Nurses manage countless competing priorities throughout a shift, from monitoring patient vitals and administering medications to meeting mobility goals and responding to requests across multiple rooms. As care environments evolve, balancing those responsibilities while remaining fully present at the bedside can be challenging.

To ease that strain and strengthen patient‑focused care, UCHealth is introducing hellocare.ai, a virtual care platform that extends support beyond the bedside. The platform, managed through the UCHealth Virtual Health Center (VHC), provides HIPAA‑safe video capabilities and real‑time communication tools in patient rooms, offering an added layer of coverage when nurses cannot be there. hellocare.ai is initially launching at select UCHealth hospitals; at UCHealth Memorial Hospital North, nurse manager Leslie Tronnes, MSN, RN, has been among the first frontline team members to partner with the VHC and explore how the platform can improve the patient experience and enhance nurses’ day-to-day activities.

“We are early on in our hellocare.ai journey,” she said. “Currently, we are using the platform in partnership with the VHC team for virtual sitting and monitoring after post-rapid response deterioration.”

Virtual clinicians remain closely connected to patients through continuous observation and communication. They can send alerts and concerns to bedside staff, helping identify patient distress, prevent falls and reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries. That shared vigilance creates a seamless flow of information and support that helps ensure patients are seen and supported throughout their care journey.

Beyond virtual sitter support and enhanced patient monitoring, the next phase of the platform integration will introduce inpatient electronic room signage within the TV. An electronic whiteboard will be visible inside the TV, and digital door entry signs will be placed outside patient rooms to help care teams prepare before entering. Instead of nurses spending time updating handwritten boards or correcting information after shift changes, patients can see real-time updates from their care teams.

These digital additions have the potential to assist in enhancing patient safety by providing real time alerts for fall risk and hospital acquired pressure injury (HAPI) prevention. When a patient shows signs of increased movement or has not been repositioned, care teams can receive prompts that enable early intervention by nurses. This proactive awareness helps reduce preventable harm while enabling nurses to prioritize timely, focused care.

Tronnes also sees an opportunity for the platform to reduce nurses’ alert fatigue and create more intentional care environments.

“Once the technology is fully implemented, hellocare.ai can help take some of the administrative weight off our nurses,” she said. “It gives nurses valuable visibility without requiring them to be in the room for every check. Being able to review information such as fluid levels from the nurses’ station helps us anticipate patients’ needs, reduce call lights and cut down on unnecessary alarms.”

While teams are continuing to gather feedback to ensure hellocare.ai evolves in ways that support both patients and care teams, early results suggest that this virtual layer of care complements, rather than replaces, human connection.

“The platform allows us to focus on the art of nursing,” Tronnes said. “When technology can manage the science, it gives nurses the time and presence to spend those important moments at the bedside, connecting with patients as people.”

In a care environment defined by increasing complexity, reclaimed time to empathize with patients and reassure them may be one of the most meaningful outcomes.

 

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The visual companion to our 2026 Nursing Year in Review showcases the print edition’s visual storytelling with connections to all of the articles.