Now, the most proactive healthcare organizations are exploring initiatives to mitigate the effects of a growing labor shortage. Learn how central video monitoring enabled “virtual nurses” to support bedside nurses and uphold high standards of patient care amid a COVID-19 surge across Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System.
Key learning points:
The basic components of virtual care, including the easy-to-use technology involved to interact with patients and bedside staff
The policies and workflows that best support virtual nursing staff and make for easy implementation
How virtual nurses can use specialized care resources to alleviate existing staff
Join AvaSure Chief Clinical Officer, Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN, as we kick off a six-part classroom series: Virtual Nursing 101. Lisbeth had a special guest Terri Hinkley, CEO of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses on this first webinar to discuss the important role of the virtual nurse and the creation of the MSNCB Role Certification. The two task force members of the certification dived into key competencies to look for when hiring a virtual nurse and how to recruit for this role without taking away from bedside staff or further exacerbating staffing challenges.
Introducing the Nurse Elevated Care Model from AvaSure
An augmented care environment where a virtual team provides support – offloading documentation burden, providing a second set of eyes on complex patients and helping to close growing experience/complexity gap in nursing – to the bedside team. This model of care helps health systems reduce labor costs while liberating their bedside nurses to provide elevated, hands-on patient care.
52% of nurses are considering leaving the bedside, at a time where there are 1.1M+ vacancies. Hospital leadership knows they need a change, 83% are considering virtual nursing as a solution but don’t know where to start.
We call this the Nurse Elevated Care Model because it does just that – elevates your nursing team for optimal care.
Learn how AvaSure customers have used the Nurse Elevated Care Model to achieve results
Sarah Brown MSN, RN, CMPE, NEA-BC at UnityPoint Health, discusses the challenges her nursing staff faced during the pandemic and how this caused massive burnout throughout their system. Quality of care was being compromised, so leadership agreed to make innovative changes and identified the use of AvaSure TeleNurse™ solutions as a potential solve. Sarah noted, “Virtual Nursing in the med-surg area immediately helped our nurses at bedside and has grown astronomically quickly.”
Early results of TeleNurse™ Programs:
Increases in HCAHPS: 7.6% increase in patient understanding of purpose of taking medication, 2.04% increase in top box score for transition of care
Discharges completed by the virtual nurse currently have lower rates of readmission – this is an early trend; they’re waiting to see more results over time to consider it correlated
Hosted by Chief Clinical Officer Lisbeth Votruba, series will detail how nursing leaders can launch and implement virtual nursing programs
BELMONT, Mich., March 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — AvaSure, the inventor of the TeleSitter® solution and the market leader in acute virtual care and remote safety monitoring, announced today that it will kick off a virtual classroom series on March 23, “Virtual Nursing 101,” which will detail how nursing leaders can launch and implement virtual nursing programs.
The virtual classroom series is hosted by AvaSure Chief Clinical Officer Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN, who will be joined by special guests and experts to cover pressing industry topics, such as the role of the virtual nurse and how to build a virtual nursing business case, as well as lessons learned from ongoing programs.
“Nursing leaders across the nation understand the numerous benefits that virtual nursing could deliver to their health systems but often have questions about how to get started and what it takes to create a successful virtual nursing program,” said Votruba. “We are delighted to launch this series to help spread awareness of how virtual nursing represents a new model of care that can help health systems improve patient safety, reduce labor costs, and protect staff from caregiver violence, while reducing documentation burden on staff and increasing staff satisfaction.”
Votruba is a pioneering nurse executive committed to continuous improvement of healthcare and the diffusion of new technologies to drive patient and staff safety. She is a member of the Medical Surgical Nursing Certification Board (MSNCB) Virtual Nursing Job Analysis Task Force as a subject matter expert for the creation of a medical-surgical virtual nurse certification, and for nearly 15 years, she has worked extensively with over 1,000 hospitals in standing up their virtual care platforms.
The free, six-part series will take place on the last Thursday of each month and feature Votruba along with special guests and experts. The first session, scheduled for March 23 at 12 p.m. EST, will feature Terri Hinkley, EdD, MBA, BScN, RN, CAE, CEO of Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses.
