Chelan, Wash. — On June 25, the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) presented its annual Rural Quality Everyday Extraordinary Award to Elma-based Summit Pacific Medical Center for its Telesitting Program, which uses virtual nurse assistants to improve patient safety and reduce harm in its Acute Care Unit and emergency department.
 
Prior to launching the program, the Acute Care Unit faced a troubling number of falls, abusive behavior by patients, medical device mishandling and patients abandoning care, putting themselves at risk of harm.
 
To monitor patients in a way that allowed for quick intervention and communication while protecting patient privacy, the hospital gathered a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders from key departments to implement the program. The Telesitting Program uses AvaSure technology, which allows nurse assistants to monitor patients in real time and intervene verbally when needed.
 
The new system dramatically cut care team response times and enabled timely interventions to prevent harm. It works seamlessly alongside staff providing direct care. Importantly, the system does not record audio or video, ensuring full compliance with patient safety standards.
 
“This is a powerful example of how rural hospitals are driving innovation to improve care,” WSHA Senior Vice President of Clinical Excellence Darcy Jaffe said. “Summit Pacific’s Telesitting Program is a smart, scalable solution that helps solve a real need in rural emergency and acute care settings.”
 
From August 2024 to February 2025, the program prevented 234 adverse events, including:

  • 119 falls
  • 51 other safety-related incidents
  • 26 elopements (patients leaving without accessing care or against medical advice)
  • 26 medical device-related issues
  • 12 cases of abusive behavior

Summit Pacific’s approach is also being expanded through a partnership with Mason General Hospital in Shelton, WA., sharing resources and scaling monitoring across facilities. The collaboration enables one virtual nurse assistant to safely monitor multiple high-risk patients, improving care and reducing staffing strain.