Virtual health at UCHealth

• The Virtual Health Center performs virtual observation for surveillance of patients in an intensive care unit.
• 24/7 Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-trained nurses provide ICU-level surveillance for up to 144 patients at a time in ICU levels of care, in partnership with virtual ICU physicians.
• By integrating patient data with standard bedside monitor device data, the nurse in the Virtual Health Center can identify potential clinical decompensation and collaborate with bedside clinicians to initiate interventions.

• The Virtual Health Center’s early sepsis detection program leverages predictive models and Electronic Health Record (EHR)-embedded tools to identify and track impeding infection.
• This program has helped reduce sepsis-related deaths by 30% for cases that were not present at the time of hospital admission.
• The Virtual Health Center is saving more than 1,000 people a year from sepsis and other diseases, a fivefold increase from 5 years ago.

• The Virtual Health Center uses innovative remote video-capture technology that monitors concurrently across all hospitals in the health system focused on fall prevention.
• 1,460 interventions are performed every day (24 hours) to help reduce patient falls and aid with patient and staff safety.

• Through the Virtual Health Center, cardiac and telemetry monitoring have been centralized to improve care coordination across Colorado.
• Telemetry technicians can monitor up to 42 patients at a time—more than four times the capacity of the traditional decentralized hospital-based model.

Centralized monitoring of early detection of opiate-related respiratory depression in acute care settings.

• Patient-facing digital urgent care platform for low-acuity complaints.
• Home to one of the largest virtual urgent care networks in the state, UCHealth’s Virtual Urgent Care providers see 50K patients per year.

• Our virtual care team streamlines the evaluation and management of occupational exposures and on-the-job incidents.
• Employees can connect with trained clinicians in real time to receive guidance, documentation, and next steps, helping organizations stay compliant and keeping employees healthy.

• Aiding hospitals by minimizing risk and managing capacity, remote patient monitoring allows patients to be home safely while integrating data from patient wearables being monitored at the Virtual Health Center.
• Programs include: diabetes, chronic heart failure, behavioral health, blood pressure management, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), oncology/palliative care, and Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD).

• The Virtual Health Center post-acute monitoring supports the transition from inpatient care to the home setting with close clinical monitoring, virtual check-ins, and tailored care plans designed to prevent complications and readmissions.
• Programs include gastric sleeve, respiratory viral illness, and post-pancreatic surgery.

• Continuous vital sign monitoring for higher-risk patients can use patient level data to triage patients, maximizing the frontline team efficiencies. Consult time has been reduced by more than 72 hours. This leads to more timely care for patients and allows the frontline teams to work top of scope.
• The wound care team is now able to dedicate approximately 40 hours per month more to proactive rounding to prevent skin breakdown.
• The number of wound care patients seen each week increased by 40% with the same number of staff since virtual wound care was introduced.

• A centralized respiratory therapist can use patient level data to triage and prioritize patients for frontline teams, maximizing the frontline team efficiencies and improving RT/ventilator related patient care and outcomes.
• The Virtual Health Center has reduced the time patients spend on a ventilator by 1.9 days.

• Virtual nurses at the Virtual Health Center extend the capacity of bedside teams by completing admission documentation, conducting patient interviews, and identifying care gaps—all via secure video connection.
• This centralized model enables consistent, high-quality documentation and timely compliance with quality measures.

• The Virtual Health Center includes a 12/7 nighttime Virtual Hospitalist that provides coverage to support patient care across multiple settings—including virtual surveillance, remote patient monitoring, and community hospitals.
• By centralizing after-hours hospitalist coverage, the system improves efficiency, mitigates staffing challenges, and ensures high-quality, consistent care regardless of location.

A newer role at UCHealth, a PTT is designed to augment frontline staff with the support of technology to provide staff more time for patient care and increase the ability for nurses and CNAs to work at the top of scope.

• Operating from the Virtual Health Center and alongside local care teams, virtual and embedded RNs support real-time quality improvement across UCHealth by identifying and addressing care gaps as they happen.
• By combining centralized oversight with unit-level presence, the Q&S team enhances standardization, accelerates intervention, and supports bedside teams in delivering high-reliability care.

• In collaboration with DocLine, ATC Healthcare physicians support real-time capacity and capability management across all three UCHealth regions.
• By triaging incoming DocLine calls, these physicians help ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate level of care and facility based on clinical need, acuity, and system capacity.
• The partnership enables a more responsive, data-informed approach to regional care coordination—enhancing access, reducing strain on individual facilities, and supporting system-wide utilization.

The VHC is a centralized hub of digital health services that enhances patient monitoring, hospital efficiency, and care delivery beyond traditional settings. It integrates advanced technologies and remote care teams to optimize health outcomes.

While telemedicine focuses on direct patient-provider virtual visits, the VHC is a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes infrastructure that enables continuous monitoring, proactive interventions and real-time collaboration across inpatient and outpatient settings.

Health systems with VHC models have reported reduced hospital readmissions, shorter lengths of stay, improved bed capacity management, and increase patient engagement in chronic care management.

The VHC reduces alert fatigue, automates routine monitoring and enables care teams to focus on high-priority interventions, easing the burden on bedside staff and supporting a more sustainable workforce. Nursing units

The VHC helps health systems maximize bed capacity, reduce costly readmissions, optimize staffing and enhance patient outcomes—contributing to long-term cost savings and revenue growth.

Yes, the VHC can be customized to fit the needs of large health systems, rural hospitals, outpatient care settings, with scalable technology and staffing models.