Prime Healthcare Pits Two Virtual Sitter Vendors Against One Another – Who Won?

Why It Matters

The outcome shows how remote monitoring can cut fall risk and staff strain, accelerating broader adoption of virtual sitter technology in acute care.

Key Takeaways

• Integrated vendor model won after nine‑month, 13‑hospital trial
• Virtual sitters monitor multiple patients, reducing fall risk
• Utilization target set at 80% for sustainable deployment
• Model 2 offered flexibility but required more coordination
• Prime aligns virtual sitting with telemedicine for comprehensive care

Pulse Analysis

The rise of virtual sitter technology reflects a broader shift toward remote patient monitoring, where hospitals seek to balance safety with staffing constraints. By leveraging secure video feeds, trained observers can watch several patients simultaneously, freeing bedside nurses to focus on direct care tasks. This model addresses long‑standing challenges such as fall prevention and caregiver burnout, while maintaining clinical oversight without compromising patient outcomes.

Prime Healthcare’s nine‑month pilot spanned two distinct markets—Chicago and Southern California—using 56 carts across 13 facilities. Evaluation criteria centered on patient safety metrics, caregiver adoption rates, and resource stewardship, with an 80% utilization benchmark guiding sustainability decisions. The integrated vendor delivered a single point of accountability, streamlined hardware‑software integration, and consistent observer support, outperforming the modular approach that required separate contracts and added coordination overhead. Frontline feedback highlighted smoother workflow integration and faster issue resolution under the turnkey model.

The selection of an integrated virtual sitter platform positions Prime to deepen its virtual care ecosystem, linking continuous observation with telemedicine consultations. This synergy enables clinicians to extend oversight beyond scheduled appointments, creating a seamless safety net for high‑risk patients. As other health systems watch the results, the trial may set a template for scalable, cost‑effective remote monitoring solutions that reinforce patient safety while optimizing staff resources across diverse hospital environments.

Prime Healthcare pits two virtual sitter vendors against one another – who won?

Prime Healthcare’s Virtual Sitter Initiative · Phase 2

Prime Healthcare, an Ontario, California‑based health system, operates 51 hospitals and more than 360 outpatient locations in 14 states, providing more than 3 million patient visits annually. It has more than 60,000 staff and affiliated physicians.

Phase 1 of Prime Healthcare’s virtual care strategy rolled out last year, focusing on timely specialist input. Phase 2 of the virtual care strategy focuses on enhancing patient safety while thoughtfully supporting frontline caregivers – tele‑sitter technology being the big focus.

The organization now is deploying the virtual sitter initiative across the health system, where non‑physicians are using technology to keep patients safe within a hospital. To get to this point, Prime Healthcare narrowed down the vendor field and then pitted two virtual care vendors against one another to see which would be best for the job.

Harsha Gopinath, executive director of telemedicine services at Prime Healthcare, tells the tale.

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Q. Please describe “Phase 2” of virtual care for Prime Healthcare.

A. In acute care settings, staffing models are highly regulated, and ensuring the right level of observation for patients at risk of falls or unintentional harm is a critical responsibility. Traditionally, this has required assigning a dedicated in‑room safety observer, which can be effective but also limits flexibility in how clinical teams deploy their resources.

Virtual sitter technology allows trained remote observers to monitor multiple appropriate patients simultaneously using secure, real‑time video tools. This approach helps maintain vigilant oversight for patients who need observation, while allowing nurses and support staff on the unit to focus more fully on direct patient care. Importantly, the goal is not to replace human judgment, but to extend it in a way that is safe, responsive and clinically appropriate.

Not all patients are eligible for virtual sitters. Patients with certain behavioral‑health or self‑harm risks may still require in‑room monitoring. Nursing leadership plays a central role in defining eligibility criteria and ensuring that virtual sitters are used only when clinically appropriate. When implemented thoughtfully, this model strengthens patient safety, reduces caregiver strain and supports a more sustainable care environment without compromising quality.

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Q. Please describe the two different virtual sitter models you tested and how they differ.

A. Prime Healthcare evaluated two virtual sitter models that differ primarily in how technology and staffing are coordinated, rather than in clinical function. In both models, the goal is the same: to provide safe, reliable observation for appropriate patients while supporting bedside care teams.

• Model 1 – Integrated vendor: A single vendor provides an integrated system that includes the hardware, software platform and trained patient‑safety observers. This approach offers simplicity and streamlined coordination, with one partner responsible for the full service.