In this session, Votruba and Hinkley will discuss the role of the virtual nurse and what was involved in the creation of the MSNCB Professional Certification, the competencies to look for when hiring virtual nurses, and how to recruit for the role without exacerbating existing staffing challenges.
Virtual Nurse Webinar Schedule
March 23: The Role of The Virtual Nurse
April 27: Introducing The Clinical Resource TeleNurse Model: What Is It And How Can It Help?
May 25: Building A Virtual Nursing Business Case
June 22: Introducing The Expert Oversight TeleNurse Model: What Is It And How Can It Help?
July 27: Selecting The Right Technology Partner For Virtual Nursing
August 24: Starting & Scaling Your Virtual Nurse Program
To learn more about “Virtual Nursing 101” and 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 1000 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.
Media Contact: Marcia Rhodes Amendola Communications mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
Are you thinking about implementing virtual nursing but are not sure where to start? Or have you tried out things that don’t quite meet your objectives? You aren’t alone!
Join AvaSure’s Chief Clinical Officer, Lisbeth Votruba, MSN, RN as she navigates you through your program and how to get started in a 6-part educational series. Lisbeth is a pioneering nurse executive committed to continuous improvement of healthcare and the diffusion of new technologies to drive patient and staff safety. She was selected as a participant at the recent Medical Surgical Nursing Certification Board task force meeting to develop a certification for the virtual nursing position and for nearly 15 years, she has worked extensively with over 1,100 hospitals in standing up their virtual care platforms to help optimize labor forces, improve the quality of patient care and drive staff satisfaction & retention.
This free, six-part series features Lisbeth along with special guests and experts who will cover key topics and lessons learned from ongoing programs.
Session 1: The Role of the Virtual Nurse
Featuring Terri Hinkley, EdD, MBA, BScN, RN, CAE, CEO of Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
Learn about the role of the virtual nurse and what was involved in the creation of the MSNCB Role Certification from two task force members.
Understanding competencies to look for when hiring a virtual nurse and how to recruit for this role without taking away from bedside staff or further exacerbating staffing challenges.
Session 2: Introducing the Clinical Resource TeleNurse™ Model – What is it and How Can it Help?
Featuring Wayde Batt, MSN, NEA-BC, BC-RN, Patient Services Manager, NSICU / Virtual Nursing, UNC Health Rex & Laura Gartner DNP, MS, RN, RN-BC, NEA-BC , Director Clinical Informatics, Jefferson Health
This model of virtual nursing focuses on offloading documentation and administrative burden from bedside teams, helping to optimize your labor force and deliver elevated patient care
In this session, learn what’s driving the need for this nursing model, areas of focus and hear best practices from those who’ve already piloted
Discover early outcomes from those already using this model to help reduce discharge time, increase patient & staff satisfaction and optimize outcomes
Session 4: Introducing The Expert Oversight TeleNurse™ Model: What Is It & How Can It Help?
This model of virtual nursing focuses on retaining an experienced nurse to oversee a cohort of complex patients, monitoring for early signs of adverse patient events, mentoring novice nurses and providing support to bedside care teams
In this session, learn what’s driving the need for this nursing model, areas of focus and hear best practices from those who’ve already piloted
Discover early outcomes from those already using this model to help detect adverse events sooner and drive satisfaction in nursing staff, especially novice team members
Program distinguishes those who have advanced patient safety and achieved new efficiencies in care delivery.
BELMONT, Mich., Jan. 25, 2023 — AvaSure, the inventor of the TeleSitter® solution and the market leader in acute virtual care and patient safety monitoring, today announced the winners of the 2022 AvaPrize awards.
The AvaPrize awards honor individuals and organizations who have advanced patient and staff safety, eased the working lives of nurses, and achieved new efficiencies in care delivery. Winners demonstrate the ever-evolving role of virtual care as it becomes a vital tool in patient care and staff augmentation throughout a healthcare organization.
