A virtual hospital is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s a practical solution to some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. Rising inpatient loads, workforce shortages, and the need for continuous monitoring have all pushed hospitals to think beyond their walls.
A virtual hospital brings the hospital-level care model home, providing patients with real-time clinical oversight without requiring them to step into a building. Care is delivered remotely, powered by connected devices, integrated electronic health records, and a centralized clinical team that manages multiple patients simultaneously. What once required a hospital bed can now be done with a tablet, a vital signs monitor, and an internet connection.
Real-world impact backs this shift. McKinsey estimates that up to $265 billion worth of U.S. care services could be delivered at home by 2025 through virtual care models. Meanwhile, NHS England has actively expanded its virtual wards to maintain inpatient capacity above 80%, with early signs showing fewer admissions and shorter lengths of stay (Blackpool Hospitals NHS).
In this blog, we’ll break down what a virtual hospital is, how it operates, the technologies behind it, and how healthcare systems like yours can adopt this model, with real outcomes and support that goes beyond theory.
Mindbowser helps hospitals and health systems build secure, EHR-integrated virtual hospital solutions — from remote monitoring to care team dashboards.
A virtual hospital is a clinical care model that delivers hospital-grade services without requiring patients to visit a facility physically. There are no beds and no nurse stations down the hall; instead, there’s a centralized command center where licensed care teams remotely monitor and treat patients in their homes or long-term care settings.
Patients receive care through connected medical devices, virtual check-ins, and on-demand telehealth sessions. Meanwhile, clinical staff use real-time data feeds and patient dashboards to intervene when needed, just as they would on a hospital floor.
This model isn’t a replacement for hospitals but a shift in how and where certain levels of care are delivered. Virtual hospitals collaborate with inpatient teams to manage chronic conditions, monitor recovery after discharge, and prevent unnecessary admissions, thereby freeing up space and resources within the hospital.
At the core of a virtual hospital is a coordinated system that allows clinicians to remotely monitor, assess, and treat patients who would otherwise be admitted to a traditional hospital. It’s not just video visits or casual check-ins—it’s a comprehensive care workflow that mirrors inpatient care, adapted for remote delivery.
Here’s a closer look at how this system functions step by step:
Patients are equipped with clinically validated remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices, such as pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, glucometers, and sometimes even portable ECG devices. These devices transmit real-time vitals from the patient’s home to a centralized clinical dashboard. For patients with chronic conditions like heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), daily vital tracking provides early warning signs before issues escalate.
The collected data doesn’t just sit in a standalone app. It’s integrated directly into the hospital’s EHR system, such as Epic EHR, Cerner EHR, Athenahealth EHR, or any FHIR-compatible system. Clinicians can access the same patient data they would during an in-person encounter, including lab results, medications, and notes, enabling continuity of care without duplication.
Using predefined thresholds and clinical rules, the system flags any abnormal readings or trends that require attention. For example, a sudden weight gain in a patient with heart failure could trigger an alert for diuretic adjustment. While some systems incorporate AI for triage support, most virtual hospitals rely on clinical protocols paired with real-time data to catch problems early.
When a concern is flagged or a patient initiates contact, care teams schedule video or phone consults. Depending on the program, this might include virtual rounding by a physician, medication reconciliation with a pharmacist, or behavioral health support from a licensed therapist. The interaction is documented in the same manner as it would be in a hospital, ensuring workflows remain consistent for clinical staff.
All of this is coordinated through a centralized hub, sometimes referred to as a virtual command center, staffed by physicians, nurses, social workers, and coordinators. These teams may be co-located in one facility or work from distributed settings. They manage multiple patients simultaneously, using dashboards that show real-time vitals, risk scores, and task lists.
In many cases, the command center also works with in-home service providers when hands-on care is needed. This might include home health nurses, phlebotomists, or durable medical equipment vendors to deliver and manage patient needs locally.
A virtual hospital isn’t just a telehealth program with added bells and whistles. It’s a fully integrated care delivery system that relies on the seamless flow of clinical data, device readings, and communication between patients and care teams, all in real time.
Here are the foundational technologies that make it possible:
From Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuffs to continuous glucose monitors, RPM devices form the backbone of patient assessment in virtual care. These tools automatically collect and transmit vital signs, minimizing manual entry and enhancing data reliability. For multi-condition management, patients may use several devices concurrently.
