OSF HealthCare is testing a new way to help patients stay on track with their medications, using automated text messages to spot missed refills and connect people with pharmacists.
The pilot program focuses on patients taking medications for chronic conditions, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Using insurance data, the system identifies people who may be falling behind on their prescriptions and sends targeted reminders, OSF officials said.
Officials say the approach could reach more patients than traditional phone calls while making it easier for people to get personalized help by scheduling a meeting with a pharmacist to discuss what is going on.
Nicole Swenson, director of pharmacy digital care at OSF HealthCare, said patients sometimes stop taking medications when side effects become an issue.
"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."
The program also helps pharmacists identify barriers for people who do not take their medications, including transportation challenges, pharmacy access and complicated medication schedules, OSF said.
The pilot began in August and has so far prompted 92 people to begin taking their medication as prescribed, according to OSF.
The next phase will use predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to help identify patients at risk of falling behind on medications before gaps occur, OSF said.
Background
OSF HealthCare is a Catholic health system headquartered in Peoria that operates hospitals and clinics across Illinois and Michigan, according to the system's website. Its Sauk Valley hospital is OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon, the former KSB Hospital, which joined OSF on Jan. 1, 2025, according to OSF's website. The system also operates a clinic in Sterling.
Research on chronic-disease treatment has found that adherence rates for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure often fall in the 50% to 60% range, with adherence commonly defined as taking at least 80% of prescribed doses, according to a review published by the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central.