The 'Smart Care Facility Platform' from care.ai will enable AHN to expand its digital nursing program to all of the network's hospitals by 2026, allowing bedside clinicians to spend more time with patients.
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Allegheny Health Network (AHN) has begun installing new virtual care platforms at AHN Wexford Hospital and Forbes Hospital, the first steps toward establishing "smart rooms" across the AHN footprint and creating a more responsive and personalized health care environment for patients.
The new platforms will also allow for the expansion of AHN's digital nursing program.
Over the next 18 months, about 1,600 inpatient rooms across 10 hospitals in the AHN footprint will be outfitted with the "smart care" technology. Jefferson Hospital and Grove City Hospital will be the next AHN facilities to go live with the platforms.
The "Smart Care Facility Platform," from care.ai, includes a secure, two-way optical camera, a smart flat-screen monitor, and AI-assisted ambient sensors that can detect when a patient is in distress. The technologies allow nurses and other caregivers to monitor patients remotely, communicate with them about their stay or their discharge instructions, and prevent other potential health issues before they arise.
"We're thrilled to leverage this innovative technology to elevate the standard of care at AHN and strengthen our commitment to patient well-being," said Stephen Hunter, vice president, Digital Strategies & Innovation for AHN. "The care.ai virtual platform empowers on-site nurses and clinicians to spend more time providing skilled bedside care, allowing virtual caregivers to handle time-consuming admission and discharge responsibilities."
The digital nursing concept was piloted at Forbes Hospital in 2024, and the pilot project showed that when remote nurses were tasked with handling admissions paperwork, discharge instructions, and other administrative and record-keeping functions, bedside nurses were able to spend more time with patients. In a typical 12-hour shift, bedside nurses spend about 2.5 hours taking care of admitting and discharging responsibilities.
On-site nurses saw other benefits, too, such as a significant decrease in the rate of missed lunches. The efficiencies gained through the digital nursing pilot also benefitted the patient directly — the rate of discharges before 11 a.m. grew by almost 20 percent.
Patients must "opt in" to the virtual encounter. Throughout the pilot, just a small fraction of patients declined to participate.
In addition to admission and discharge activities, digital caregivers will be able to "round" on patients — that is, check in on them at regular intervals — and in the future, offer "sitting" services, providing care and companionship to patients who need supervision.
Initially, the platform will be utilized for its two-way communication capabilities. In the second phase of the roll-out, the care.ai platform's ambient listening and artificial intelligence sensors can also be activated to help detect movement that might lead to a patient fall, and to alert providers to other health risks before they become critical.
The cameras and screens will first be installed in AHN's emergency departments, medical-surgical, telemetry, stepdown, and observation units. Other units, such as rehab units and intensive care, could follow.
"We've been encouraged by the results of this pilot — the technology has been well-received by our patients and especially by our nurses," said Angela Costa, chief nurse executive, AHN. "The digital nurse program allows our bedside nurses to practice at the top of their licenses, reduces burnout among nurses, and allows experienced nurses to extend their careers by working remotely, giving them freedom and flexibility to pursue their vocation in a way that suits their individual needs and lifestyle."
Remote nurses, about 40 in all, will observe and instruct patients either from their homes or from AHN offices on the North Side through the new platforms.
The rollout of care.ai at AHN has been driven by team members and leaders across the Highmark Health enterprise, including the organization's health technology innovation subsidiary, enGen. Key enGen professionals who have played a role in the project are Michael Rothrauff (senior IT infrastructure analyst), Josh Vogel (IT infrastructure analyst for virtual health), Justin Schmidt (senior technical analyst, network engineering) and Corey Walker (senior technical engineer, campus network). Other significant contributors include Randy Geiselhart, MSN (nurse manager, telemetry, Forbes Hospital), Rob Svanda (IT manager, AHN) and Cheryl Finley (senior IT project manager, AHN).
"With health systems across the country facing workforce challenges, AHN and Highmark Health are examining innovative ways to improve employee engagement, redirect administrative tasks and enhance the productivity of our care teams," said Richard Clarke, PhD, chief analytics officer, Highmark Health. "The care.ai suite of services is in keeping with our Living Health philosophy of transforming the industry with the help of impactful, scalable solutions that create remarkable experiences for our patients and clinicians."
In August 2024, care.ai was acquired by Stryker Corp., a medical technology company that specializes in surgical implants, devices, and navigation systems.
Media Contact
Bill Toland, Allegheny Health Network, 412 337 1738, [email protected], www.ahn.org
SOURCE Allegheny Health Network
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