• Model 2 – Separate components: Prime owns and manages the equipment, a technology vendor provides the virtual sitter software platform, and a dedicated staffing company supplies the trained safety observers. This model offers greater flexibility and system‑level control, allowing Prime to standardize equipment, strengthen cybersecurity oversight, and adapt the program over time as clinical and operational needs evolve.

Both models were carefully evaluated to determine which best supports patient safety, caregiver workflows, scalability across diverse hospital settings and long‑term sustainability. The assessment was guided by clinical leadership and frontline input to ensure that technology enhances care delivery.

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Q. How did you have them deployed for the test, and how long was the live test period?

A. Prime Healthcare deployed the two virtual sitter models across two large metropolitan regions to ensure the evaluation reflected diverse hospital environments and patient populations. The live testing period ran for nine months.

• Greater Chicago region: Implemented across seven hospitals using a total of 26 virtual sitter carts. These hospitals already had virtual observation workflows in place prior to joining Prime. Prime focused on standardizing technology, aligning clinical criteria and strengthening system‑wide oversight while preserving continuity of care and patient safety during the transition.

• Southern California: Deployed across six hospitals using 30 carts. One hospital had previously piloted virtual sitter technology, while the remaining sites represented a greenfield deployment. This market provided an opportunity to evaluate a turnkey model from initial implementation through full clinical adoption.

Testing in two distinct regions allowed Prime to compare performance across different operational contexts, assess scalability and gather frontline feedback. The results are informing how the program can best support patient safety, caregiver workflows and consistent standards of care across the health system.

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Q. What factors were you judging these two models on? What outcomes did you want to see the winner have?

A. Prime Healthcare evaluated virtual sitter systems across three core dimensions: patient safety, caregiver adoption and responsible resource stewardship.

Virtual sitter programs are a nursing intervention designed to reduce fall risk and enhance patient observation when clinically appropriate. Successful programs rely on clear, nurse‑led criteria to determine which patients are eligible and when virtual observation can safely replace in‑room monitoring. We evaluated how well each model supports those clinical standards and contributes to safer, more reliable care environments for patients.

The technology itself is only part of the equation. Long‑term success depends on how effectively vendors support frontline teams through education, change management and ongoing guidance. We assess how well each vendor works with nursing leadership to embed the program into daily workflows, reinforce clinical decision‑making, and provide actionable reporting that helps teams use the technology consistently and confidently.

As a health system committed to strengthening community hospitals, Prime places strong emphasis on sustainability and appropriate scale. Virtual sitter programs are most effective when devices are deployed at levels that meet patient demand without excess capacity. We look for utilization rates of approximately 80 % or higher, which indicates the technology is being used consistently and aligned with clinical need.

Utilization significantly above that level may signal the need for additional devices, while lower utilization can indicate opportunities to rebalance deployment. Transparent data and proactive vendor support are essential to maintaining that balance over time.

Ultimately, we were looking for a system that delivers a flexible, scalable framework rather than a one‑size‑fits‑all approach. Each hospital has unique patient populations, staffing models and care environments. The ideal vendor supports those differences while advancing our shared goal: safer care, empowered caregivers and thoughtful use of technology that strengthens community hospitals for the long term.

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Q. Who won? Why? And how will virtual sitting be working with telemedicine now that you have a winner?

A. The turnkey systems vendor was selected based on its strong performance across Prime Healthcare’s evaluation criteria, particularly ease of integration, reliability and caregiver support. A single, integrated model that combines equipment, software and monitoring personnel provides clarity and consistency for nursing teams, with one accountable partner supporting the program end‑to‑end.

This simplifies issue resolution, streamlines adjustments to deployment as patient needs change and allows caregivers to focus on patient care rather than vendor coordination.

From a stewardship perspective, the integrated approach also allows Prime to scale virtual sitting responsibly, aligning device availability with patient demand through a single agreement rather than multiple vendor relationships. This flexibility supports both operational efficiency and sustainability across diverse hospital environments.

Virtual sitting and telemedicine are complementary components of Prime’s broader virtual care strategy. While telemedicine connects patients with physicians and specialists, virtual sitting supports continuous patient safety when bedside observation is needed.

Together, these tools enable Prime to extend clinical oversight, support caregivers and enhance patient safety by thoughtfully leveraging technology across the continuum of care.