For the 18,000+ people who work for Peoria, Illinois-based OSF Healthcare, nothing is more important than breaking down the barriers that separate people from healthcare and good health. Unfortunately, this organization faced barriers of its own, and it took the right kind of partner to bring them down.
Since its founding in 1877, OSF has embraced a mission that is in keeping with its namesake, St. Francis of Assisi: “To serve persons with the greatest care and love in a community that celebrates the Gift of Life.” Owned and operated by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, the OSF system, which includes 11 hospitals, 150 primary care and specialist offices in the fields of neuroscience, pediatrics, cardiovascular, and home care, also includes OSF Innovation, one of the top 10 healthcare innovation centers in the United States.
While more than 140 years have passed since OSF was founded, OSF Healthcare is still committed to its foundational goal of “taking on the hardest challenges to provide care to all those who need it.” Today, OSF HealthCare operates as a not-for-profit Catholic health care corporation that operates a medical group, hospital system, and other health care facilities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Illinois. Today, some 46 percent of the households OSF services are low income, with 22 percent living below the poverty level. In addition to partnering with civic leaders, local food banks, homeless shelters, and government, OSF is exploring new ways to deliver health care and preventive medicine. Most recently, OSF HealthCare launched OSF Innovation as a way of improving outcomes, while making health care safer, more accessible, and more affordable.
OSF and Continuant had a working relationship many years ago, but in 2012, the healthcare organization decided that it would instead rely on support from an Avaya business partner. Surely a partner trusted by the system’s provider would be the ideal source of quality support. In the end, this proved to not be the case. This Avaya partner couldn’t give its systems with thousands of users the support that it needed. To make matters worse, it was far less cost efficient, costing the organization time and money.
In 2015, the prodigal son returned at last. Continuant, a partner that OSF knew now more than ever that it could trust, was able to provide support for the Avaya system at a much more reasonable price. Continuant has maintained the Avaya System for OSF's 18,145 users and has helped with their migration to Cisco. In addition to that, Continuant has been able to augment OSF's staff with one full-time technician.
Without a doubt, Continuant’s cost-effective service offering is helping OSF remain true to its mission, spending resources where they will do the most good to foster the gift of life.