Ardent, which runs 30 acute-care hospitals in six states, launched its pilot about a year ago by installing cameras in about 500 rooms across 14 med-surg nursing units. the program is structured to have 19 virtual nurses—most working from home—take on admission and discharge work that often keep bedside nurses from seeing other patients while also scheduling extra check-ins and handling patient education sessions. The typical virtual engagement, lasts about 20 minutes.
Ardent is saving $13 per patient day via its virtual nursing program. In addition to that financial boost, the company’s quality scores are benefiting, too, because it is using fewer contract workers who often need time to get up to speed.
Ardent’s admissions statistics: The outlying hospitals in the company’s East Texas region have seen admissions climb about 11 percent since the virtual pilot started because they are being seen where they are and more often don’t need to be transferred. Furthermore a virtual-care initiative in the neonatal intensive care unit lowered the turnover rate among nurses new to practice from 38 percent just a few years ago to zero since July of last year.
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