“Every day across the nation, healthcare organizations rely on AvaSure’s solutions to enhance patient safety, augment bedside care, and improve the efficiency of care delivery,” said Adam McMullin, CEO, AvaSure. “We are proud to recognize these distinguished organizations and individuals – out of more than 1,000 of our hospital customers – who have demonstrated their commitment to advancing clinical quality and patient outcomes.”
The honors include:
The Safety Net Award for the organization that demonstrates the most complete AvaSure TeleSitter program. The award went to MaineHealth, which has improved patient safety through fall prevention and increased nursing job satisfaction through its TeleSitter program. In addition to fall prevention, Maine Health has monitored 1,928 patients who were at low to moderate suicide risk, helping these vulnerable patients continue their journey of emotional and physical health.
The Path to Zero Award for the organization with the most impressive fall reduction program centered around the TeleSitter program. The award went to ShorePoint Health for significantly reducing fall rates across multiple locations by up to 46% in their first year of implementation.
The Super Star Monitor Staff Member Award for the individual who consistently goes above and beyond to help measure success and uphold effective use of the AvaSure TeleSitter. The award went to Diane Norris of the remote visual monitoring team at ProvidenceHealth & Services-Oregon Region. Norris prioritizes building relationships with patients and delivering exceptional bedside care. She was a Providence caregiver for nearly 26 years before joining the remote visual monitoring team over a year ago. For Norris, it’s about connecting with patients in a whole new way. Many just want someone to talk to, especially during COVID, when capacity was limited for guests.
The VA Healthcare System Award for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital that optimizes use of the AvaSure TeleSitter solution. The award went to VA North Texas Health Care System, which has monitored more than 2,500 patients through its TeleSitter program, increasing the utilization rate from 45% to 78%, greatly improving safety and efficiency measures.
During National Nurses Month in May, VA North Texas Health Care System nurse Juliet Aninye, LVN, Lead for the AvaSure TeleSitter Program, was honored with the Department of Veterans Affairs 2022 Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Nursing and Advancement of Nursing Programs.
Aninye was recognized for her leadership in the delivery of patient care through the utilization of the AvaSure program. The VA National Nursing Awards reflect the high-level of professionalism and excellence in service VA nursing represents.
1 virtual nurse per 100 M/S beds that assists with 55-60% of patients
At admission complete the questionnaire & can scribe physical assessment of onsite nurse, work on care plans, virtual patient education, core measures, make follow up appointments and lead discharge process including compiling all discharge information, ensure follow up appointments are lined up & medication reconciliation
Early Outcomes:
On average, virtual nursing saves 12 minutes per admission and 15-29 minutes per discharge, giving time back to bedside teams for patient care
During first 6 months, 107 catches in discharge errors that could have been significant patient harm. The panelist noted, “while bedside nurses may have caught these errors prior to discharge, the virtual nurse can be laser focused on these specific tasks without the distractions of a typical floor nurse.”
Patient who was about to be discharged on 2 blood thinners
Diabetic patient being discharged without Insulin education
New CHF patient without proper medication prescription at discharge
Discharges completed by the virtual nurse currently have lower rates of readmission – this is an early trend; they’re waiting to see more results over time to consider it correlated
Increases in HCAHPS:
7.6% increase in patient understanding of purpose of taking medication
2.04% increase in top box score for transition of care
Qualitative feedback from patients that they enjoy seeing a nurse without a mask on, can smile & interact more genuinely and can assist with hearing impaired patients who read lips.
