Summary: Bridging IT & Clinical for Virtual Nursing Success
The on-demand webinar “Bridging IT and Clinical Worlds for Virtual Nursing Success,” hosted by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), features insights from Lee Health’s System Director of Virtual Health and Telemedicine, Jon Witenko, Business Analyst Kimberly Gualt, and Caregility’s President and COO, Mike Brandofino. They discuss their experience implementing and scaling virtual nursing and the collaborative strategies necessary to ensure success.
Key Themes and Takeaways:
1. Cultivating Clinical and IT Alignment
Successful virtual nursing programs hinge on strong collaboration between IT and clinical teams.
The speakers stress the importance of mutual understanding, where IT appreciates the nuances of clinical workflows, and clinicians understand the technological capabilities and constraints.
2. Addressing Implementation Challenges
Common hurdles include resistance to change, technical barriers, and scalability concerns.
The session highlights lessons learned from overcoming these barriers, emphasizing the importance of phased rollouts and continuous feedback loops.
3. Seamless Clinical Workflow Integration
Integration is key to preventing disruption in day-to-day care delivery.
The discussion underscores designing solutions that complement, rather than complicate, existing workflows, ensuring minimal disruption to bedside care.
4. Virtual Nurse Training Strategies
Preparing nurses to adopt virtual care roles is essential.
Lee Health shares strategies for equipping virtual nurses with the skills to engage patients effectively through technology while maintaining empathy and clinical excellence.
5. Patient Impact
The program demonstrates measurable benefits for patients, including enhanced monitoring, reduced response times, and improved access to care.
The panelists emphasize maintaining the human touch even in a technology-driven model to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes.
6. Staff Reception
Ensuring team-wide support is a critical component of success.
The discussion touches on addressing skepticism, demonstrating the value of virtual nursing, and involving staff early in the process.
7. Evolving Role of Virtual Nursing
Virtual nursing is a scalable, cost-effective solution to address workforce shortages and rising patient acuity.
The conversation speculates on how the role might evolve with advancements in AI and telehealth technology, moving toward more proactive and preventive care models.
Insights for Healthcare Professionals
The on-demand webinar provides actionable insights, including:
Creating alignment frameworks to bring IT and clinical teams together.
Adopting an iterative approach to tech deployment, allowing for adjustments based on real-world use.
Leveraging metrics and data to measure success and identify areas for improvement.
This session ultimately highlights how fostering collaboration, planning for adaptability, and prioritizing patient and staff experiences are critical for achieving sustainable success in virtual nursing programs.
Lee Health Expands Virtual Nursing Program with Caregility
The Florida-based health system will significantly expand inpatient telehealth to connect hospital patients and staff with remote nurse resources.
Wall, NJ and Fort Myers, FL (Oct 16, 2024) – Lee Health, one of Florida’s largest health systems, is significantly expanding its Virtual Nursing Program with Caregility, a leading enterprise telehealth company.
Through the initiative, Lee Health continues its commitment to modernizing care delivery, enhancing clinical efficiency, and improving patient and staff satisfaction. The latest expansion includes the deployment of Caregility APS200 Duo dual-camera telehealth devices, building on the existing fleet of telehealth wall systems and carts to more than double the health system’s inpatient virtual care footprint. With this expansion, Lee Health’s virtual acute care infrastructure will cover more than half of the health system’s hospital beds, equipping nearly 1,000 patient rooms with bedside telehealth technology.
“The growth of our telehealth options accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic out of necessity to ensure patients received important care safely and we were able to ensure continuous support for our medical teams,” said Rick Schooler, Chief Information Officer of Lee Health. “Through our expansion since then, we’ve evolved our virtual care capabilities to include an award-winning inpatient virtual observation program and now virtual nursing to improve patient outcomes utilizing available, improved technology to help our clinical staff.”
“This expansion is an important part of Lee Health’s broader strategy to modernize healthcare delivery,” said Jennifer Higgins, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer of Lee Health. “Our virtual nursing program introduces innovative possibilities in patient care workflows by connecting the care in the complex patient journey. From admissions and discharges to continuous patient monitoring, patients benefit from an additional team member dedicated to their care. We anticipate this additionally offering our nurses time for patients that need more hands-on care.”
