Virtual nursing hype meets reality | Philly Health Insider

This week we look at how technology can solve problems — but also introduce new ones. Our big read explores what three hospital systems are learning about “virtual nursing,” when a nurse provides care to as many as a dozen patients through a screen. (Spoiler alert: Hype has not always matched reality.)

In keeping with the technology theme, we highlight a new study reviewing the evidence on how algorithms impact racial bias in health care. And we look at an initiative grounded in human connection: A Philadelphia partnership that brings people together to share real-life experiences managing chronic illnesses has received $5.5 million from the NIH.

Before we begin, a note to any pharmacists joining us: You might be tempted to relocate to the wine country on the West Coast by the end of this newsletter.

📮 Got tips, questions, or suggestions? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us.

If someone forwarded you this newsletter, sign up here.

— Abraham Gutman and Aubrey Whelan, Inquirer health reporters, @abrahamgutman and @aubreywhelan.

This health-care solution created its own unforeseen problems.

Philly-area hospitals are testing remote nursing models. The idea is appealing at a time when nurses are in short supply: Put cameras in patient rooms that allow one nurse to keep an eye on as many as 12 patients at a time. And research suggests that so-called “virtual sitters” can help reduce falls.

But Jefferson’s Abington Hospital learned implementation can be tricky. The Montgomery County hospital was rebuked by state inspectors in March over the logistics involved in using virtual monitors in behavioral health patient rooms. The monitors rolled on carts into patient rooms used an 8-foot power cord. This poses an unacceptable strangulation risk in behavioral health settings. In response, Abington administrators removed the carts and used the incident as a teaching moment.

Penn Medicine has found the effort required to maneuver the bulky equipment sometimes offsets the time that virtual nurses would save for on-the-floor staff. And in South Jersey, Virtua Health is testing whether its virtual nurses can take on more of the duties typically assigned to in-person nurses.

“Everyone is thinking the technology is going to create such efficiency. We bought into the hype,” said Ann Huffenberger, a nurse and the director of the Penn Center for Connected Care. “It didn’t really work out for us in that manner.”

Our colleague Sarah Gantz has the details on the hospitals’ experiences with virtual nursing.

This week’s number: 148.

That’s the number of metro areas in the U.S. where pharmacists made more money on average than those working in the Philadelphia region last year.

Philadelphia’s 7,760 pharmacists earned an average of $133,680 in 2023, a 3% increase from the year before.

Pharmacists looking for a raise could check out California’s Napa Valley, the metro area with the highest average pay. The pharmacists in that region, known for its wineries (and high cost of living), earned an average of $182,380.

The Philadelphia area had the fifth-highest average pay in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware. In Pittsburgh, the second-largest market in the three states, the average pay was only $125,830.

Abraham broke down the differences in the workforce and pay statistics.

Inspectors visited the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia three times between September 2023 and February 2024. They twice found the hospital in compliance, but on a third visit found a patient was sent home without needed medication.

A partnership between Philadelphia, Penn Nursing, and community groups wants to help people with chronic illnesses manage their diseases — and the NIH is supporting the effort with $5.5 million.

The four-year grant will train community health workers to lead group sessions in their neighborhoods where patients will learn about their illness and discuss their challenges in managing the conditions.

The secret sauce of the initiative is the group setting, said Carmen Alvarez, a Penn Nursing professor who co-leads the project.

“When you’re in a space with people who are experiencing the same barriers, that helps to deal with the stigma and it’s also validating or encouraging,” Alvarez said. “‘Oh, I’m not the only one that’s struggling.’”

Read more about the partnership and what it hopes to achieve with the new grant.

Jane Shull is leaving Philadelphia FIGHT, after serving as the community health organization’s chief executive for more than three decades. She told Philadelphia Gay News that she doesn’t plan on slowing down.

Do you want to be FIGHT’s next CEO? Email the executive search firm that they retained at jfazekas@wittkieffer.com.

Penn researchers undertook the most comprehensive review yet of how algorithms impact racial biases in health care. Their study, published in March in the Annals of Internal Medicine, comes years after researchers around the country began raising concerns that an algorithm used to place people on the kidney transplant list was wrongly keeping some Black patients off the list.

Penn’s study found that intention matters in this space: Algorithms that included a patient’s race specifically in order to reduce inequalities generally result in better care for everyone. But those that include race for no real reason tend to worsen racial disparities in care.

Aubrey explored their findings and how the study can help local efforts to address algorithmic biases in health systems.

📮 Writing this week’s newsletter items made us want to hear more about how technology is shaping your job. We would love to feature your experiences in this newsletter, so email us here.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.