UCHealth: expert ICU nurse helping monitor high risk critical patients for sepsis, deterioration, and other adverse outcomes
Program Overview:
3-4 virtual nurses monitor up to 1,800 patients within the system
Provide surveillance and early detection support aimed primarily at sepsis
Partner with novice bedside nurses providing help due to high turnover & lack of bedside experience
Work with other technologies that scan EHR and physiological monitors for triggers helping to identify patients in need of extra care
Monitor patients post rapid response to help detect rebounds
Early Outcomes:
Reduction in non-present on admission sepsis mortality & have seen compliance go up
Increase in rapid response calls
Unprecedented 25-70% code blue reduction in acute care areas, in combination with program on deterioration education
Bedside nurses have praised the program in making them feel more supported & secure in their roles
Great Catch: A post seizure patient was being monitored remotely and the virtual nurse (VN) could tell the patient was going to throw up. The expert VN was able to walk the bedside nurse through the steps to handle the situation – including fetching suction and calling the doctor. The doctor was able to help prevent the patient from aspirating. This gave peace of mind to the bedside nurse who was dealing with this situation for the first time.
Tips for getting started with virtual nursing
During the session,Virtual Nursing: It’s a Thing, but Where is it Going our panelists shared a number of best practices when it comes to building out your own virtual nursing program – but their biggest advice was to, “just do it!” While starting a program can be daunting, they both feel that the benefits have outweighed the work.
Some of their tips are:
Whatever process you’re designing for needs to make sense and solve a bedside need. It needs to make life easier for the end user and be integrated in a way that makes sense in building a team effort approach for care.
Be sure to clarify for the team what virtual nursing is – but more importantly what it is not to all team members involved
Building a virtual nursing program is an iterative process – be willing to adapt as you get feedback from the front-line teams
When staffing your virtual team, look for nurses with multiple years of experience who can bring a level of wisdom to the role and can take a wide-angle lens on the patient population allowing them to catch things the bedside team may not. In addition to experience, soft skills are key. Look for collaborators who love to teach, have high emotional intelligence, and want to mentor other nurses
Have courage to try! Start a program, build some buzz around it. There’s a lot of work in this, but it’s good work, so give it a shot.
What’s next for virtual nursing
As early innovators in this space, where do they see their programs going in the future? Unity Point is focused on scale and standardization. They’re currently focused on creating a standardized, sustainable structure across their enterprise when it comes to technology, job descriptions, and everything else operational that goes with virtual nursing, including creating a centralized leadership structure for the program. UCHealth is looking at expanding use cases of the program, including virtual specialist care for areas such as wound care and respiratory therapy where they currently lack adequate staff across the system. They’re also exploring how a virtual nurse could assist with dual sign off activities, such as checking blood & verifying high risk medications. Their ideal future state is one where an expert nurse is always a “call away” for a novice nurse who, for instance, is working night shift and has never placed an NG tube before, creating a culture of support and mentorship in all care settings.
Interested in your own virtual nursing program but not sure where to start? Our AvaSure RN’s can complete a free, on-site assessment of your facility and help in creating a business case based on your individual use cases.
A few years ago, it was estimated that by 2030 the U.S. would experience a shortfall of more than half a million nurses, with a huge loss in quality and availability of care.
The pandemic sped up the timeline.
The greatest concern was the potential loss of specialized expertise; two-thirds of 6,000 critical care nurses surveyed in August 2021 said they were considering leaving the field from burnout.
Solutions have been hard to find, but Houston’s Memorial Hermann Health System has tried something new:
As the COVID-19 delta variant spread, critical care nurses were detailed to an existing central video monitoring facility. There, these “virtual nurses” can care for COVID-19 patients across the system, supporting less experienced bedside nurses and improving patient quality and safety.
Key learning objectives of this on-demand webinar:
Discover the basics of virtual care, including the technology and the art of video and audio interactions with patients and bedside staff
Learn about policies and workflows Memorial Hermann established for virtual nursing
Find out how virtual nurses can make the highest use of specialized care resources
Presenters:
Scott Shaver, MSN, LP, RN, CPHIMS, Director of Hospital Information Systems, Memorial Hermann
Mary Ellen Carrillo, MSN, MBA, RN, CVRN, FABC, Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Nursing, Memorial Hermann
Jennifer McGuire, Manager, Staffing, Memorial Hermann
Posted on November 11, 2022 by Olivia Phillips - Uncategorized
When is a virtual nurse needed? What are the skills required? What outcomes are hospitals seeing? Lisbeth Votruba, RN, chief clinical officer at AvaSure, explains