Video consults are essential, but not enough. A virtual hospital platform enables high-frequency, low-friction communication, including video, audio, and messaging, between patients and multiple care team members. It needs to handle scheduling, documentation, and patient-facing education in a single location.
For a virtual hospital to function safely, remote data must sync into the hospital’s existing EHR system. This ensures continuity, reduces duplication, and provides clinicians with a comprehensive view. Interoperability with HL7 and FHIR standards is no longer optional; it’s the baseline.
Virtual hospitals depend on scalable, secure cloud platforms to manage data, run analytics, and support remote collaboration. HIPAA-compliant architecture with built-in redundancies is crucial for ensuring uptime and data protection, particularly in 24/7 care models.
Care teams need clear, actionable dashboards that show who’s stable, who needs attention, and what tasks are pending. These dashboards typically include color-coded vitals, medication tracking, symptom reports, and risk scores, enabling proactive rather than reactive care.
Our workflows, like EHRConnect, are designed to help provider organizations integrate virtual care directly into their existing EHR and operational stack. Whether you’re using Epic, Cerner, Athenahealth, or another system, our tools allow:
Virtual hospitals aren’t one-size-fits-all. Depending on the population served and the clinical goals, these models can be tailored to address a range of needs, from short-term acute episodes to the management of complex chronic conditions. Below are the most common formats emerging across health systems:
As Sir David Sloman, Chief Operating Officer at NHS England, noted:
“This virtual hospital model is a fantastic example of embracing innovation while providing safe and high‑quality care for all.”
– NHS Providers
These are typically used to manage patients who present to the emergency department but don’t require immediate inpatient admission. Instead, they’re stabilized and monitored remotely.
Conditions treated:
Patients are sent home with monitoring equipment, and clinical oversight continues 24/7 through a centralized command center. Most episodes last 3 to 7 days, mirroring the durations of inpatient stays.
For patients with long-term conditions, this model provides ongoing support through daily check-ins, vital sign tracking, and lifestyle coaching. These programs are especially effective in reducing readmissions and improving adherence.
Conditions managed:
In some cases, health coaches and pharmacists are included alongside nurses and physicians, forming a multidisciplinary virtual care team.
Surgical recovery doesn’t always need a hospital bed. These virtual wards help patients transition from hospital to home safely while still under observation.
Use cases include:
Pain scores, wound images, and mobility milestones are tracked remotely, with escalation protocols in place for early signs of complications.
With demand outpacing availability for in-person therapy, virtual models are filling the gap. These clinics support a range of mental health needs — from routine therapy to crisis intervention.
Services offered:
Platforms often combine synchronous (live sessions) and asynchronous tools (journaling, symptom check-ins) to stay connected with patients between visits.
Related Read: Behavioral Health Revenue Cycle Management: A Modern Guide
Expectant mothers, new mothers, and young children benefit significantly from early interventions. Virtual units here focus on convenience, education, and timely support.
Care delivered includes:
For example, an AI-supported virtual care model is helping improve outcomes in labor and delivery:
This type of integration demonstrates how AI and EHRs can collaborate to support frontline teams in high-impact situations.
Older adults often have multiple comorbidities, but many prefer aging in place. Virtual care models offer a structured approach to doing so safely.
Program elements typically include:
For example,
We helped to build a remote care model tailored for senior populations, which demonstrates how virtual hospitals can simplify complex care:
This approach reflects how thoughtful tech design can improve outcomes without overwhelming patients or providers.
Related Read: Telehealth in Home Health Care: Enhancing Patient Outcomes Through Innovative Solution
As hospitals face mounting pressure to reduce inpatient volume, lower readmissions, and reach underserved populations, virtual hospital models are emerging as a practical and scalable alternative. Below are the most common and high-impact use cases health systems are prioritizing:
For patients with heart failure, diabetes, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), proactive monitoring is critical. Virtual hospitals enable the real-time tracking of vital signs, medication adherence, and symptom progression. This leads to fewer acute exacerbations and improves patient engagement between clinic visits.
Example: RPM-based alerts for weight gain in CHF patients can help clinicians adjust diuretics early, preventing a trip to the ER.
