Tata Elxsi, University of Illinois and OSF HealthCare unveil digital health initiative to improve rural healthcare access in the US
A detailed analysis conducted by the Gies College of Business, using OSF HealthCare data, found that improving access to primary care in rural regions significantly reduces avoidable emergency room visits.
Bengaluru/Illinois, December 2: Tata Elxsi has partnered with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and OSF HealthCare to deploy AI-enabled digital health kiosks aimed at strengthening primary and preventive care delivery in rural America. The collaboration seeks to close long-standing gaps in access by combining advanced health technologies with evidence-based academic research and real-world clinical data.
According to project partners, digital health innovations in the United States have traditionally focused on urban populations, leaving rural and remote areas underserved. The new model uses hyper-localised digital health kiosks, funded by Jump ARCHES, to extend preventive care, chronic disease management, behavioural health support and health monitoring to communities with limited access to clinicians. The kiosks are supported by Tata Elxsi’s TEngage platform, which integrates IoMT devices, telehealth tools, hospital information systems and secure data workflows over AWS cloud infrastructure.
A detailed analysis conducted by the Gies College of Business, using OSF HealthCare data, found that improving access to primary care in rural regions significantly reduces avoidable emergency room visits. The study highlighted barriers such as poor network connectivity, long travel distances, inadequate insurance coverage and low technology awareness—challenges the kiosks are designed to address.
The first set of kiosks will be deployed across Illinois, followed by a phased expansion to multiple counties over the next three years. Features under consideration include IoT-based remote monitoring, epidemic tracking using AI analytics, predictive alerts and enhanced community health education. Each kiosk will also support cloud-based management, EHR connectivity and automated workflows for community health workers.
Sreevatsa Sahasranaman, Senior Vice President & Head of Healthcare Business at Tata Elxsi, said the partnership demonstrates how technology-led models can make quality healthcare accessible to all, particularly underserved populations. “By combining the University of Illinois’ research insights with our expertise, we are delivering hyper-customized care and impactful solutions that touch rural communities,” he said.
Prof. Ujjal Kumar Mukherjee of Gies College of Business and Carle Illinois College of Medicine said the initiative forms a “hub-and-spoke network” that brings care closer to where people live. “A simple kiosk at the last mile becomes more than a device; it’s the final link in a larger network that helps ensure no one is left out,” he said.
Ann M. Willemsen-Dunlap of OSF HealthCare said the Tata Elxsi interface will support community health workers in delivering care “miles away from a hospital or clinic,” improving screening and connectivity in rural regions.
Telecom service providers will supply critical last-mile connectivity, enabling seamless data flow and virtual consultations. The partners said the initiative demonstrates the value of multi-stakeholder models involving technology firms, academic institutions and healthcare providers in addressing systemic gaps in rural health access across the US.
