Virtual Sitting Gets Staff Back to the Bedside for The Valley Health System (UHS)
Topic: Patient Safety
The Growing Need for Safety Monitoring Young Patients
Hear from nurse leaders at a children’s hospital and an acute-care hospital on how remote safety monitoring has succeeded in reducing adverse events for pediatric and adolescent patients.
Caring for children in the inpatient setting presents unique challenges. Like adults, kids can misuse medication devices, elope from the hospital and sustain injuries from falls, but their needs are different and require additional attention from nurses. More than ever, young patients have behavioral health problems ranging from eating disorders to major depressive episodes, a situation made worse by the pandemic. Providing one-to-one care for this patient cohort is costly, ineffective, and resource intensive.
Hear from nurse leaders at a children’s hospital and an acute-care hospital on how remote safety monitoring has succeeded in reducing adverse events for pediatric and adolescent patients while reducing stress on families and caregivers.
Presenters:
- Jamie Clendenin, BSN, RN-BC, Supervisor, Nursing Operations, Anne Arundel
- Melanie Lee, MSN, RN, CPN, Clinical Director, Pediatric Emergency and Inpatient Unit. Anne Arundel
- Ashleigh Nurski, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPN Clinical Nurse Specialist, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital
- Stacey Overholt, MBA, BSN, RN, Director of Clinical Sales, AvaSure
Keeping Pediatric Patients Safe with Virtual Sitting
Learn why virtual sitting is a solution to address the top patient concern for 2023 – the pediatric mental health crisis.
Caring for children in the inpatient setting presents unique challenges for hospitals across the nation. Similar to adults, kids can interfere with medical devices, elope from the hospital, and sustain injuries from falls, but their primary needs tend to differ and nurses caring for these patients need different support. Pediatric patients have always required a different touch, but the situation is being exacerbated by persistent staffing shortages and the concurrent mental health crisis amongst young Americans. Youth patients in need of behavioral health services are being kept in the ED due to a lack of mental health facilities and appropriate staffing. This makes providing safe and effective care to this important patient cohort costly, ineffective and resource intensive.
Advances in technology, like virtual sitting, have proven to support adequate staffing and allow children to be safe and well cared for. Hear how nurse leaders at a children’s hospital and an acute-care hospital are using virtual sitting for pediatric and adolescent patients and have succeeded in reducing adverse events while also reducing stress on families and caregivers. In addition, they will discuss the policies and procedures to consider and how to get buy-in from your team for this specific patient population.
Learning objectives
- Policies and procedures needed for video-monitoring pediatric patients.
- How to get buy-in from your frontline team to use technology for this sensitive patient cohort.
- Why virtual sitting is a solution to address the top patient concern for 2023 – the pediatric mental health crisis.
Webinar: Addressing Workforce Challenges and Keeping Patients Safer: How CHS is Deploying Virtual Patient Monitoring
Many hospitals are experiencing staffing shortages, leading to nurse burnout and an increase in adverse events. How can hospitals create a care system that reduces the need for 1:1 patient sitters while enabling nurses to stay focused on other core patient care duties?
In this webinar, you will hear firsthand from CHS about how they expanded their virtual sitting program to enhance patient safety, optimize resource utilization and reduce costs.
Presenters:
- Lynn Simon, M.D., MBA, President of Healthcare Innovation and Chief Medical Officer, CHS
- Pam Rudisill, DNP, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, CHS
- Ted Lomicka, Vice President, Strategic Analytics, CHS
- Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN, Chief Clinical Officer, AvaSure
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Read the press release.
AvaSure TeleSitter® Customer Story Featured in August 31 Webinar
BELMONT, Mich., August 8, 2023 — AvaSure, the market leader in acute virtual care and remote safety monitoring, has invited clinical leaders from Community Health Systems (CHS) to discuss how they deployed virtual sitter technology in their affiliated hospitals to help improve patient safety. During the webinar, to be held at 12:30 pm ET on August 31, CHS executives will share insights into their decision to expand virtual sitting.
CHS sought to use the technology to help reduce patient falls. In doing so, CHS affiliates have also been able to leverage the cost efficiencies of having one virtual sitter monitor 12-16 patients, enabling the hospitals to monitor more patients than with bedside sitters alone – keeping a greater number of potentially vulnerable patients safer.
