South Carolina – October 17, 2026 -- The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) expanded its virtual nursing program from five inpatient units to 57 units across four regions in about two and a half years, and estimates $2.4 million in savings from reduced nurse turnover on early adopter units, according to research from its Telehealth Center of Excellence.
MUSC program freed capacity equal to 10.2 full-time nurses
Across more than 23,500 virtual nursing encounters, the program generated capacity equivalent to approximately 10.2 full-time nursing positions. The program runs on the ThinkAndor® platform.
Of the bedside nurses surveyed, 87% reported a decrease in overall workload. Seventy-six percent said they spent less time documenting admissions and discharges, and 68% reported more time for patient rounding.
Nurse satisfaction averages 4.41 out of 5
Bedside nurse satisfaction averaged 4.41 out of 5. All virtual nurses surveyed (100%) reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the program.
ThinkAndor adds an AI orchestration layer to virtual nursing workflows
The platform vendor describes ThinkAndor as an intelligence and orchestration layer behind the clinical workflow. According to the source, AI processes information, automates documentation and coordination tasks, prioritizes work and surfaces patients who need human attention. Clinicians supervise those workflows instead of operating a separate application.
The vendor argues this changes the scaling model. Traditional virtual care typically needs more staff to serve more patients, while an AI-native model aims to expand capacity without adding labor at the same rate. The research does not quantify the AI contribution separately.
Enterprise programs require integration with the EHR, not standalone video
Admissions, discharge workflows, patient education, documentation support, quality surveillance and care coordination can be distributed across bedside teams, virtual clinicians and AI. The source states that a camera or video connection alone does not constitute a virtual nursing strategy. It calls for orchestration across clinical teams, patient information, communications, documentation and the EHR.
Evaluation framework spans five dimensions
The MUSC research proposes measuring virtual nursing across workforce experience, patient outcomes, operational performance, population health and financial impact. Suggested metrics include clinician capacity created, administrative work removed, nurse satisfaction, turnover and patient throughput.