TN Health System Strikes Partnership to Deploy AI-Driven Virtual Nursing

Tennessee-based Ardent Health Services and software company care.ai have announced a partnership to implement the company’s Virtual Nursing platform at Lovelace Medical Center, Ardent’s Albuquerque, New Mexico-based affiliate.

According to the press release, the Virtual Nursing solution and associated program at Lovelace aim to streamline clinical workflows to improve patient care and experience while supporting the nursing workforce.

Using the solution, which is part of care.ai’s Smart Care Facility Platform, virtual nurses are set to be able to manage various aspects of patient care that do not require physical proximity, such as routine monitoring, documentation, education, precepting, and compliance reporting, through in-room sensors and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven autonomous inferencing.

The press release further states that this arrangement can help mitigate some of the burdens on-site nurses shoulder, allowing them to focus on hands-on care. The combination of virtual and on-site care teams aims to optimize clinical and operational workflows, increase patient satisfaction and staff retention, and reduce operating costs.

The announcement comes amidst an ongoing nursing workforce shortage fueled by burnout and increased workloads, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing shortages have a major impact on patient outcomes and Medicare spending, with one 2021 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finding that the shortages contributed to an increase in hospital readmissions and an estimated $5 billion in Medicare spending in 2018.

“Nursing workforce shortages and staff retention challenges have taken a major toll on the entire U.S. health system, amplifying how the work required of our caregivers is increasingly becoming humanly impossible,” said care.ai CEO and Founder Chakri Toleti in the press release. “Too often, rather than spending time delivering hands-on patient care, bedside nurses are required to redirect a significant portion of their shifts to perform routine tasks like manual data entry and compliance reporting.”

Once the platform is introduced and staff is onboarded, nurses will be able to automate these routine tasks, the press release notes. Further, some experienced nurses who prefer a different work environment or have physical limitations may be able to work remotely.

“At Ardent, we are deeply committed to leveraging technology to support caregivers and help our hospitals and clinics improve the quality of care provided. Now more than ever, retaining passionate, highly skilled caregivers and improving the work environment for frontline team members is critical to the success of any hospital,” said Ardent Health Services CEO Marty Bonick in the press release. “By integrating this AI-powered technology into our care delivery model, we believe we can relieve some of the burden carried by nurses and ensure our team members are able to continue providing the best care for patients while also taking care of themselves.”

The Virtual Nursing solution will be fully integrated at Lovelace and other facilities within Ardent’s network of 30 hospitals and almost 200 care sites in six states.

This is one of multiple provider initiatives to support nurses through the use of AI.

In March, Sanford Health implemented an AI-driven system for nurse scheduling that leverages predictive analytics to schedule staff up to 18 months in advance. The tool uses workplace activity, statistics from previous years, and other indicators to proactively produce a schedule aimed at increasing workplace satisfaction, staff retention, performance, and patient satisfaction.