the dose or increase the amount of treatments that are necessary for that patient.”

This engineering solution is one of the benefits of bringing engineers and clinicians together to provide better treatment. Jockisch says it’s the reason he became a bioengineer.

“Having an avenue to help a patient have a better experience, whether that be through some of these cancer treatments or some potential new solutions that we might be able to find with the building of the new Cancer Institute is absolutely one of the best parts of my job.”

Jump engineers could be busy with the opening of the new OSF Cancer Institute on the campus of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in February. But Reid says handling a higher volume of requests should be ok because the process to 3D print a patient-specific bolus takes between two to eight hours and he believes as technology evolves, that time will continue to be even shorter.

Video clips with biomedical engineer Reid Jockisch

B-roll of radiation boluses

Like many communities, the older population in Streator, Illinois has grown – so much so that 20% of residents in the north central city are 65 or older. So, it’s no surprise that healthy aging ranked as the fourth-most important health issue in the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment There’s also a big concern about mental health which ranked second for identified health needs in the 2022 survey.

That demographic information and identified health priorities will help guide the innovation sprint by medical students from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria (UICOMP). They’re part of the EquIMED program – a four-year elective track for medical students. During an innovation sprint, third and fourth year students are challenged with developing an innovative tool or approach to solve a fundamental problem.

Starting February 12, five EquIMED students will be spending a week in Streator to learn first-hand about health challenges for those 65 and older. They will then pair up to develop solutions.

“We have medical providers and social service agencies under one roof at the Center for Health in Streator so there are opportunities for collaborative solutions,” says Community Health Engagement Program Manager Ellen Vogel.

Vogel points out the second-most populous city in LaSalle County, Streator does not have an adult day center or a senior center.

The EquIMED program was developed with an understanding that the challenges facing rural and under resourced communities across the globe are the same as in the U.S. and so solutions developed could help regionally and globally.

“As many as 1.5 million Illinois residents lack access to health care because they live in rural and/or medically underserved communities. We need to come up with solutions that provide more access, but also that can support those residents in between appointments,” says John Vozenilek, MD, vice president for Innovation & Digital Health, OSF HealthCare. Dr. Vozenilek who is also a UICOMP professor and course director adds, “The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria EquIMED track offers a four-year curriculum and the opportunity to expose future medical providers to patient populations with unique struggles as well as strategies for how to create innovative solutions for them.”

EquIMED students are learning about innovation through hands-on work, small group sessions, simulations, online lectures, lunch and learns, dinner speakers, as well as from instruction by OSF Innovation experts who work at the Jump Trading Simulation and Education Center, a collaboration between OSF HealthCare and UICOMP.

“The solutions generated by the students have the potential to offer real value, but the real value to the EquIMED students is the journey of discovery and what they learn through an iterative process to advance health equity innovation across environments where health disparities exist. They learn how to ask questions, communicate, document, think critically and research what’s already available and bring the best options forward,” explains UICOMP Program Coordinator Erica Litzsey, MS. “They can use the approach in the future whether they become physicians serving rural, urban or any type of community.”

Additional Background

Some previous solutions from EquIMED students are being developed further in partnership with Bradley University:

• PeoriaFresh! - The software system allows food banks and local gardeners to collaborate and share produce.
• Diabetes and Resourceful Testing (DART) - An app that uses community health workers to increase access to diabetes testing supplies so glucose levels can be measured at least once a week. It will also provide a dashboard with alerts or individual patients better manage their glucose levels. Bradley and OSF are providing additional funding for both efforts through an Innovation for Health grant.

The diabetes management program was a solution proposed by students working in Uganda which has a problem with patients being able to access and afford diabetes testing supplies, particularly in communities with no hospitals or medical clinics. UICOMP has an ongoing relationship with a university in Uganda but due to unrest in the East African country, along with a U.S. travel ban, students won’t be traveling there for their innovation sprint this semester. Erica Litzsey says EquIMED program leaders are looking for another university willing to collaborate to expand the global options for embedding students for future innovation sprints abroad. 

B-roll for EquIMed  program

The success of the OSF OnCall Digital Hospital in Peoria has paved the way for expansion to Rockford, Illinois.

OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center is preparing to launch OSF OnCall Digital Hospital – an option to receive hospital-level care at home for some patients such as those with heart failure, COPD, COVID, infections, pneumonia, or other illnesses. Patients who qualify have been admitted through the emergency department or referred for admission directly by their provider.

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 in Peoria will identify patients aged 18 and older who could be enrolled. Criteria to be enrolled includes their diagnosis, condition stability, they live within 30 minutes of OSF Saint Anthony, and have an insurer that covers hospital care at home. Medicare is among the payers willing to support home-based acute care.

OSF OnCall Digital Care Manager Melissa Meier, MSN, RN, says patients are also screened to make sure their home environment is safe and that they have the ability to be cared for at home. Once enrolled, a tech kit, providing 24/7 instant connection, is set up in the home before a patient arrives.

“A tablet, which is how we do our video visits, as well as Bluetooth enabled biometric equipment for us to be able to do vital signs remotely. We also bring a backup power source as well as a backup internet source and a device which is a personal emergency response system, which functions much like a Life Alert button.”

For potential candidates worried they’re not tech savvy, Pam Anderson, a patient from Morton enrolled in the program through OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria says everything is so easy to use.

“The phone … you don't dial it. You just pick it up and it rings directly to the (digital health) center. And once you do that, then somebody will appear on the iPad. So, if you do need something, you're actually speaking to someone (you can see). You're not just talking on the phone. And they're extremely prompt in answering. So there really isn't, in my opinion, a lot of technology involved. Thank heavens,” Anderson gladly reports.

There is a minimum of two visits from a nurse each day. Patients receive three meals a day and individuals can live alone or with family members. Costs are the same as for a hospital stay.

Meier says OSF OnCall Digital Hospital helps both the health system and the patient.

Research also shows patients in digital hospital programs recover faster, fewer are re-admitted to the hospital and they avoid hospital-acquired infections.