Presenters:
- Lynn Simon, M.D., MBA, President of Healthcare Innovation and Chief Medical Officer, CHS
- Pam Rudisill, DNP, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, CHS
- Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN, Chief Clinical Officer, AvaSure
“Large, diverse health systems like CHS are continually challenged to optimize staff utilization while ensuring care quality,” said Votruba. “With staffing issues impacting hospitals nationwide, and with burnout on the rise, provider organizations are turning to innovative yet proven technology to ensure consistent and constant patient monitoring. This webinar will illustrate how hospitals and health systems of all sizes can leverage this technology to not only ensure more ‘ears and eyes’ on patients, but to make the most of their precious human resources.”
“As a large company that has focused on patient safety for years, we were excited to take this step forward with virtual sitting technology,” said Dr. Simon. “In addition to monitoring patients, the TeleSitter solution helps address workforce challenges by reducing the need for 1:1 sitters and enabling nurses to stay focused on other core patient care duties.”
CHS operates healthcare delivery systems in 43 distinct markets across 15 states. The company’s subsidiaries own or lease 77 affiliated hospitals with approximately 13,000 beds and operate more than 1,000 sites of care, including physician practices, urgent care centers, freestanding emergency departments, occupational medicine clinics, imaging centers, cancer centers and ambulatory surgery centers.
Currently relied upon in over 1,000 hospitals, the AvaSure TeleSitter® remote patient video monitoring system aims to improve patient safety by preventing falls and injuries, empowering virtual safety attendants to see anywhere in the room.
To learn more about the August 31st webinar and to register to attend, click here.
About AvaSure
AvaSure provides the leading hospital virtual care platform to systems with nursing and staffing shortages that are challenged to significantly reduce labor costs without sacrificing patient health outcomes. Recently recognized by KLAS Research as the leader in reducing the cost of patient care, AvaSure is the pioneer in providing best-in-class, video-based AvaSure TeleSitter® and TeleNurse™ solutions. As a trusted partner of more than 1,000 hospitals, AvaSure combines remote patient monitors, virtual nurses and other providers on a single platform to enhance clinical care without placing any additional burdens on existing staff.
About Community Health Systems
Community Health Systems, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest healthcare companies. The Company’s affiliates are leading providers of healthcare services, developing and operating healthcare delivery systems in 43 distinct markets across 15 states. CHS subsidiaries own or lease 77 affiliated hospitals with approximately 13,000 beds and operate more than 1,000 sites of care, including physician practices, urgent care centers, freestanding emergency departments, occupational medicine clinics, imaging centers, cancer centers and ambulatory surgery centers. Shares in Community Health Systems, Inc. are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CYH.” The Company’s headquarters are located in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb south of Nashville. More information about the Company can be found on its website at www.chs.net.
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Media Contacts:
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
Tomi Galin
Community Health Systems
Behavioral health needs in hospitals are rising, are you prepared to keep your patients safe?
Discover how virtual monitoring for low-to-moderate suicide risk patients can help.
The increasing prevalence of mental health conditions demands innovative approaches to ensure patient safety. Traditional methods like costly 1:1 sitters are unsustainable in the face of labor shortages.
Over 45% of AvaSure’s clients across the country are embracing virtual sitting for low-to-moderate suicide risk patients, and the results speak for themselves. Increased staff satisfaction, decreased 1:1 sitter costs, and better patient outcomes are just a few of the advantages of implementing the TeleSitter solution.
Download our latest use case spotlight to access valuable evidence and proven strategies for virtual sitting for low-to-moderate suicide risk patients.
AONL Industry Insights Webinar: Keeping Pediatric Patients Safe with Virtual Sitting
Caring for children in the inpatient setting presents unique challenges for hospitals across the nation. The situation is exacerbated by persistent staffing shortages and the concurrent mental health crisis amongst young Americans. Hear how nurse leaders at a children’s hospital and an acute-care hospital are using virtual sitting for pediatric and adolescent patients and have succeeded in reducing adverse events while also reducing stress on families and caregivers. This AONL Industry Insights webinar is presented by AvaSure.
UCHealth slashes code blues up to 70% with telehealth technologies
UCHealth is a nonprofit healthcare organization based in Colorado made up of 12 hospitals across the state. UCHealth had already implemented AvaSure’s TeleSitter® for patient safety and VerifyTM for virtual ICU. Here, they looked at expanding the use of these technologies to create a program they call Virtual Deterioration. Keep reading to learn more about this new case use.
