Virtual Nursing Is Here to Stay—But It Needs the Right Infrastructure

In a recent Ascom Asks the Experts conversation, Adam McMullin, CEO of AvaSure, joined Ascom to talk about the evolution of virtual nursing—and what it takes to make it work in real-world hospital settings.

Spoiler alert: it’s not just about plugging in a camera.

“Virtual nursing is not a pilot anymore,” McMullin said. “It’s a core part of how hospitals are delivering care.”

Why Virtual Nursing is Gaining Momentum

Hospitals are facing a perfect storm: staffing shortages, rising patient acuity, and the need to do more with less. Virtual nursing offers a way to extend the reach of experienced nurses, reduce burnout, and improve patient outcomes.

And the numbers back it up:

• According to the 2024 AvaSure Insight Survey, 74% of acute care hospital leaders say virtual nursing is already impacting key hospital metrics.
• Hospitals using virtual nursing have reported up to 70% reductions in nurse turnover and 50% fewer 30-day readmissions.
• BJC HealthCare gave bedside nurses back 1,650 hours for direct patient care and reduced voluntary RN turnover to 6.4%.
• Guthrie Clinic saved $7 million in labor costs and reduced administrative burden by 30 minutes per nurse per shift.

“We’re seeing hospitals use virtual nursing to support admissions, discharges, patient education, and even mentoring new nurses,” McMullin said. “It’s about enabling nurses to work at the top of their license.”

Integration is the Secret Sauce

One of the biggest takeaways from the conversation? Technology only works when it’s integrated into the clinical workflow.

That’s where Ascom comes in. With its open API and vendor-neutral architecture, Ascom enables platforms like AvaSure’s to connect seamlessly with nurse call systems, mobile devices, and alert management tools.

“You can’t have virtual nurses operating in a silo,” McMullin emphasized. “They need to be part of the same communication and workflow ecosystem as the bedside team.”

By integrating AvaSure’s virtual care platform with Ascom’s Telligence nurse call system, hospitals can ensure that alerts, tasks, and patient interactions are intelligently routed—whether the nurse is down the hall or across the state.

Start Small, Think Big

McMullin encouraged hospitals to start with a focused use case—like discharge education or overnight monitoring—and build from there.

“You don’t need to boil the ocean,” he said. “Start with one workflow, prove the value, and then scale.”

The Bottom Line

Virtual nursing is no longer a future concept—it’s a present-day solution. But to make it sustainable, hospitals need interoperable systems, strong clinical-IT partnerships, and a clear strategy for change management.

Ascom and AvaSure are working together to make that possible.

“This isn’t about replacing nurses,” McMullin concluded. “It’s about supporting them, extending their reach, and making care delivery more efficient and more human.”

AvaSure Insight Survey. Accessed April 8, 2025. https://avasure.com/resource/2024-virtual-care-insight-survey-report/