OSF is currently recruiting and training nurses for the digital hospital program in Rockford with special curriculum developed by OSF Innovation. It includes simulation for real-life scenarios, so nurses are prepared for any challenges. Dahnert says most nurses enjoy this new way of caring for patients that harkens back to the days of house calls.

“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.”

For patients concerned about their care and safety at home, the first-ever digital hospital patient for OSF, Jim Stickelmaier, says being at home was the best medicine.

“I would say definitely try it. I think they’ll find out that it was a lot easier and a lot nicer to be at home than in the hospital.” 

OSF OnCall has cared for nearly 370 patients in the Peoria area since launching its digital hospital program in August of 2022. The first digital hospital patient at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center could be admitted after the program launches for Rockford area patients on February 27.

Melissa Meier and Courtney Dahnert

OSF OnCall Digital Hospital Peoria-area patients Pam Anderson and Jim Stickelmaier

B-roll OSF OnCall Digital Hospital

The President’s Cancer Panel is a federal advisory committee that reports on barriers to progress in reducing the burden of cancer. This year, the panel is conducting a series of public meetings to discuss the current landscape of patient navigation.

Dr. Handler specializes in digital solutions to optimize care. Along with researchers from OSF HealthCare and the University of Illinois, Dr. Handler published research demonstrating a doubling of cancer screening rates after technology-assisted interventions were implemented for economically disadvantaged women who were late (often two years or more) in their breast cancer screening. Together with another set of researchers from those same institutions, Dr. Handler developed AI to better balance the workload of nurse navigators for cancer patients to avoid burnout and provide the best care.

Dr. Handler believes AI should be developed which can effectively, ethically and equitably support cancer care, regardless of a person’s race, ethnicity or where they live. OSF HealthCare recently joined a national collaborative to provide input on new AI guidelines. 

OSF HealthCare will soon expand cancer services across its Ministry when the OSF Cancer Institute opens on the campus of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in February 2024. It will offer the second proton-beam therapy location in Illinois as well as serve as a site for clinical trials, advanced treatment, therapy and a wide range of support services.  

If you ask Ernest Cummings, a newer Peoria resident who found himself in the hospital for a diabetes-related condition, OSF HealthCare should continue using virtual nurses.

“It was better. Sometimes they (nurses) have other patients and sometimes it does take too long and sometimes I’m impatient,” Cummings says with a laugh. “But it was nice today,” he said after his hospital discharge discussion with OSF OnCall Virtual Nurse Laurice Domingo. 

Before his discharge from the medical surgical unit at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, Domingo touched base with a multidisciplinary team including his attending physician, social worker and anyone else who might have been part of Cummings’ care. Then Domingo popped onto the TV screen in the room, introduced herself and went through paperwork that had already been given to Cummings to look over before the video chat. Domingo makes sure to ask if Mr. Cummings is clear on next steps and if he has any other needs.

“How about transportation? “Yes. My brother is probably downstairs waiting for me,” Cummings shares. Domingo closes out the visit. “If there isn’t anything else I can help you with, I’ll let you go so you can go home!” 

OSF HealthCare is piloting virtual nursing on three medical surgical floors, covering about 75 patients at its flagship medical center, Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. The Performance Improvement division at OSF Innovation was tapped to design how virtual nurses through OSF OnCall Digital Health, can reduce the burden of bedside nurses and create a better patient experience leveraging the right technology. The pilot is testing two different approaches using installed technology on TVs in patient rooms that allow an audio-visual connection with the patient, and another that involves bringing in a tablet for the patient to use.

Domingo is already a pro at virtual nursing after having been part of the launch of the OSF OnCall Digital Hospital in August of 2022. She currently works from the OSF OnCall building in downtown Peoria but Vice President of Digital Care Brandi Clark says that could change in the future to help recruit and retain virtual nurses who might want to work from home.

OSF OnCall and nursing leaders haven’t yet settled on the technology platform that’ll be used but Clark says there is an advantage to hard-wired technology on television screens.

Patient feedback has been positive

“Patients certainly have expressed that they have had a good experience with the virtual nurse both with the tablet as well as with the installed technology in the room. A real benefit to the installed technology for the bedside nurses is that it requires no work from them to bring that technology into the room to the patient.” 

So far, OSF OnCall virtual nurses have mostly been involved in admissions and discharges which can be time-consuming and often leads to patients waiting for a bedside nurse to become available. OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Vice President-Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Croland says they are also testing other ways to potentially use virtual nurses, including allowing the remote nurse to provide patient education.

“We've also looked at things like scribing patient assessments, doing regular rounding in the rooms to check on the patients, completing checklists and providing information on discharge appointments. And setting those up. So, there's been a fair amount that we've tried to do and we're really still trying to land on what is best for that virtual nurse to do.” 

The lessons learned to date include the importance of good communication between the virtual nurse and the bedside nurse.

Over a four-month period of the pilot, virtual nurses completed 93.4% of admissions and 87.7% of discharges, freeing up bedside nurse time. Completion of advanced care directive forms to document end-of-life wishes and patient education documentation increased from 60% to 100%.

Skeptical bedside nurses have come to appreciate the support a virtual nurse can provide in alleviating some timely tasks that take them from direct care. Brandi Clark says many hospital systems are testing options to see what works best and is cost neutral, while reducing nurse burnout.

“While there is not necessarily published, evidence-based literature out there to say, ‘this is how it should work,’ we are all learning together about how this will help optimize care for patients in the inpatient setting in the future.” 

While the pilot continues, the OSF Performance Improvement team is collaborating with frontline Mission Partners and leaders to continue to design the model and workflows to expand how OSF HealthCare can leverage virtual nursing care across its 16 hospitals. 

Patient Ernest Cummings and OSF OnCall virtual nurse Laurice Domingo

Brandi Clark and Jennifer Croland

Virtual Nursing B-Roll

OSF HealthCare is thrilled to announce a licensing agreement with Summit Venture Studio to commercialize and expand Medical Cart AR, an innovative medical training software developed by OSF Innovation. Medical Cart AR is an augmented reality training application designed to assist health care providers in locating key equipment swiftly during medical emergencies.