Challenge
Looking to identify deteriorating patients sooner
The organization had a new use case for virtual care, a program called Virtual Deterioration. Through this virtual platform, they were looking to identify patients who were deteriorating in the hospital sooner in order to provide rescue and treatment faster, enhancing better overall outcomes.
Solution
AvaSure reduced Code Blues by as much as 70%
Early outcomes using AvaSure to watch ICU patients for deterioration have shown significant promise in reducing cardiac arrests by as much as 70%. Additionally, UCHealth has seen an increase in rapid response events (26%-86%), while Code Blue rates are plummeting (down 25%-70%), mostly in high-risk areas. UCHealth is also tracking whether patients remain in their current environment instead of being transferred to a higher level of care after an event.
- Up to an 86% increase in rapid response rates
- Up to a 152% increase in post–rapid response vitals being ordered and completed
“And so if you are considering any sort of hybrid approach from, for example, a clinical command center or nursing workflows, you want to have a great platform that you feel your staff can use and interact with seamlessly and with ease.”
— Amy Hassell, RN, UCHealth
AvaSure Chief Clinical Officer Lisbeth Votruba Honored Among Becker’s 2023 “Patient Safety Experts to Know”
Third-generation nurse recognized for constantly seeking new ways to improve processes and transform safety standards
BELMONT, Mich., May 10, 2023 — AvaSure, the inventor of the TeleSitter® solution and the market leader in acute virtual care and remote safety monitoring, announced today that Chief Clinical Officer Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN has been named among Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2023 “Patient Safety Experts to Know.”
As a third- generation nurse, self-proclaimed “nurses’ nurse,” and nurse executive, Votruba has dedicated her career to the continuous improvement of healthcare and the empowerment of the nursing community and the patients they care for.
Most recently, Votruba elevated her leadership by leveraging technology and innovation to put nurses and their patients at the center of the solution, reducing nurse burnout, improving outcomes, and driving high-quality, value-based patient care.
“Nurses show up to work every day thinking about the best ways they can deliver compassionate care to make a difference in the lives of their patients,” said Votruba. “It is my great honor and calling to support these hard-working professionals who form the foundation of American healthcare.”
Votruba’s primary goal is to advance her vision to revolutionize inpatient care delivery with the addition of virtual technology. Partnering with 36% of academic medical centers and 67% of the largest U.S. health systems, she guides the delivery of inpatient telehealth solutions that have provided safer environments for over 1.5 million patients. She pioneered video monitoring of fall-risk patients and has led several research studies regarding fall risk reduction, the mitigation of workplace violence, and managing behavioral health patients in acute care. Under Votruba’s direction, AvaSure has expanded its own nursing staff to 15% of the employee base to support the change management needed to ensure positive patient outcomes are achieved.
The individuals honored in Becker’s 2023 “Patient Safety Experts to Know” list are noteworthy proponents of patient harm reduction, disease management, disaster preparedness, and more, according to Becker’s.
These healthcare providers, experts, researchers, and executives value patient safety above all. For these patient safety experts, the improvement of the patient journey is of the utmost importance, as they are constantly seeking new ways to improve processes and transform safety standards.
“There is no one more deserving of this award than Lisbeth,” said Adam McMullin, CEO, AvaSure. “She dedicates herself tirelessly to advocating on behalf of nurses, their patients, and our partners, and we’re proud that she has been recognized by Becker’s for this enduring commitment.”
About AvaSure
AvaSure provides the leading hospital virtual care platform to systems with nursing and staffing shortages that are challenged to significantly reduce labor costs without sacrificing patient health outcomes. Recently recognized by KLAS Research as the leader in reducing the cost of patient care, AvaSure is the pioneer in providing best-in-class, video-based AvaSure TeleSitter® and TeleNurse™ solutions. As a trusted partner of more than 1,000 hospitals, AvaSure combines remote patient monitors, virtual nurses and other providers on a single platform to enhance clinical care without placing any additional burdens on existing staff. To learn more about AvaSure visit www.avasure.com.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
AvaSure Break Out Session: Tales from the Front: Early Wins Beget Long-term Success
AvaSure: Break Out Session: Tales from the Front: Early Wins Beget Long-term Success
When staff sees the advantages of new technology, they are more likely to champion widespread use and new applications. Two hospitals describe how they achieved and communicated success right from the beginning of their program.
Presented by:
- Baptist Medical Center
- Valley Presbyterian