New Research on the State of Virtual Nursing in 2025
Five years ago, Virtual Nursing was largely seen as experimental. But as Black Book Research recently put it, “healthcare’s shift to Virtual Nursing and allied virtual care has officially crossed the line from pilot projects into core infrastructure.”
Virtual Nursing: Why Now?
Three powerful forces are driving the acceleration of inpatient virtual care:
- Workforce pressures – Labor remains hospitals’ largest expense, representing 56% of costs in 2024. Virtual Nursing helps protect bedside capacity by shifting tasks to virtual RNs, who are often late-career nurses eager for flexible roles.
- Rural fragility – Nearly half of rural hospitals are operating in the red, with hundreds at risk of closure. Virtual command centers and teleICU co-management provide “second set of eyes” coverage that stabilizes patients locally and reduces transfers.
- Evolving expectations – Pandemic-era care models introduced the concept of always-on care, which consumers and providers alike now see as the new standard.
What the Research Says
Virtual Nursing adoption has since skyrocketed and is quickly evolving to include virtual command centers and AI capabilities in tech-enabled bedside care delivery. In an August 2025 survey of 554 clinical, financial, and IT leaders, Black Book Research found that 88% of hospitals are piloting or running multiple purpose-built solutions for virtual care (i.e., Virtual Nursing, Virtual Sitting, Tele-ICU, etc.). 73% of those surveyed expect their organization to expand virtual care services by 2026.
The survey results tell a compelling story for acute virtual care:
- 62% report stronger multidisciplinary collaboration following deployments
- 47% of rural leaders cite major reductions in transfer delays
- 44% of risk leaders report measurable improvements in adverse-event detection
- 64% of nurse managers report improved staff satisfaction, tied closely to time saved
Self-reported outcomes reinforce the impact:
- 20–45 minutes of RN time reclaimed per shift, largely through documentation assists and standardized education and discharge preparation
- 10–30% fall reduction on high-risk units within the first year
- 30–50% one-to-one sitter hours are replaced in mature observation programs
- 15–35% reduction in rural transfer delays with hub-and-spoke virtual models
How Hospitals Are Making It Work
According to researchers, successful programs engage staff early and often and “assemble modular, purpose-built services that align to the facility type (tertiary, community, rural/CAH, post-acute), nursing acuity and staffing mix, available funding/budgets (operational vs. capital, grants), and user experience levels.”
The study underscores that success depends less on gadgets and more on governance and design. High-performing organizations:
- Start with sitters. Virtual observation programs deliver early ROI and provide a scalable on-ramp to broader Virtual Nursing models.
- Define role boundaries. Units that publish a clear task taxonomy—what stays bedside vs. what shifts virtual—are 1.7x more likely to rate adoption as “very good or excellent.”
- Invest in training. 59% of nurses required additional education or peer support to accept remote models; peer champions helped boost unit adoption significantly.
- Wire it into the EHR. Virtual work documented in the same chart builds bedside trust and accelerates adoption.
Researchers warn against common red flags, including fuzzy task definition, clinical staff training gaps, bad AV that wrecks credibility, and unclosed loops between virtual and bedside teams.
A Maturity Model for Virtual Care
Black Book offers the following framework for scaling Virtual Nursing adoption:
- Start with one high-value use case (e.g., sitter) to prove ROI.
- Create a repeatable rollout kit (policies, training, checklists).
- Phase by unit and site; track adoption and time-to-value.
- Publish service-level objectives (answer times, escalation closure, hourly touchpoints).
- Tie to executive dashboards (quality, throughputs, labor, finance)
Each step in the adoption journey reflects a shift from novelty to necessity. And increasingly, the destination isn’t just more technology – it’s a model of care that protects bedside time, stabilizes rural hospitals, and improves outcomes.
The Bottom Line
Virtual Nursing isn’t about cameras on walls. It’s about redesigning workflows so bedside teams can focus on what only they can do. It’s a proven force multiplier for safety, staffing, and access, especially when organizations match the right tools to the right setting.
For hospitals navigating workforce strain, rural fragility, and policy uncertainty, Virtual Nursing has become not just a solution but a strategic imperative.
Caregility Customer Summit Agenda
Customer Connect Summit Agenda
Join us for a dynamic, future-focused event designed to inspire and empower our virtual care community. Whether you’re here to gain insights, share your experiences, or shape the future of care delivery, there’s something for everyone! Let’s reimagine what’s possible—together.