In emergency situations, rapid access to medical equipment can be critical. However, many health care providers don’t have the opportunity to train and quickly familiarize themselves with their medical carts because most hospitals restrict their use exclusively to emergencies. While these precautions minimize the need for constant inventory checks, they can create challenges in training new health care personnel. In addition, each organization typically has various types of medical carts, with different configurations, making it more difficult for new or temporary workers to locate key content efficiently. 

 Medical Cart AR addresses this issue by allowing hospitals and health care providers to simulate their own medical carts accurately through augmented reality. This case study reveals nurses and other staff can effortlessly identify the exact location of essential equipment without the risk of disrupting patient supplies. Unlike other simulators, Medical Cart AR is fully customizable, doesn’t require technical support and is easily accessible on a personal device. The unique app also features a built-in timer, enabling users to enhance their efficiency.

Medical Cart AR was developed by the OSF Innovation Studio’s Medical Visualization (MedVis) team with initial input from clinicians and faculty at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, respectively, with the goal of enhancing the training and preparedness of health care professionals. 

“I presented a prototype of the app at a national conference in 2020 to gain feedback about its practicality and immediately gained interest from others in the simulation space,” said Kyle Formella, director of MedVis. “With no national standard for medical cart setup, these life-saving tools vary from organization to organization. That makes it difficult for clinicians to recall their contents, which is why ongoing training is so important.” 

Formella is excited to hand off the commercialization efforts to Summit Venture Studio so the app will become available to more learners in health systems across the country. 

Brent Cross of OSF Innovation Studio says his team saw the potential and was encouraged to pursue the effort due to enthusiasm from others in health care.

Taylor Bench, managing director at Summit Venture Studio, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "We are excited to collaborate with OSF to introduce Medical Cart AR to the health care industry and provide customizable innovative training solutions to medical workers across the nation.”

Video demonstration (B-roll) of Medical Cart AR app

AVIA, the nation’s leading market intelligence and advisory services firm advancing digital transformation in health care, has added several additional health systems, including OSF HealthCare, to its national Generative AI Strategic Collaborative. OSF is among the new additions which include industry leaders and some of the largest health systems in the country.

AVIA has rallied nearly 30 health systems, key industry associations, and government leaders—including a recently announced slate of 10 expert advisors—to join its collaborative to identify risks, opportunities, and actionable steps for responsible, impactful, and ethical AI adoption for the health care industry.  In addition to OSF HealthCare, the new additions include:

●          Banner Health
●          Boston Children’s Hospital
●          Children’s Mercy Kansas City
●          Cottage Health
●          Novant Health
●          UVA Health

OSF HealthCare has developed large language models to identify unique needs for our patients so we can be proactive in helping diagnose or provide decision support for our medical providers to promote screenings and prevention, or potential clinical interventions.

“Generative AI has the potential to make an enormous impact on health systems and patients. We’re proud to be collaborating with such an impressive group of health system leaders, as well as industry associations and expert advisors who will help shape this important initiative. AVIA has always been on the forefront of what is next in healthcare transformation, and we believe this collaborative will help ensure the potential of generative AI in our industry is fulfilled, ushering in a transformative era in healthcare delivery,” said Dr. Scott Cullen, EVP and Chief Clinical Officer at AVIA and leader of the collaborative.

Other health care leaders expanded on the importance of becoming part of a collaborative.

"By joining with nearly 30 health systems, we have a unique opportunity to shape the future of health care AI, ensuring it meets the needs of patients and communities, said Tom Maddox, Vice President of Digital Products and Innovation and BJC HealthCare and Executive Director of the Healthcare Innovation Lab at BJC HealthCare and the Washington University School of Medicine. “Together, we will navigate the challenges and opportunities of responsible and ethical AI adoption, revolutionizing the way healthcare is delivered,”

“Children's hospitals have unique challenges when it comes to generative AI and other new technology – such as gaining consent from our patients and families – so we look forward to working with other systems, experts, and technology firms to ensure peds needs are incorporated. By joining AVIA’s Generative AI Collaborative, Children’s Mercy Kansas City is getting ahead of these challenges using a co-created action plan from the country’s best and brightest,” said Rob Steele, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Children’s Mercy.   

Although pioneering research has already begun, there is still time for additional organizations to join the collaborative. Interested health systems, industry or professional organizations can attend an AVIA briefing on its Generative AI Collaborative Monday, October 9th from 4:00-5:30pm at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas during HLTH 2023. To learn more, contact AVIA at genai@avia.health.

The Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) released a new report showing university campuses in Illinois founded 694 startups over the past five years, contributing 2,093 new jobs to the state. The unique data was released at Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, Illinois through ISTC’s Illinois Innovation Index on University Entrepreneurship. The report focuses on new business creation in the state through university assistance and affiliation.

The Index also found that of the active university-supported startups founded over the last five years, 82% (359) remained in Illinois. John Vozenilek, MD, vice president and chief medical officer, OSF Innovation and Digital Health says the report is impressive in showing how universities, which are anchor institutions in their communities, are economic drivers.

OSF HealthCare has 15 hospitals that also serve as anchor institutions in Illinois and Michigan. To accelerate innovation, OSF partners with five higher education institutions throughout the state. Dr. Vozenilek says leveraging their expertise in emerging technologies will advance new transformative ideas for health care coming from students as well as from OSF Mission Partners (employees).

Vozenilek was the keynote speaker at the event that highlighted the Illinois Innovation Index report findings. It also brought together key university, community and state economic development leaders to discuss the findings. Vozenilek stresses that new technology, such as virtual and augmented reality, as well as the Metaverse, will allow entrepreneurs to more easily scale educational simulations and training for new innovations, including new medical devices.

According to the ISTC report, women-founded companies increased their share of the startup population, from 28% in the 2018 Index to 40% in 2023. Vozenilek finds those results especially encouraging.

“I love to see the growth of women-owned businesses so the idea there are support structures and dedicated efforts to bring more diversity to our field, I think is incredibly important. We’ll see all kinds of new businesses coming from these constituencies.” 

Foreign-born founder percentages increased from 35% in 2020’s Innovation Index to 48% this year according to the coalition. As Vozenilek sees it, that could help OSF HealthCare ensure it is tapping into global expertise.

