When Virtual Nursing and AI Collide: Q&A with Mary Washington Healthcare
In our recent webinar When Virtual Nursing + AI Collide: Lessons from the Trenches, Mary Washinton Healthcare’s AVP of Hospital Operations Debra Marinari and Information Systems Analyst Trudy Osborne sat down with Caregility CNO Wendy Deibert to discuss their journey integrating remote nurses and artificial intelligence into inpatient care. Here are some key takeaways and practical strategies shared by our expert panelists.
1. How did you start your virtual nursing journey, and what were the initial challenges?
Mary Washington Healthcare began its virtual nursing journey a little over two years ago to modernize the health system’s approach to patient care. Reflecting on her 30-year nursing career, Marinari noted that many of the processes they used in the past would be considered outdated by today’s standards. She sees Virtual Nursing and AI as natural next steps in the health system’s journey to safer, more efficient patient care. One early challenge was getting experienced nurses to embrace the technology, but once they saw the benefits of improved support during staffing shortages, adoption quickly followed.
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.
4. How do you manage staffing and nurse-to-patient ratios for your Virtual Nursing program?
Mary Washington’s Virtual Nursing team is staffed with three virtual nurses per 12-hour shift, operating 24/7. The full-time roles were hired specifically for Virtual Nursing, with a minimum of two years of direct nursing experience required. Initially, the team was aligned by unit but later pivoted to a triage model that allows remote nurses to handle calls across multiple units as they come in. This flexibility has been key to managing staffing efficiently. The health system opted to add extra staffing support during peak hours when patient activity picks up between 11 am and 11 pm.
5. What platforms and AI tools are integrated with your Virtual Nursing program?
Osborne noted that the organization uses Epic for electronic health records, with virtual nurses leveraging secure chat within Epic to keep care teams connected. Mary Washington is in the process of integrating Critical Alert as their nurse call platform. Additionally, the organization is exploring health AI solutions like computer vision and ambient listening to assist with fall prevention and other early patient interventions. They are also lab-testing devices for contactless patient vital sign monitoring to improve early detection of patient deterioration and health issues.
6. How have Virtual Nursing and AI impacted patient care and staff efficiency?
One benefit of adding a remote nurse component to bedside care teams has been reduced documentation time, which has been a pain point for many nurses. By reassigning routine tasks, bedside nurses can focus more on direct patient care while remote nurses streamline workflows due to fewer interruptions. Although pilot programs are still in the early stages, the healthcare organization is excited about the promise of AI applications in areas like fall prevention and vital sign trending, which can further improve patient safety and nurse satisfaction.
7. Have patients or staff expressed concerns about virtual nursing or AI?
Marinari noted that patient resistance to Virtual Nursing has been minimal, with only one case involving a mental health patient who preferred in-person care. The staff’s attitude toward Virtual Nursing and AI has become increasingly positive, particularly as Mary Washington has fine-tuned its remote support processes over the last year. Marinari and Osborne actively work with nursing staff to continue to iterate and identify new workflows.
8. Are there specific metrics you’re tracking to measure success?
Since implementing Virtual Nursing, nurse satisfaction has improved significantly, and documentation time has decreased, both of which have been major wins for Mary Washington. The organization has also expanded its Virtual Nursing program into the emergency department and is actively tracking metrics related to nurse retention, patient outcomes, and fall rates to assess the program’s ongoing success.
9. What hardware supports your Virtual Nursing and AI implementation?
Dual-camera APS200 telehealth edge devices from Caregility, which include 40x zoom, far-end pan/tilt/zoom video capabilities, and night vision, are deployed in patient rooms to facilitate virtual nurse engagement. Bedside staff can press a vLert button to request remote nurse support. A minimalist, ceiling-mounted radar puck device supports contactless vitals capture. Osborne appreciates that deployment was straightforward, with centralized device management and strong vendor support throughout the process. The organization has also installed anti-ligature devices in the emergency department and is exploring facial scanning technology as a potential tool to support ED triage. The use of advanced hardware continues to evolve as the VN program expands.
10. What’s next for your Virtual Nursing and AI journey?
Looking ahead, Marinari expressed excitement about expanding AI capabilities, particularly in the area of computer vision for fall prevention. While the organization has made strides in reducing fall rates, this remains an area of focus, and they believe AI can further enhance early intervention. Additionally, the team is testing contactless devices that can provide early indicators of patient health trends, which they hope will lead to improved patient outcomes. They are also exploring new use cases in the emergency department and continue to work on integrating AI tools with existing platforms like Epic.
Do you have additional questions about Virtual Nursing and AI? Set up a discovery call to connect with our team of telehealth specialists and customer referral sites.
