FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2026
CONTACT:
Beau Ebenezer
OSF HealthCare
Beau.R.Ebenezer@osfhealthcare.org
OSF Saint Francis is nationally recognized for commitment to excellence in heart failure care
The American Heart Association presents Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Bronze award for proven dedication to ensuring all heart failure patients have access to best practices and life-saving care
Peoria, Illinois - August 14, 2026 - OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Bronze quality achievement award for its ongoing commitment to improving outcomes for people with heart failure, including shortening hospital stays and increasing healthy days at home.
About 6.7 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure (HF), a number that is expected to rise to more than 8.7 million by 2030, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Report. Despite the name, HF doesn’t mean that the heart has stopped working — it means the heart is struggling to pump enough blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there is no cure, many people with heart failure can live a quality life by working closely with their health care team on a treatment plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.
The Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure quality achievement award recognizes hospitals that consistently demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most current, evidence-based guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, supporting care teams in delivering guideline-directed care. The program is designed to shorten hospital stays and increase healthy days at home.
Each year, participating hospitals qualify for award recognition by demonstrating sustained performance in delivering quality care for patients with heart failure. In addition to following clinical treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants provide patients with education and tools to help them manage their condition at home.
“We are proud to recognize the leadership and dedicated care teams at OSF Saint Francis for their strong commitment to improving care for people living with heart failure,” said Sabra Lewsey, M.D., MPH, volunteer chair of the American Heart Association Heart Failure System of Care Advisory Group. “Hospitals that participate in Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure, a 20-year flagship quality improvement program, often achieve better patient outcomes, including fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates — benefiting patients, families, communities and health care systems alike.”
OSF Saint Francis is also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart Failure℠ Optimal. Hospitals receiving this award meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination, and enhance patient education. Receiving the Optimal designation means a hospital has performed 50% or better for defect-free care. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life.
About OSF HealthCare
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis and headquartered in Peoria, Illinois. The system includes 18 inpatient facilities encompassing 16 licensed hospitals, two of which operate dual campuses in separate communities. Among these hospitals, 10 are acute care facilities, five are critical access hospitals and one is a continuing care facility. OSF has 2,141 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan and employs more than 27,000 Mission Partners across 170+ locations. These include OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, the third largest pediatric hospital in the state, and OSF OnCall, its digital health operating entity that offers hospital-at-home care. In addition, OSF operates two colleges of nursing; OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; Pointcore, Inc., which is composed of health care-related businesses; and OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the organization. Advances in health care transformation take place through OSF Innovation as well as OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. OSF HealthCare has been recognized by Fortune as one of the most innovative companies in the country and by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals. Learn more at osfhealthcare.org.
About Get With The Guidelines
Get With The Guidelines® is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 18 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.