“I was also intrigued by the state’s interest in foreign born entrepreneurs to give them visas so that some of their ideas take hold in our communities; so think about how we can really draw from the world community (experts) to address challenges here in Central Illinois.”

The Illinois Science & Technology Innovation Index also provided evidence that for every dollar spent on a university-backed startup, it resulted in $10 in follow-up venture capital funding, offering more evidence that university supported efforts are a good investment that result in turning successful ideas into promising businesses.

Video clips with Dr. John Vozenilek

Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare is partnering with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to award six grants totally more than $460,000 to support projects funded through the Community Health Advocacy program, with a goal to improve outcomes and reduce health care disparities. The latest grants seek to generate solutions focused on new models of care that improve access and reduce barriers for individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. The projects also explore prototypes that can transform care and community-based initiatives that address the social determinants of health. The CHA program is also aimed at improving outcomes and reducing health care disparities.

The CHA program is a partnership between OSF HealthCare and The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

The funding supports research involving clinicians, engineers and social scientists to rapidly develop technologies and devices that could revolutionize medical training and health care delivery. A requirement of the grant applications was for solutions that could be deployed quickly, within four to six weeks.

Spring 2023 CHA Grant Projects

Automated Seizure Detection in Ambulatory EEG

• Huan Huynh, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Biswajit Maharathi, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

Ambulatory EEG is a powerful tool to evaluate seizure propensity in patients with epilepsy within natural community settings and residential environments. This goal of this pilot project is to build a semi-automated seizure screening system using modern machine learning-based computational approaches to significantly reduce the physician’s time evaluating these events by providing faster and more accurate screening methods and improving the patient care experience.

BRIDGeS (Building Resourceful Interactions Despite Grief and Stress)

• Eileen Knightly, MHA, RN, BSN, OSF HealthCare
• Carolyn Dickens, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, University of Illinois Chicago

This project addresses the growing issue of violence and incivility in the community and its impact on patient care in hospitals. It utilizes findings from a 2022 community health needs assessment to address cultural and communication barriers affecting nursing staff and patients. Nurse burnout, caused by prolonged stress, has worsened due to staffing shortages, documentation burden and increased violence.

Developing Tools to Empower Patient Understanding, Management and Communication of Condition

• Jonathan Handler, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Michael J. Scott, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

This project will focus on social determinants of health (SDoH) and consider solutions that empower the patient to more accurately track and communicate their conditions before they reach the reactive state. The approach is to change the way patients engage with their health-related data and provide better tools to convey this information to their care provider.

Harnessing Mobile Technology to Diagnose Migraines in Rural Communities

• Hrachya Nersesyan, MD, PhD, OSF HealthCare
• Yelena Nersesyan, MD, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

The goal of this project is to test and improve the MiGRO app that enables providers to quickly and accurately diagnose and treat migraines, resulting in better health outcomes and improved patient satisfaction. The app also streamlines the referral process, allowing providers to quickly refer patients to migraine specialists, reducing medical costs and improving access to care in rural areas.

Improving Cancer Screening in Underserved High-Risk Populations

• Lisa Barker, MD, FACEP, OSF HealthCare
• Elizabeth Papautsky, PhD, MS, University of Illinois Chicago

This project seeks to characterize the current barriers to completion of screening recommendations among patients at high risk for breast cancer, then use that data to create and pilot test an “intervention bundle” to optimize rates of breast MRI completion for eligible high-risk patients. With attention to the underserved communities within the OSF service population, this project will contribute to reduced health disparities by reducing barriers to care in the context of timely breast cancer diagnosis.

UI Health Pancreatic Cancer Screening Initiative

• Jason Bill, MD, OSF HealthCare
• Paul Grippo, PhD, University of Illinois Chicago

The project aims to develop an infrastructure of early community engagement with clinical trials for all types of cancer. The goal is to address the increasing technological development in screening modalities without simultaneously widening the gap in morbidity rates of cancer within underserved communities. With this health care protocol in place, the team hopes to increase accessibility of clinical trials using methods that are showing promising results in pancreatic cancer detection.

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.   

The program is a formalization of the partnership between these two anchor institutions in Bloomington-Normal and the broader OSF HealthCare system. Illinois State and OSF HealthCare are lead hub members of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN). The collaborative work in the Connected Communities Initiative has the potential to generate intellectual property that the two institutions can share and advance the IIN mission of driving inclusive and integrated research, innovation, and economic development across the state.

The agreement also provides a financial foundation for the work with both organizations providing $500,000 each, to contribute a total of $1 million annually for research and development of strategic solutions to improve health care delivery, and patient and provider experience.

“We believe expanding academic collaborations can help us create innovative solutions and new care models that provide more access, particularly to underserved populations,” said CEO of OSF HealthCare Bob Sehring.

“Working with OSF HealthCare on the CCI Program reflects Illinois State’s core values of Collaboration, Learning and Scholarship, and Civic Engagement,” said Illinois State Interim President Aondover Tarhule. “This partnership will provide many opportunities for Illinois State faculty and students to work with our partners at OSF on a wide range of innovative projects that address real-world needs. This is truly an exciting project that will have wide-ranging benefits for all involved.”

The partnership will initially build on Illinois State’s expertise in education, health, cybersecurity, biomedical science, visualization, and process improvement. There will be opportunities for Illinois State’s academic colleges to collaborate on projects with OSF Healthcare. The broad range of faculty expertise and the engagement from the student body will lead to exciting new solutions to complex problems facing society.

“There is a long tradition of partnership between OSF and Illinois State, perhaps most clearly with students in clinical placements and in clinical situations,” said Craig C. McLauchlan, PhD, Illinois State’s associate vice president for Research and Graduate Studies. “The CCI expands that relationship in the area of research and provides an institutional framework that will allow us to build on already existing collaborations more easily. The partnership will provide students and persons in our community opportunities to contribute to innovation and growth that will benefit many.”

OSF Healthcare and Illinois State University have a tradition of collaboration on research, including a recent project to improve low childhood vaccination rates. 