NOTE: THIS IS A SAMPLE AGENDA FROM THE INAUGURAL 2025 EVENT
Monday, September 22
Join us for a relaxed meet-and-greet over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Ellipse Lounge at the Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park (3111 Fairview Park Dr, Falls Church, VA, 2204).
Tuesday, September 23
Join us for breakfast in the Marriott’s Alexandria Room.
Meet in the Marriott lobby. Shuttle departs at 8:15 AM.
Welcome message from Caregility CEO Ron Gaboury.
KEYNOTE // Technology & Health: Shaping the Future of Care Delivery
Microsoft Chief Nursing Innovation Officer Kathleen McGrow, DNP, MS, RN, PMP, FHIMSS FAAN
A strategic vision for how emerging technologies—particularly artificial intelligence—are redefining the future of healthcare delivery and patient engagement. Drawing on real-world data, industry trends, and frontline innovation, this presentation explores how AI is addressing critical challenges such as workforce shortages, care coordination, and operational inefficiencies. Get a forward-looking roadmap for integrating AI into enterprise strategy to improve outcomes and drive sustainable transformation across health systems.
Nursing Innovation in the Digital Era
Emerging Trends in Healthcare Technology
Innovation with Impact: Making Virtual Care Sustainable
How can healthcare leaders drive meaningful innovation while staying grounded in fiscal responsibility? This session explores the art of successfully navigating care transformation and cost containment. The speaker will share real-world examples of how they’ve scaled virtual care with measurable ROI, a rapid deployment strategy, and a clear-eyed view of long-term sustainability.
Complimentary lunch on-site at Inova.
Inova Showcase
Inova Chief Information and Digital Strategy Officer Matt Kull and team deliver a session on the health system’s formula for care transformation success. Attendees will then have an opportunity to tour Inova’s High Reliability Operations Center, the hub of virtual care operations.
Lessons Learned: Unexpected Pivots & Surprises
The Future of Connected Care: Caregility’s Vision for 2025 and Beyond
Caregility’s leadership team shares the strategic direction and innovation roadmap for our AI-enhanced virtual care solutions, and how we’re partnering with customers and key industry partners to transform care.
Take the shuttle back to Marriott for our Awards Dinner. Shuttle departs from Inova at 5:15 PM.
Reception & Awards Dinner
Join us for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, 5:45-6:30 PM, followed by dinner and our 2025 Summit Awards ceremony, 6:30-9 PM, in the Marriott’s Fairview Ballroom.
Wednesday, September 24
Join us for breakfast in the Marriott’s Alexandria Room.
Meet in the hotel lobby. Shuttle departs at 8:15 AM.
Welcome message from Caregility CEO Ron Gaboury.
From Pilot to Practice: Sustaining Digital Innovation
This session explores what it takes to get to 1,000 devices and this leading health system’s journey through program adoption and expansion, including supporting cross-team collaboration and garnering executive buy-in.
Scaling Virtual Nursing at Speed
Get an inside look at the rapid deployment and surprising impact of virtual nursing at this leading health system. Learn how this team achieved rapid adoption and uncovered unexpected opportunities along the way.
Innovators in Action: Transforming Care Through Real-World Solutions
Learn about this leading health system’s journey from pandemic response to inpatient virtual care powerhouse, with a deep dive into the health system’s Virtual Patient Observation program, Virtual Nursing, and more.
The Next Frontier: Making AI Work in Clinical Care
AI is rapidly becoming foundational in healthcare, but true transformation happens when it’s embedded seamlessly into the fabric of care delivery. In this session, we’ll explore what it takes to deploy AI responsibly, measure its value, and build scalable solutions that evolve with the pace of innovation.
Lunch & Roundtable Discussions
Your Voice Matters: Following lunch, join moderated discussions with facilitated feedback designed to uncover what Caregility is doing right, where there are opportunities for improvement, and what emerging needs are on the radar.
Build On Us: Proving Impact and Building Your Smart Room Ecosystem
We’ll unpack Caregility’s new LOOP framework for quantifying ROI – including what we capture and why it matters – and reveal how we’re evolving our best-of-breed Smart Room ecosystem to help you scale impact across your organization.
Together Toward Tomorrow: Next Steps from the Summit
Together we’ll recap insights, outline collaborative actions, and ignite momentum for post-summit initiatives.
NOTE: THIS IS A SAMPLE AGENDA FROM THE INAUGURAL 2025 EVENT
Care Model Transformation
Real-World ROI
How to Get Started
