OSF Saint Francis Earns Emergency Surgery Verification
The Peoria hospital is the first in Illinois and the 18th nationwide to receive the American College of Surgeons designation for emergency general surgery care.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Healthcare
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OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois, became the first hospital in Illinois to earn verification through the American College of Surgeons Emergency General Surgery Verification Program. The hospital is the 18th nationwide to receive the designation, which also made it an American College of Surgeons Surgical Quality Partner.
Why it matters
The verification recognizes that the hospital meets national standards for around-the-clock emergency general surgical care, which covers urgent conditions unrelated to traumatic injuries. For Peoria and central Illinois residents, it signals consistent access to emergency surgery for conditions such as appendicitis and gallbladder disease.
OSF Saint Francis is the 18th hospital nationwide to earn the American College of Surgeons Emergency General Surgery Verification, and the first in Illinois. The designation was announced on November 9, 2026, and the stub does not report additional operational metrics.
The players
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
A hospital in Peoria, Illinois, part of the OSF HealthCare system, serving central Illinois as a regional medical center.
American College of Surgeons
A professional organization of surgeons founded in 1913 that sets surgical quality standards and runs national verification and accreditation programs.
The details
The American College of Surgeons verification program was developed in partnership with the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma to address variations in emergency surgical care between hospitals, including rural and metropolitan differences. Hospitals earn verification by meeting national standards for emergency general surgical care, building on other national surgical quality improvement initiatives.
Timeline
November 9, 2026: OSF Saint Francis announced its verification achievement.
Healthcare Landscape
The American College of Surgeons Emergency General Surgery Verification Program was created with the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma to standardize emergency surgical care across hospitals of different sizes and locations. OSF Saint Francis's verification adds an Illinois facility to the 18 hospitals nationwide that have met these standards so far.
Patients in Peoria and central Illinois with urgent non-trauma surgical needs, such as appendicitis or gallbladder disease, may have a nearby facility that meets national emergency surgery standards. The verification does not change how patients access the hospital or their insurance coverage.
The takeaway
Verification through the American College of Surgeons gives residents an external benchmark for the quality of emergency surgical care at their local hospital. Patients can ask providers about surgical verification status when planning urgent care decisions.
Further reading
For more on the regional medical landscape, see Healthcare coverage in Peoria.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 104.9 The Wolf.
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