Joint projects can include testing solutions in clinical spaces, such as OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center and medical offices. The efforts will take place both virtually and in-person in a variety of settings including ISU labs and computer centers, along with Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria, a world-class building with labs focused on advanced imaging and modeling, blockchain, children’s innovation, genomics and precision medicine, interprofessional education, neuro health, and STEAM.

“For OSF HealthCare, the expanded partnership will support the needs of researchers, medical educators, clinicians and most importantly, patients,” added John Vozenilek, MD, vice president and chief medical officer, OSF Innovation and Digital Health. “The brightest minds at Illinois State University can help us develop novel solutions with enhanced security and business processes to improve patient care and health outcomes, along with optimizing the use of resources using data.” Vozenilek adds, “That will become increasingly important as care continues to move from hospital settings to home and as we expand access to patients across all of the regions OSF serves.”

The CCI is built upon successful models that OSF Healthcare has developed and maintains with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Bradley University.

Video clips with Bob Sehring, Dr. John Vozenilek, Lynn Fulton, Aondover Tarhule, and Craig McLauchlan

B-roll from OSF-ISU partnership announcement

Alpine Health Systems is pleased to announce the launch of an AI-based software platform that can improve hospital discharge for patients with complex health conditions, and in some cases, multiple social needs. The platform allows case managers to quickly identify at-risk patients to safely transition to an appropriate site of care.

Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare and its innovation catalyst OSF Innovation, along with Indianapolis-based venture builder High Alpha Innovation, served as partners for the development of Alpine’s tool that can benefit hospitals nationwide.

Hospitals are filled with increasingly complex and difficult-to-treat populations, including those entering the hospital with more than one chronic illness and comorbidities. These patients often have multiple challenges, including intensive medical care needs, complex family expectations, criminal history or inadequate home support. Caring for these patients in a hospital setting far beyond their geometric mean length of stay (GMLOS) results in massive costs for providers and a missed opportunity to care for patients who need it most.

Starting with a simple rules-based architecture and Machine Learning (ML) as well as Natural Language Processing (NLP), Alpine helps case managers who are critical to the discharge process to elevate complex cases earlier, reducing excess hospital stays and improving patient outcomes. The platform identifies and prioritizes important patient risk factors in advance of hospital discharge to ensure a holistic look at what will lead to the best setting and support for the patient.

Unlike competitors, Alpine leverages non-clinical and social determinants of health (SDOH) factors that might not be part of a patient’s electronic health record or be easy to locate within the record. Alpine’s software searches historical case notes for additional risk factors, ensuring a highly accurate risk profile in real-time. As Alpine is developed and refined, it will become more capable of recognizing the factors that can put a patient at increased risk of delayed discharge and matching those factors with appropriate recommendations for case managers.

Easing the job of hospital case managers should also help hospitals attract and retain individuals for these critically important positions, thus Alpine provides that additional value for hospitals and health systems. 

Alpine is led by Miami-based co-founder and CEO Humberto Alexander Lee, a seasoned health care technology veteran with experience in high growth, venture-backed health care companies. Lee has worked with diverse organizations such as HCA Hospitals, Cerner, Assurant Health and AXA Assistance. Lee is a serial founder and investor in the health care startup space. Prior to Alpine, he served as CEO of Statra, a health care analytics SaaS platform. He was co-founder and CTO of PxSource, which was acquired by Revolution EHR in 2015, as well as co-founder and CTO of Tesser Health, which was acquired by ELMC Group in 2019.

“Everyone in need deserves to be treated with love and care – that’s the driving force behind Alpine,” notes Lee. “We're thrilled to partner with OSF HealthCare and High Alpha Innovation to help both hospitals and patients with one of the most challenging problems facing health care today.”

“Launching a new venture such as Alpine has the power to change the world,” adds Elliott Parker, CEO of High Alpha Innovation. “This is a solution that the market needs, and the speed and learning power of AI will successfully get it into the hands of hospital systems much faster than other approaches."

Michelle Conger, chief strategy officer of OSF HealthCare and CEO of OSF OnCall Digital Health, says, “OSF Innovation is dedicated to leveraging technology and best practices to elevate care, and the launch of Alpine will both improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of health care. We’re excited to work with Humberto and the team at High Alpha Innovation to bring to life this important innovative solution.”

The latest round of grants will fund 10 projects, leveraging OSF Innovation expertise and faculty from 16 colleges and health sciences at UIC. Grant recipients are expected to create solutions that can be deployed quickly, within four to six weeks.

The projects will examine patient experience for at-risk individuals who use the emergency department at OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in south suburban Evergreen Park, explore ways to build a pipeline for allied health and first-line health care providers, develop a plant-based diet that would appeal to Black men at risk for prostate cancer and expand communication tools for exploring social needs for patients, particularly for non-English-speaking individuals and those with special needs.

Other projects will launch a pilot in homeless shelters, use an artificial intelligence (AI) -based tool to check for diabetes-related vision problems and develop AI curriculum for medical students. Another will focus on creating the best strategies to communicate the risks of cannabis consumption on women of child-bearing age before, during and after pregnancy.

“Given the massive workforce shortages across the industry, our focus is on using technology and evidence-based approaches for strategies to serve our patients most effectively and solve some of the biggest challenges that prevent individuals from achieving better health and wellness,” says 
Dr. John Vozenilek, chief medical officer for Innovation & Digital Health at OSF HealthCare. “We’re also attempting to make sure we reach all populations that deserve a holistic approach to improving their health and their experience with health care.”

TJ Augustine, vice chancellor for Innovation at UIC says, “As Chicago's only public research university, we are uniquely positioned to address a wide range of community health challenges. Having OSF HealthCare as a partner is key to implementing solutions that make an impact. We’re proud that our partnership will yield best practices that help not only UIC and OSF, but that also support community medical providers who serve diverse populations.”

Here is a complete list and description of the projects receiving CHA grants.

Highlight Project: Prenatal Cannabis Exposure: Investigating Reasons and Messaging  
With cannabis laws changing at a rapid pace, traditional media and social media are saturated with positive messages about recreational or medicinal use of cannabis, and many people think it is safe because it’s marketed as being “natural.”  Dr. William Bond of OSF HealthCare is working with co-lead Erin Berenz, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago on a Community Health Advocacy (CHA) grant to investigate women’s risk perceptions of using cannabis in pregnancy.  Read more.

