Virtual Nursing Admission and Discharge Workflows That Cut Length of Stay

What Does a Virtual Admission Nurse Do?

A virtual admission nurse conducts the intake interview, medical and medication history, and orientation to hospital routines over video while the bedside nurse focuses on the physical exam and immediate safety checks. The two run in parallel, so the plan of care starts sooner.

On a Typical Admission, the Virtual Nurse Handles

• Reconciling the patient's home medication list against admission orders
• Screening for fall risk, pressure injury risk, and other safety factors
• Explaining the plan of care, unit routines, and call-light use
• Answering family questions and documenting the encounter in the EHR in real time

How Does Virtual Nursing Reduce Length of Stay?

Virtual nursing reduces length of stay by compressing the two workflows that most often stall a unit: getting a patient settled and getting a patient ready for discharge out the door. Bedside nurses spend less time on paperwork and more time on hands-on care, and beds turn over faster.

How Does Virtual Discharge Cut Readmissions?

Virtual discharge cuts readmissions largely through medication reconciliation and teaching, two tasks a virtual nurse can give full, uninterrupted attention.

Teaching quality tells a similar story. Virtual nurses in one study completed discharge education, including home medication and follow-up instructions, at nearly three times the rate of bedside unit nurses on the same shifts.

How Vitalchat Approaches Admission, Discharge, and Teaching

Vitalchat's platform brings admission, discharge, and teaching workflows into the same visual interface bedside teams already use for monitoring and communication. Virtual nurses work from existing hospital hardware, expanding what a care team can do without new devices to manage.

North Mississippi Health Services runs its virtual nursing program with Vitalchat across a 400-bed flagship hospital and seven community hospitals.

Read the full North Mississippi Health Services case study and the University Hospitals virtual nursing program for the full results.