These programs take traditional inpatient-level care, IV antibiotics, wound care, oxygen therapy, and deliver it at home under virtual supervision. This reduces the strain on hospital beds, improving patient satisfaction and recovery time.
Who benefits:
CMS penalties tied to 30-day readmission rates have prompted health systems to reassess their discharge strategies. Virtual wards provide structured follow-up, daily check-ins, and prompt access to care teams, thereby reducing the risk of bounce-back admissions.
What’s monitored:
Many rural hospitals have closed or are operating at limited capacity. Virtual hospitals bridge that gap, enabling patients to receive high-quality care from specialists without the need to travel long distances. For some communities, it’s the only way to access consistent care.
Impact:
With rising demand for mental health services, virtual models are helping close access gaps. Patients can receive regular therapy, medication monitoring, and even 24/7 support for crises—all from the comfort of their own home.
Tools often include:
Related Read: Streamlining Behavioral Healthcare with Epic EHR Integration: Enhancing Efficiency and Patient Care
Virtual hospitals aren’t just a response to workforce gaps or a stopgap for bed shortages. They represent a durable operational model that aligns with the financial pressures, capacity constraints, and evolving patient expectations in healthcare. For hospitals, payers, and clinical teams alike, the benefits go beyond convenience.
Here’s a deeper look at why health systems are investing in virtual care models:
Emergency departments are under constant strain, especially for patients who could have been treated earlier if the right monitoring or outreach had been in place. Virtual hospitals help close that gap.
With tools such as daily vital monitoring, symptom trackers, and quick video consultations, care teams can intervene before conditions escalate. Patients recovering from hospitalization or managing chronic conditions receive structured follow-ups and active surveillance, which reduces the frequency of unplanned visits and readmissions.
Hospital beds come at a premium—not just in construction and maintenance, but in the staffing and services that support them. Running a virtual ward costs significantly less per patient per day compared to traditional inpatient stays.
USF Health Online highlights that virtual hospitals allow care teams to work from centralized hubs or even remotely, eliminating the need for physical room turnover, dietary services, and in-room staffing ratios.
By reducing reliance on brick-and-mortar facilities for patients who don’t clinically need to be there, hospitals can allocate resources more efficiently and keep physical beds open for higher-acuity cases.
Virtual care models allow clinicians to monitor more patients per shift. Dashboards organize patient priorities, alert nursing staff to abnormal trends, and help them work more proactively. This streamlined model reduces the cognitive and physical load on providers while increasing their coverage.
For example, a nurse in a command center can monitor vitals for 30 patients concurrently, something that would be impossible in a standard inpatient setting. The centralized view, combined with AI- or rules-based triage, enables them to focus attention only where it is needed.
In tight labor markets, this translates to operational scale without the unsustainable costs of constant hiring.
Patients discharged into virtual programs don’t fall through the cracks. They receive regular check-ins, symptom assessments, medication tracking, and direct access to their care team, all of which are coordinated within their existing medical record.
This level of continuity not only improves outcomes but also strengthens the patient-provider relationship. It also ensures better data capture, fewer errors in care plans, and more seamless coordination between physicians, pharmacists, case managers, and home health agencies.
Virtual hospitals function as an extension of inpatient care, not an isolated program. They keep patients engaged in their recovery and providers engaged with their patients.
Virtual models remove the geographic bottleneck. Patients in remote areas or smaller hospitals can receive care from cardiologists, pulmonologists, or psychiatrists without needing to leave their homes.
Rather than referring patients to tertiary centers, providers can engage specialists virtually and share relevant data in real time through EHR integration.
This capability supports underserved communities and reduces delays in diagnosis or treatment planning, particularly in behavioral health and chronic care domains where specialist wait times are already long.
Virtual hospitals are no longer pilot programs tucked away in innovation labs; they are now operating at scale in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, serving tens of thousands of patients with measurable outcomes. Below are some leading examples that demonstrate both the reach and flexibility of these models:
Often referred to as the world’s first virtual hospital, Mercy Virtual in Missouri operates without a single inpatient bed. Staffed 24/7 with physicians, nurses, and specialists, the command center provides remote care for patients across multiple states, supporting ICU, chronic care, and post-discharge patients.