Chicago ARC, along with new partners  OSF HealthCare, Americare Senior Living, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Insight Hospital and Medical Center, and Illinois Tech join a collaborative of leading organizations to create the most ambitious partnership to tackle healthcare inequities through market-driven, community-informed solutions and attraction of startups that will support the region’s underserved populations.

The Chicago ARC venture collaborative announced today its partners voted to advance equity in the management of chronic diseases and access to quality behavioral health services, including those for substance use disorder, through collaborative approaches and solutions as the outcome of its inaugural convening. The meeting included founding health care partners representing nearly 750 health care delivery and training locations across Illinois and neighboring states.

Partners aligned on a vision to create a community of health innovation in Chicago and across Illinois and the Midwest, accelerating community-relevant innovation, technology, and partnerships, as well as positioning the region as a global destination for innovators and startups looking to transform healthcare and impact society. Chicago ARC partners will create collaboration and impact in the initial healthcare focus areas by sharing best practices through workshops and exchanges, collaboratively developing and evaluating new approaches, and serving as a network to pilot and scale innovative solutions.

By doing so, the partners will create replicable models to improve access, quality, cost of care, and address health inequities and social determinants of health.   

“Chicago ARC brings together the best global technology, startups and care models with the health equity needs of healthcare providers and the communities they serve” commented Chicago ARC Executive Director, Kate Merton, Ph.D., M.B.A. “Today, we are able to share incredible progress toward defining collaboration priorities where, together with our partners, we can drive equitable innovation to transform health care in Chicago, Illinois, and across the Midwest. And, by focusing on real-world needs that represent urban and rural communities across the U.S., we will bring technologies to market significantly faster than the traditional incubator and accelerator approaches.”

Chicago ARC's Healthcare Partners will define health equity market needs, contribute best practices, and serve as committed pilot sites and customers for technologies that meet defined solution requirements.

Stephen K. Klasko, M.D., M.B.A., former President of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health, and North American Ambassador, Sheba Medical Center and ARC, noted "Chicago ARC is taking radical collaboration to the next level by bringing together the amazing traditional healthcare ecosystem in Chicago and fourth industrial revolution technologies to bring population health, social determinants, and health equity from philosophic and academic exercises to the mainstream of clinical care in Chicago and beyond."

Founding Healthcare Partner, UIUC, along with Illinois Tech are the first institutions to join as Founding Innovation Partners, which means they have formalized a commitment of their expertise and capabilities to support the success of health systems and startups.

“The Chicago ARC and its network of leading partner organizations creates the ideal way for Sheba to translate our learnings and best practices to the U.S. healthcare market.  The commitment, collaboration, and expertise of the partners at the table demonstrates why the Chicago ARC model and this region are the perfect place for Sheba and our startup network to focus in the U.S.,” added Professor Eyal Zimlichman, Deputy Director General, Chief Transformation Officer, and Chief Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center.

The Chicago ARC additionally announced the finalized partnership agreement with Sheba to make it the North American epicenter for the Newsweek Global Top-10 Hospital’s global startup network.  Sheba will also collaborate with Chicago ARC partners on sharing and developing technology-based care model best practices.

"Making Chicago the preferred destination for groundbreaking startups is a top priority for World Business Chicago", stated WBC CEO Michael Fassnacht. "The Chicago ARC and its significant network of healthcare and innovation partners are delivering on the vision for Chicago and Illinois as the global hub for health equity innovation. The resulting collaborations and approaches will move the needle on equitable healthcare locally and create replicable models that scale across the U.S." 

Additional video clips with John Vozenilek, MD, vice president/chief medical officers OSF Innovation & Digital Health

What other new Chicago ARC partners say:

Michael Hammond, Americare Senior Living President and COO: “Americare Senior Living is a trusted name in senior living throughout Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi because of our person-centered approach.  The Chicago ARC partnership allows Americare to use technology and data to make a difference in the lives of our residents, their families, and our employees across 142 senior living communities through access to startups, approaches, collaborations, and capabilities not usually accessible to a senior care company.”

Robert J. Jones, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor: “Partnering with the Chicago ARC will help the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign harness our groundbreaking research, entrepreneurship-focused education, and statewide connectivity to lead the way in technology-inspired care. Working together with the Chicago ARC and fellow partners we can advance health equity and economic development in Illinois while building the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and healthcare professionals.”

Dillon Bannis, M.D., Insight Hospital and Medical Center Chief Medical Officer: “Insight Hospital and Medical Center is dedicated to transforming healthcare and delivering world class, compassionate expert care to every patient we serve. Through partnering with Chicago ARC, we look forward to developing new care models and leveraging cutting edge technology to increase access to high quality care for our community in Bronzeville."

Raj Echambadi, Ph.D., Illinois Institute of Technology President: “Illinois Tech is committed to liberating the collective power of difference to advance technology and progress for all. As the only technology-focused university in the global city of Chicago, Illinois Tech brings a purpose-driven focus to education, research, and innovation while serving as an engine for opportunity and economic mobility. We are excited to partner with Chicago ARC to empower health system partners and startups in their mission to innovate and solve some of the most pressing challenges facing healthcare today.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     # # #

The Chicago ARC is on a mission to accelerate tomorrow's healthcare solutions to those in need today. Its venture collaborative is a new model for equitable health innovation that invests in and grows startups that support collaboratively defined needs and care models at home, in the hospital, and in the community. The Chicago ARC provides an engine to open up the third largest U.S. healthcare market to solutions that can impact health equity at scale bringing together top startups with experienced operators, investment capital and a cross-sector partner network.  Chicago ARC builds upon the proven ARC model (Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate) of Sheba Medical Center — a Newsweek Top-10 Global Hospital. More at chicagoarc.health.

Amidst COVID-19 staffing and capacity challenges, health leaders across the country and at Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare could not ignore the grim reality that more needed to be done to stop pregnant women from dying.  

