2. How is telehealth helping make care teams more agile?
Marinari and Osborne emphasized that telehealth has enhanced their ability to iterate quickly and uncover new opportunities for efficiency gains in nursing workflows. With a centralized Virtual Nursing hub on-site, remote nurses can triage and respond to inbound calls from the bedside, leaning on built-in backup coverage when multiple requests come in simultaneously. Mary Washington has seen improvements in nurse turnover rates and staff retention by implementing Virtual Nursing.

3. What workflows do Virtual Nursing and AI support?
In addition to supporting virtual admissions, discharges, and second signature verifications, virtual nurses also play a crucial role in supporting specialized workflows. For instance, virtual nurses can easily support MRI checklists and help determine the model of medical device (i.e. pacemakers) a patient has before procedures. The integration of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) questionnaires into the virtual admissions process has increased completion rates to 98%, a dramatic improvement from before Virtual Nursing implementation. These workflows help ensure high-quality care and compliance.

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Mike Brandofino, President & COO
Event: Becker’s 9th Annual Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Conference

“Telenursing was top of mind for a lot of folks at Becker’s. There were quite a few discussions about what virtual nursing programs can do and how to effectively deploy technology without negatively impacting bedside teams. Just throwing new technology at problems does not move the needle. Healthcare organizations are taking a more thoughtful approach to collaborative virtual care models.

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While concerns about depersonalization in healthcare delivery deserve careful consideration, a growing body of research challenges these assumptions. Multiple studies demonstrate that virtual care strengthens patient engagement and satisfaction:

• A 2024 meta-analysis assessing patient satisfaction with telemedicine consultations offers evidence that patients generally exhibit high levels of satisfaction with the virtual model.
• According to research from Statista, as of 2023, over half of patients surveyed in the United States indicated increased satisfaction with their care as a result of telemedicine.
• Mayo Clinic research found that “quality metrics improved, along with significant improvement in patient satisfaction scores, as well as physician and support staff engagement and satisfaction” due to implementing advanced team-based care models that leverage in-room virtual care support.

After implementing a Virtual Nursing program, Florida-based Lee Health saw a 20% jump in patient satisfaction as reflected in HCAHPS scores as a result of enhancing the quality and immediacy of patient engagement. Patients report appreciating the availability of virtual nurses, who typically offer more focused interactions as they are less apt than bedside staff to be interrupted or juggling multiple tasks. “The personal nature of two-way video breaks through the glass,” said Lee Health’s System Director of Virtual Health and Telemedicine, Jon Witenko. “That human connection makes all the difference.”

A recent Becker’s Hospital Review article captures healthcare leaders’ sentiments that virtual care can enhance the overall patient experience by addressing bottlenecks in traditional workflows, “allowing nurses to have more time to engage meaningfully with patients.”

Collectively, the evidence highlights how virtual care drives better patient experience by fostering a sense of connectivity and attentiveness when implemented as part of a collaborative care model.

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