“Having eyes and ears in every room enables remote caregivers to respond more effectively to the needs of patients and bedside staff across the enterprise,” said Wendy Deibert, Chief Nursing Officer at Caregility. “This expansion represents a significant step forward in Lee Health’s digital health strategy, paving the way for future innovation at the intersection of virtual care, bedside care, and AI, and we’re honored to support their mission to advance the art of what’s possible in healthcare delivery.”
As a foundational partner, Caregility has worked closely with Lee Health to create a future-proof solution that supports a broad array of clinical workflows, offers AI capabilities, and can support local edge processing. The Caregility Cloud™ virtual care platform serves as the backbone for all of Lee Health’s virtual care programs.
Lee Health’s investment scales its virtual nursing program, supported by Caregility’s unique remote fleet management tools, which mitigate device support hurdles and improve operations. With around-the-clock monitoring and support, as well as seamless software updates via Caregility’s cloud-based administration portal, Lee Health can ensure that its telehealth devices remain operational with minimal on-site maintenance requirements.
“With our edge-processing, dual-camera APS200 Duo devices that support multiple concurrent workflows, we have built a commercial offering designed to be deployed at scale,” said Ron Gaboury, CEO of Caregility. “Our mission with Lee Health and other customers is to set the foundation for long-term growth and hospital-room-of-the-future innovation. This empowers care teams to maximize virtual care workflows while reducing up-front costs and operational challenges associated with maintaining a device in every room.”
About Lee Health Since the opening of the first hospital in 1916, Lee Health has been a healthcare leader in Southwest Florida, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. A non-profit, integrated healthcare services organization, Lee Health is committed to the well-being of every individual served, focused on healthy living and maintaining good health. Healthcare services are conveniently located throughout the community in four acute care hospitals, two specialty hospitals, outpatient centers, walk-in medical centers, primary care and specialty physician practices, and other services across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.LeeHealth.org.
About Caregility Caregility (caregility.com) is a telehealth solution provider connecting care everywhere. Designated as the Best in KLAS® Virtual Care Platform (non-EMR) in 2021, 2022, and 2023, Caregility Cloud™ brings bedside care, virtual encounters, and AI capabilities together at the point of care. Doctors, nurses, and patients around the world rely on our intelligent telehealth edge devices and virtual nursing, observation, and engagement applications to enhance clinical insights, patient safety, and efficiency. Trusted by over 75 health systems, deployed in more than 1,000 hospitals, and supporting over 30,000 connected devices and millions of virtual sessions annually, Caregility is helping transform healthcare delivery across inpatient, outpatient, and home settings.
Bridging IT and Clinical Worlds for Virtual Nursing Success
On-Demand Webinar
Bridging IT and Clinical Worlds for Virtual Nursing Success
In this on-demand webinar, hosted by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), CHIME Members from Lee Health and Caregility address the critical intersection between IT and clinical teams during Virtual Nursing deployment. Lee Health System Director of Virtual Health and Telemedicine Jon Witenko, Lee Health Business Analyst Kimberly Gualt, and Caregility President and COO Mike Brandofino offer invaluable real-world insights for health IT professionals seeking to establish a seamless Virtual Nursing program.
Topics Include:
How to cultivate clinical and IT alignment
Challenges to implementation
Clinical workflow and integration considerations
Virtual nurse training strategies
Examples of Virtual Nursing’s impact on patients
Staff reception to Virtual Nursing
The evolving role of Virtual Nursing
Lee Health Virtual Patient Observation Program Earns Innovation Award
The award recognizes leading-edge ideas, research, products, and services that are empowering healthcare. Lee Health Advanced Application Analyst Kimberly Gault, RN, and System Director of Virtual Health and Telemedicine Jonathan Witenko were awarded the recognition based on the success of the health system’s virtual patient observation program.