Nikki Delinski, DNP, RN, director of Education Operations, Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center, was enlisted by leaders to develop training that could reinforce standardized best practices across the Ministry. The two-part series included online education and on-site training so Mission Partners (employees) did not have to travel to the Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria during the height of the pandemic, when clinicians were most needed at patients’ bedsides.  

The training was developed by nursing leaders, providers and educators over several months and focused on two well-known complications that offer the best chance of survival if treated properly: pregnancy-related hemorrhage and pregnancy-induced high blood pressure called preeclampsia. 

Many of the frontline caregivers provided valuable feedback after more than 500 in-person simulations.  

Newly-released research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms earlier studies that show 80% of the annual average of 700 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The agency’s data also revealed Black women are three times more likely than white women to die due to pregnancy-related causes. The evidence prompted OSF Innovation to look at using “in situ” or in-person simulations to train doctors, medical technicians, nurses, midwives and other medical providers.  Delinksi and her team organized simulations throughout the 16 hospitals and medical centers within OSF Healthcare. The education emphasizes early recognition of symptoms, teamwork, communication and a list of well-rehearsed treatments and interventions that represent best practices.  

In collaboration with the Solutions Design team and the Clinical Education team at OSF Ministry Services, the on-site training for maternal hemorrhage used manikins that simulated bleeding. But Delinksi points out that the simulation operations specialists redesigned the manikins to produce optimized symptoms, such as sweating, stress and real-life blood loss scenarios. 

“So it wasn't just a gush of blood. It was over time, and those nurses and physicians were able to then actually implement their interventions in the appropriate timeframe. They were able to use the supplies, rather than just saying, ‘Here I would do this,’ or ‘I would think about this.’” 

All too often, symptoms that follow the days, weeks and even months after delivery can be dismissed as simply a side effect of giving birth. Headaches are written off as caused by the stress of a new baby, lack of sleep or even a pregnancy loss. Vomiting could be caused by not eating well due to demands of being a new mom. But CDC research indicates slightly more than half of all pregnancy-related deaths happen seven days to one year after pregnancy. 

At OSF, Delinski and her team developed hypertension training that, used 40 specially-trained standardized participants (SPs), clinical actors who have studied and practiced the symptoms and also know the guidelines. Those SPs also participate in debriefings and often point out how certain actions or behaviors made them feel.  

Next steps will include recruiting SPs who more specifically reflect the diversity of the individual communities. 

“If we’re going up to Chicago to do some of these ‘in situ,’ these in-the-moment, in-the-environment simulations, what better way to portray realism than to have actual community members acting as those patients?”  

 Delinski believes educating the multidisciplinary teams that care for pregnant women can also help raise community awareness about the need to listen to the concerns of women who are pregnant or who have been pregnant during the last year and help them get the right care at the right time. 

"By our Mission Partners becoming more educated, it will help to educate our patients and the community. So when we’re gaining new information and new experiences, we will then naturally share those experiences and education with our patients [so they know what] signs and symptoms to look for and when to reach out for help.”  

The education team traveled some 15,352 miles to provide the on-site trainings with an average of four sessions hosted at each location to accommodate various shifts. OSF HealthCare has been collecting data to measure the impact of the training on outcomes. Cumulative measurements for blood loss have improved the past few measurement cycles, remaining at or above target levels. Some Birthing Center staff members also reported better teamwork and preparation for pregnancy-related medical emergencies. 

Video Clips with Nikki Delinski, Director of Education Operations, Jump Simulation & Education Center, OSF HealthCare

Peoria, Illinois-based OSF HealthCare is trying to solve the complex problems plaguing health care. Often, solutions for improving care and reducing costs emerge from the Jump Simulation and Education Center in Peoria. Home to OSF Innovation, it houses innovation labs data with scientists, engineers, designers, project management and process improvement experts, along with other resources. OSF Innovation leaders, however, believe in creating an innovative culture across the health system to focus on creative problem solving and executing solutions. 

One way to encourage that culture is to create hospital-based innovation hubs that encourage collaboration among OSF Mission Partners (employees).Trailblazer Challenges, coordinated through the hubs, provide an opportunity to crowdsource solutions. The first such challenge at the new hospital-level innovation hub in the I-80 region focused on improving the patient hospital discharge process.

OSF Innovation Senior Vice President Becky Buchen says many Mission Partners don’t see themselves as innovators.

Buchen adds, “Then they build on each other's ideas and that really supports the transformation of health care.” 

OSF Innovation researched and found a platform called Ideawake to solicit and vet possible solutions to pressing issues facing caregivers and patients. Buchen says the platform provides a safe space  that’s easy and fun to share ideas.

“You start out with a problem that you want to solve, but then it acts very much like a social media platform. So I can bring forward my ideas. Other people can vote up my ideas or add to my ideas, and that starts to build great excitement. It's a very intuitive platform; very easy to use so it’s not intimidating.”  

Zack VanKeulen is the director of Emergency Services for OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, 60 miles south of Rockford, Illinois. VanKeulen was a finalist for the first Trailblazer Challenge. VanKeulen says even if the solution he pitched in a ‘Shark Tank’ style presentation isn’t fully developed, the experience was worth the effort. He enjoyed the coaching sessions available through Ideawake and gained useful skills along the way.

“You learn about things outside of health care, like software design and coding and the amount of money and resources it takes to create some of these apps. And those things may not be possible, so you have to bite off a smaller piece than you originally thought was possible. But in the end, if you can innovate and make a change that positively impacts the patient's experience, then it's a win-win situation,” says VanKeulen. 

Innovation Hubs can create new technology or efficiencies

OSF Saint Paul Medical Center President Dawn Trompeter was an early champion of innovation hubs. She pitched the idea more three years ago, but efforts were sidelined when COVID-19 hit. That gave her and other believers more time to raise money – from Mission Partners, the community, and individuals passionate about discovering technology or processes to ease the way for patients and improve care delivery. Trompeter says it wasn’t just about creating space, but about having innovative resources available for caregivers, patients and communities wherever and whenever they need them.

Trompeter says the solutions chosen through the Trailblazer Challenge will get support for development and testing.