Mercy has reported reductions in hospitalizations, fewer emergency visits, and improved patient satisfaction across partner systems, showing what’s possible when remote care is treated as core infrastructure, not just an add-on.
Mayo Clinic’s program combines hospital-at-home services with virtual supervision. Patients receive lab tests, imaging, nursing care, and medication delivery in their homes while being monitored by a virtual team. The care model enables earlier discharges and diverts appropriate patients directly from the ER to home.
Mayo partnered with Medically Home to implement this model, demonstrating how large health systems can blend clinical rigor with logistics and tech infrastructure to scale virtual care safely.
Kaiser has built a wide-reaching virtual care ecosystem that includes secure messaging, video consults, symptom checkers, and remote monitoring — all integrated within its EHR. The system offers around-the-clock care, supporting high-quality chronic disease management, mental health services, and pediatric virtual visits.
The organization has seen significant increases in utilization of its virtual tools, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, when members now expect a digital-first experience.
Launched in February 2020, the RPA Virtual Hospital was designed as a 24/7 service to expand capacity in New South Wales. In its first year, the virtual hospital managed care for over 5,000 patients, including more than 1,000 individuals with COVID-19. The program demonstrated the viability of scaling virtual services rapidly during public health crises while maintaining safe, monitored care at home.
Source
To address the growing needs of aging populations, Leeds Community Hospital implemented a virtual ward that supports up to 40 elderly patients per day. Over two years, the initiative helped avoid nearly 10,000 bed days, freeing up inpatient resources while delivering close supervision and support to seniors in their own homes.
Serving a region with over 500,000 residents, Kent NHS launched a COVID-19 virtual hospital ward to provide remote assessments and monitoring for patients. Within 18 months, the program had transitioned 45% of patient assessments to virtual settings and enabled 90% of patients to recover at home without escalation. This protected acute capacity and reduced patient exposure, and improved comfort.
While the benefits of virtual hospitals are clear, getting there isn’t as simple as flipping on a video platform. For providers looking to adopt this model, several structural and operational challenges must be addressed early on, or the program may be undermined altogether.
Here are some of the most common hurdles health systems face:
One of the biggest barriers is connecting new virtual care technologies with the hospital’s core EHR system. Remote monitoring data, virtual consultation notes, and task management tools must integrate smoothly into the existing workflow to prevent duplication, manual entry, or missed documentation.
Many hospitals still operate on legacy systems that aren’t fully FHIR-compatible, making integration complex and time-consuming. Without clean interoperability, care teams spend more time toggling between systems than focusing on patient needs.
Expanding care beyond the hospital walls also increases the risk surface area. Transmitting sensitive health data from a patient’s home to the hospital’s command center, often via cloud infrastructure, introduces a new layer of cybersecurity requirements.
Any system used in a virtual hospital model must be HIPAA-compliant, encrypted end-to-end, and continuously monitored for vulnerabilities. This includes not only the RPM and telehealth platforms but also the APIs that connect them.
Shifting to virtual care isn’t just a technical change—it’s a cultural one. Clinical staff require new skills, including interpreting remote vitals, managing digital escalations, utilizing dashboard-based workflows, and maintaining patient rapport through virtual screens.
Nurses and physicians accustomed to bedside care may require coaching to feel confident delivering the same high-quality care virtually. Without proper training and buy-in, adoption suffers and program outcomes stall.
The success of a virtual hospital depends on the patient’s ability to participate, not just passively, but actively. That includes using RPM devices correctly, attending scheduled check-ins, reporting symptoms, and following instructions.
For some patients, particularly older adults or those with limited broadband access, this is easier said than done. Even when devices are user-friendly, there’s still a learning curve.
If patients aren’t comfortable with the tools, compliance drops, risks increase, and outcomes are compromised.
Virtual care still faces regulatory gray areas in many states. Cross-state licensing for physicians, reimbursement for hospital-at-home services, and documentation rules all vary by payer and jurisdiction.
Health systems need to build programs that can adapt to shifting regulations, such as HIPAA & GDPR, or risk developing workflows that are unsustainable in the long term.
Overcoming these barriers requires more than a software purchase. It takes clinical leadership, change management, and the right technical partners to turn a virtual hospital vision into a stable, high-performing model.