The Problem: Limited Staff to Support Rising Demand for Patient Observation
Lee Health’s virtual patient observation program was developed to address a prevalent issue in healthcare: optimizing patient safety in the midst of clinical workforce shortages.
“We decided to pursue this initiative as we were experiencing staffing shortages with our bedside safety technicians,” explains Gault. As demand for observation of fall-risk and at-risk behavioral health patients rose within the health system, “we were having many patients go unwatched or having to pull clinical staff to accommodate requests.”
Patient fall scores were elevated and care teams were stretched thin as a result. That prompted Lee Health to look for a smarter way forward.
The Solution: Virtual Workflow Innovation
Lee Health turned to virtual observation as an alternative to its in-person sitter model. Using newly procured technology, including Caregility’s iObserver tele-sitting application and telehealth endpoint solutions, the team began developing innovative new workflows to create a sustainable solution that redefined how high-risk patients are monitored.
Running on the same platform the health system uses to support additional telemedicine initiatives, the new program enables two-way audio/video communication between virtual safety technicians, observation patients, family, interpreters, and clinical staff. Lee Health acquired 70 telehealth carts to support virtual observation at patient bedsides across the health system. A PRN-to-FTE model is used to staff the virtual safety technician role.
To implement the program, Lee Health made investments in:
Staff training
Technology (telehealth endpoints, workstation monitors, cameras, and headsets)
Software licensing
Wage increases to migrate virtual observation staff from PRN to FTE status
Internal clinical stakeholders collaborated with technical teams to build workflow and documentation processes. Educators from internal nursing units supported intervention and escalation process training for virtual safety technicians.
The Results: Quantifying the Impact of Digital Transformation
Prior to implementing virtual patient observation, Lee Health relied on baby monitors to support 1:4 observer-to-patient ratios. Under the new model, the health system was able to reach a 1:6 ratio, with plans to scale operations to support 1:8 observation.
“With this program, we are able to watch more patients per safety technician at a time,” says Gault. “We have expanded virtual patient observation to all of our acute care facilities and emergency departments and are now working on our Skilled Nursing and Rehab facilities.”
Minus implementation investments, the team reported a six-month program ROI of $280,260. That number is expected to blossom to $1,705,260 in the years ahead. The new approach allows the health system to leverage virtual staff resources instead of drawing from limited bedside staff.
Gault points to securing CNO executive sponsorship, up-front funding and project approvals, and comprehensive pilot program and go-live support as crucial elements of program success.
Pushback from nursing staff and lack of communication with ancillary departments created some friction during Lee Health’s initial pilot program. To address these issues, the team amplified training and communication efforts to build stronger staff awareness and education prior to implementing virtual patient observation at additional facilities.
Lee Health executives view virtual patient observation as something health systems of any size can benefit from but encourage healthcare organizations to adopt flexible solutions that are easy to use and easily scale depending on program needs.
Caregility congratulates the Lee Health team on their well-deserved SFLHIMSS Innovation Award win! The health system’s virtual patient observation program is a shining example of how hybrid care innovation is enhancing and empowering bedside care.
Innovation & Collaboration in Virtual Care
On-Demand Webinar
Innovation & Collaboration in Virtual Care
In this webinar, Wendy Deibert and Scott Andrus of Caregility and Jonathan Witenko of Lee Health present examples of innovative telehealth solutions deployed during the COVID-19 crisis. Caregility customers and other medical enterprises are collaborating to:
Give isolated patients access to family to stay connected amid restricted visitation and isolation
Protect healthcare workers through remote patient engagement to minimize exposure and use of PPE
Fast-track virtual health technology deployment to meet the rapidly growing demand for new solutions in a new COVID-19 environment
Leverage and expand existing technical resources (desktop devices, phones, mobile apps) to augment, support, and scale clinical resources.
Throughout this webinar, we share real-life scenarios of how Lee Health and other Caregility customers are collaborating and innovating to provide virtual care solutions to help them respond to the healthcare crisis. A brief Q&A session answers the most pressing questions regarding creative virtual healthcare solutions.
There’s never been a more important time for innovation and collaboration in the world of healthcare.
