In the high-stakes world of hospital care, where nurse shortages threaten patient safety and operational stability, Piedmont Healthcare has emerged as a pioneer. The Georgia-based system, spanning 17 hospitals and 2,700 beds, rolled out 24/7 virtual registered nurse coverage by mid-2024, redefining bedside support through technology. “For Piedmont Healthcare, virtual nursing has been a transformative care model that addresses the nursing workforce crisis while improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency,” said Katie Nolen, director of virtual health, in a Healthcare IT News report.

This initiative goes beyond tacking screens onto patient rooms. Piedmont integrated virtual nursing into core workflows, aligning clinical operations, IT, and vendors to scale endpoints from 140 to nearly 3,000 in under 18 months. The result: faster discharge times, enhanced medication safety, and boosted nurse satisfaction amid rising patient acuity and financial strains.

Rapid Rollout Redefines Care Delivery

Piedmont’s journey began with site visits and vendor selection in May 2023, launching a pilot across three hospitals in September 2023. A phased plan, backed by standardized equipment and a centralized virtual health team, ensured minimal downtime. “Virtual nursing is not just about adding screens to rooms, it’s about redesigning care delivery to maximize the value of every clinician’s time,” Nolen explained. By mid-2024, full system-wide coverage was achieved, proving scalability when technology, processes, and people align.

Centralized operations, dubbed “The Bungalow,” house virtual teams, streamlining documentation and reducing bedside burdens. A healthsystemCIO.com KLAS case study highlighted how this model cuts reliance on contract staff, with Press Ganey surveys showing gains in patient satisfaction for communication and responsiveness.

Quantifiable Gains Fuel Expansion

Since the September 2024 rollout, Piedmont’s program saved 84,460 hours on discharges alone, according to Denise Ray, BSN, RN, chief nursing executive, as reported by Becker’s Hospital Review. This efficiency addresses the post-pandemic nursing crunch, where traditional models falter under staffing gaps and administrative overload. Virtual RNs handle assessments, planning, and evaluations remotely via telemedicine, freeing bedside staff for hands-on tasks.

At Piedmont Macon Medical Center and North Hospital, chief nursing officer Elizabeth Larkins emphasized retention of seasoned nurses. “Basically, we have found a way to maximize the nursing workforce by hiring people who are, a lot of times, at the end of their careers,” she told 41NBC News. Off-site virtual nurses appear on room screens with patient consent, bolstering expertise without physical strain, all while licensed RNs—not AI—drive interactions.

Technology Backbone Ensures Reliability

Robust infrastructure underpins success: pre-configured devices, secure networking, and sensor integration minimize disruptions. Job postings for RNs in virtual nursing operations at sites like Atlantic Station and Paces West in Atlanta require Georgia licensure, BLS certification, and Epic EMR familiarity, underscoring telemedicine’s demands, per Glassdoor.

Nolen and clinical manager Grant Reed will detail this at the 2026 HIMSS conference in Las Vegas, sharing metrics, lessons, and a roadmap. “The foundation of this success was a phased rollout plan combined with robust infrastructure preparation and governance,” Nolen noted. Their session promises blueprints for peers eyeing similar shifts.

Workforce Retention Meets Patient Safety

Piedmont’s model counters industry woes, where nurses juggle high-acuity cases amid shortages. Virtual support eases administrative loads, with AI aiding inbox management per the KLAS study. “Implement meaningful alerts… Adopt virtual nursing models: Leverage virtual nursing to improve documentation efficiency and reduce bedside nurse workload,” it advised.

Patient safety protocols protect during virtual engagements, as Larkins affirmed. This hybrid approach sustains care quality, extends veteran careers, and fosters satisfaction—key in a field plagued by burnout. Piedmont’s 1,600+ practice locations amplify reach, blending virtual innovation with on-site expertise.

Industry Echoes and Future Horizons

As virtual nursing proliferates, Piedmont leads with proven results. HIMSS26 spotlights its evolution, amid broader trends like Advocate Health’s 43,000-hour savings across 25 hospitals. For insiders, Piedmont offers a template: integrate early, standardize rigorously, and measure relentlessly to turn crisis into competitive edge.