How Houston Methodist is seeing payoff from virtual nursing

How Houston Methodist is seeing payoff from virtual nursing unknown

Houston Methodist is using virtual nursing tools to free up nurses to do more patient-facing work.

Houston Methodist Chief Technology Officer Jim Hermes told Becker's that the system is aiming to use "innovation to address some of the routine tasks of nursing." Mr. Hermes said that the system is shifting administrative work, discharge and patient calls to a virtual nursing role.

The health system has seen a payoff from its virtual programs. According to the American Hospital Association, Houston Methodist completed more than 300,000 ambulatory virtual visits in 2020 and achieved a 50 percent reduction in readmissions through its virtual programs.

The system joins Nashville, Tenn.-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health and Reno, Nev.-based Renown Health as large systems turning to virtual nursing.