CoxHealth invests in virtual care technology that will transform care for patients

At CoxHealth, decisions are centered around the patient, and one of the main goals is to deliver high-quality outcomes – every time, everywhere. As a part of this approach, CoxHealth is announcing an investment in virtual care technology that will transform how patients across hospitals will receive care.

The approach supports the Operational Excellence and Efficiency pillar of our new strategic plan. In partnership with Philips, we are placing technology in hospital rooms that enhances the care we provide to patients by adding virtual support. This allows multiple Virtual Care Team members within CoxHealth to engage with the patient, in addition to the bedside care.

Virtual care technology is not new to hospitals. There are many hospitals around the country that utilize this technology in their critical care units to care for or observe patients.

What makes this investment transformational is how CoxHealth will use the technology to build on its award-winning care by providing in-house virtual expertise that supports bedside care teams like never before.

CoxHealth’s approach is unique, both in the scope of the project, and in the commitment to expanding staff.

The system is adding the technology to every in-patient ICU and medical-surgical patient room at Cox South, Cox Medical Center Branson, Cox Barton County, and Cox Monett hospitals. Mobile carts will also be available for emergency departments in several system hospitals.

CoxHealth will maintain the same ratios for bedside nurses, and the Virtual Care Team will be additional support for them. Patients can be comforted knowing that they will have even more people caring for them during their hospital stay.

“This technology is transformational for CoxHealth and is a win-win for everyone. It will greatly benefit our patients by providing an additional level of care and observation, ultimately improving the quality of care they receive. For employees at the bedside, particularly our nurses, it will provide additional support, variety to their role, and more time to focus on direct patient care rather than other job tasks that can take up nurses’ time such as documentation,” says Dr. Shawn Usery, senior vice president and chief medical officer for CoxHealth.

Since 2022, CoxHealth has been working on a pilot program across Cox South and Cox Medical Center Branson to introduce this technology to staff and patients. Throughout the program, care team members worked closely with system leadership to create processes that improve the experience for both staff and the patient.

Thus far, the program has been extremely successful and provided helpful feedback to optimize once the technology is fully rolled out later this year. Some examples of success from the pilot program include a reduction in central line infections, falls, catheter-associated UTIs, readmissions and more. In addition to improved clinical outcomes, staff have welcomed this new approach to care and shared how they feel better supported in providing the best care to patients.

Patients have also been extremely receptive to both the technology and additional care. They have the option of opting out of virtual care, but throughout our pilot programs, none of the patients have declined the option. In fact, our patients have shared overwhelmingly positive feedback.

“The excitement from our clinical staff about this is overwhelming. Because of this change in our approach to care, we have experienced nurses coming back to us that may have left before because they weren’t sure if they wanted to continue doing bedside care. And for clinical team members starting out, it’s appealing because they have more support than they may at other hospitals,” says Beth Polivka, senior vice president and system chief nursing officer at CoxHealth. “We anticipate this being a big differentiator for us with recruitment of staff, and we look forward to welcoming even more talented people to our team.”

“The virtual care team will be centrally located in a new state-of-the-art command center, allowing for real-time collaboration and evaluation of patients across the entire health system,” says Summer Blackerby, chief nursing information officer. “The Virtual Care team will be made up of experienced CoxHealth employees including nurses, hospitalists, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists who will be able to monitor patients virtually, connect via camera to each patient, and work closely with the bedside care team to support the patient’s needs. This new care model creates a virtual safety net around our patients.”

The virtual care team member will only observe a patient on camera when needed – such as when a call light is pushed or a task is needed to be completed. When they do join, the patient or staff member are clearly notified. There could be opportunity in the future for specialists at other organizations to use the technology to serve patients, but that is not a part of any near-term plan and will be exclusive to CoxHealth employees.

“This project will not impact the cost of a patient’s stay – our goal with this investment is focused on the long-term,” says Dr. Usery. “By focusing on quality of care through this technology, we are ultimately creating better outcomes for patients and improving our care staff’s experience as well, which we believe will have exponential benefit for us in the future.”

The technology will first be installed in adult ICU and Medical-Surgical units in Springfield and Branson in June. As the year goes on, it will be installed on other floors by the end of the year. It will also use advanced algorithms to help the Virtual Care Team monitor patients and flag potential issues before they happen, ultimately providing better care.

“When you think of virtual technology, this isn’t your computer’s camera system that you use for video conferencing. This technology is so advanced that – with the patient or staff member’s permission – the virtual care person will be able to view the room as you would in person. They can zoom to see the patient’s pupils or observe oxygen flow meter settings on the wall. They will also have access to all of the patient’s vital signs and records, allowing them to observe trends and make recommendations based on those observations,” says Gina Ellerbee, administrative director of nursing practice and professional development.

Visit our website and social media pages throughout the year for updates on Virtual Care Team.