“If the pilot is successful and increasing those experiences for our patients, then that's something we can spread across our entire market region and then across the Ministry to enhance our patient experience across the entire health system.” 

Along with creating a room for pitches and connecting with subject matter experts virtually, the innovation hub now has virtual reality headsets that can be transported and used for engaging patients or providing education for care teams or support staff.

Trompeter gives an example: a newly-diagnosed patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could be referred to the innovation hub for a VR session that takes them virtually through the lungs to show the effect the disease is having on the ability of their lungs to function.

“That's just one example. It could be for diabetes, it could be a number of different things, but really engaging our patients in their own health care and helping them understand in layman's terms, really what happens and what their diagnosis may be about or how they may be able to help keep themselves healthy through that (seeing the impact).” 

A final phase of the innovation hub will engage community partners such as schools. VR sessions could help students see the impact of vaping, or more immersive “day in the life” VR sessions might help students explore more lesser-known medical related careers. Regional innovation hubs can also solve looming challenges facing all hospitals within the OSF system, as well as for hospitals across the country. 

Buchen believes ensuring hospital-level care is sustainable requires tapping into new ideas and can require collaborating with academic and community partners. But, she stresses it’s critical to have a system to vet those ideas and to nurture them with support from experts at the Jump Center in Peoria because some problems are extremely complex.

 “It might be that we need to better understand the data. It might be that we take a deeper dive into the process as we transform the ideas they’re bringing forward. It may be that the idea they brought forward is something so unique that we need to make sure that we have the intellectual property protected for them.”

VanKeulen agrees the best way to transform health care is from the inside out, and having support is important because those engaged in it every day care deeply and want to improve patients’ experience.

 “You hear the general public saying that the health care system is broken. So this is members of the health care system, Mission Partners from OSF, trying to make that repair that’s so desperately needed in our country today.” 

 Buchen also believes breakthrough health care innovation, born through hospital-based hubs, can also serve as an economic engine in their communities because when good ideas have so much value they require commercialization, businesses can be locally based and staffed, creating new jobs and expanding the tax base.    

Interview Clips

Innovation Hubs B-roll

OSF Ventures, the corporate investment arm of OSF HealthCare, begins a new era of leadership and investment as founding leader Stan Lynall begins a transition to retirement. For now, Lynall, the senior steward of OSF Ventures, will continue in a part-time role focused on portfolio management including board positions with eight portfolio companies.

Founded in the last quarter of 2015, OSF Ventures is part of the Innovation strategy of OSF HealthCare, a 15-hospital system in Illinois and Michigan. Investments are focused on Series A and Series B rounds for startups with digital solutions, tech-enabled services and medical technology, including medical devices, diagnostics and therapeutics.

Mayank Taneja, who joined OSF Ventures in 2016 as one of the earliest members of a high-performing team, began a new generation of leadership and stepped into the role of vice president of venture investments on June 26. Taneja has been with OSF HealthCare since 2014. He brings experience in the health care industry across multiple disciplines including the practice of medicine, working with early stage companies, supporting venture investments and innovation strategies.

In addition to direct investment in 28 companies, which is its primary focus, OSF Ventures has invested in two strategically aligned health care venture capital funds: Ascension Ventures and LRV Health. In his new role, Taneja will oversee $250 million in assets across three funds.

OSF Ventures has experienced nine successful exits since its launch. As director, Taneja led OSF investments and served as a board observer on several of these companies including: Current Health (acquired by Best Buy), SilverCloud (acquired by Amwell), CareSignal (acquired by LightBeam Health) and Paradigm Diagnostics (acquired by Exact Sciences). He has also worked closely with OSF executives across the system to foster innovation and advance new ideas and technologies; many that have been or will eventually be deployed within the OSF Ministry.

“We know as a health care system we need to constantly innovate to serve patients and caregivers better and we are always looking for new partners who can bring value to those efforts,” says Michelle Conger, OSF HealthCare chief strategy officer and CEO of OSF OnCall Digital Health.

“Stan has built a strong ventures program that helped OSF HealthCare become a leader in the world of health system-sponsored investment programs, scaled through partnerships and practical collaborations with budding tech companies that brought emerging health care solutions to our clinics and hospitals, most often before they are broadly marketed and deployed.”

Before joining the OSF Ventures team, Taneja worked with the usability services team at OSF, supporting health care startups pilot their technologies and also performed human factor studies for FDA submission. Prior to joining OSF HealthCare, Taneja worked at Zimmer Inc. in its post market risk surveillance division as part of the Zimmer Leadership Program. He also practiced internal medicine for four years in New Delhi, India.

The leadership transition will also mark the beginning of investments utilizing the third and largest board-approved OSF Ventures fund of $100 million. The focus will remain on med-tech and innovative workflow solutions that ensure caregivers have what they need, particularly after the challenges of the past two-and-a-half years.

Lynall adds, “As we continue to approach care in new ways, I believe Mayank will continue to excel in selecting partner startups that are focused on our strategic initiatives, engaging them on an ongoing basis offering guidance and the clinical expertise at OSF HealthCare.”

OSF HealthCare expects growth in AI/machine learning, precision medicine, blockchain and process automation, among other areas of innovation. Taneja believes it’s an exciting time to be in a position to further OSF HealthCare efforts to become a leader in the ethical use of data and approaches such as machine learning to support prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and improved outcomes.

In reflecting on his new role, Taneja says, “When I practiced medicine in India, I never imagined I would have a hand in guiding investments and connecting clinicians with opportunities to pilot revolutionary technology. I’m proud to offer strategic support that helps OSF HealthCare meet the challenges of finding better ways to care for our patients, through investments and testing tools that provide sharper imaging, AI diagnostic support for earlier and accurate diagnoses, and technology that helps our providers know their patients better, including their social needs so we can offer a more patient-centered approach to caring for them.”

But Taneja acknowledges the landscape is not without challenges. “As we consider new investments, we must realize we’re in an era of fewer providers having to serve a growing number of patients,” he says. “So it’ll be critically important we invest in ways to streamline processes, prioritize patient needs and find ways to help people help themselves manage chronic conditions and stay healthier.”

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