Launching a virtual hospital involves more than picking a telehealth tool or plugging in devices. It requires a thoughtful blend of clinical insight, secure infrastructure, and integration with your existing systems. That’s where Mindbowser comes in—not just as a tech vendor, but as a healthcare engineering partner.
Here’s how we help provider organizations bring their virtual care models to life:
One of the biggest challenges in virtual care is integrating data from multiple sources into a single, unified workflow. HealthConnect CoPilot was designed to address that issue.
When your systems speak different languages, clinical efficiency suffers. EHRConnect simplifies this by offering:
Mindbowser builds and maintains HIPAA-compliant environments on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, complete with audit trails, role-based access controls, and data encryption. Our DevSecOps team ensures continuous compliance across:
Off-the-shelf solutions often fall short when real-world clinical workflows don’t match the product. That’s why we build:
For systems looking to scale efficiently, we help deploy machine learning models to:
These aren’t generic algorithms — they’re built using your clinical rules and data, in your environment.
From initial roadmap planning to post-deployment monitoring, Mindbowser acts as an extension of your internal team for healthcare product development. Services include:
Virtual hospitals have evolved into a strategic component of modern healthcare delivery. From chronic disease management to reducing inpatient burden, they provide hospitals with a scalable way to expand capacity, enhance patient experience, and maintain continuous clinical oversight beyond the hospital setting.
As digital infrastructure matures and patient expectations shift, health systems are increasingly designing care models that start and often stay at home.
This perspective reflects the direction many provider organizations are already heading, combining technology with personalized, high-touch care.
At Mindbowser, we work alongside provider organizations to make that transition smoother with solutions designed to meet both regulatory and operational realities.
Ready to take the next step? Let’s talk about building your virtual hospital roadmap. Book a call.
While telehealth typically covers episodic care, such as one-time video visits, a virtual hospital delivers continuous, coordinated clinical care. It involves 24/7 remote monitoring, integration with EHR systems, and oversight by licensed teams, often replacing or supplementing inpatient care for appropriate patients.
Yes, with the right infrastructure. Many virtual hospitals manage patients with acute conditions like pneumonia or heart failure who would otherwise be admitted. Through real-time vitals, structured protocols, and escalation pathways, these programs provide safe alternatives to inpatient stays.
Remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices track vital signs in real-time and send alerts for abnormal trends. Clinical teams work from a central command center to monitor dashboards and respond immediately. If needed, patients can be escalated to in-person care or emergency services.
Virtual hospitals are typically staffed with a mix of physicians, nurses, care coordinators, and specialists. One clinician can oversee multiple patients simultaneously through a centralized dashboard, making it more efficient than traditional inpatient ratios.
We worked with Mindbowser on a design sprint, and their team did an awesome job. They really helped us shape the look and feel of our web app and gave us a clean, thoughtful design that our build team could...
The team at Mindbowser was highly professional, patient, and collaborative throughout our engagement. They struck the right balance between offering guidance and taking direction, which made the development process smooth. Although our project wasn’t related to healthcare, we clearly benefited...
Founder, Texas Ranch Security
Mindbowser played a crucial role in helping us bring everything together into a unified, cohesive product. Their commitment to industry-standard coding practices made an enormous difference, allowing developers to seamlessly transition in and out of the project without any confusion....
CEO, MarketsAI
I'm thrilled to be partnering with Mindbowser on our journey with TravelRite. The collaboration has been exceptional, and I’m truly grateful for the dedication and expertise the team has brought to the development process. Their commitment to our mission is...
Founder & CEO, TravelRite
The Mindbowser team's professionalism consistently impressed me. Their commitment to quality shone through in every aspect of the project. They truly went the extra mile, ensuring they understood our needs perfectly and were always willing to invest the time to...
CTO, New Day Therapeutics
I collaborated with Mindbowser for several years on a complex SaaS platform project. They took over a partially completed project and successfully transformed it into a fully functional and robust platform. Throughout the entire process, the quality of their work...
President, E.B. Carlson
Mindbowser and team are professional, talented and very responsive. They got us through a challenging situation with our IOT product successfully. They will be our go to dev team going forward.
Founder, Cascada
Amazing team to work with. Very responsive and very skilled in both front and backend engineering. Looking forward to our next project together.
Co-Founder, Emerge
The team is great to work with. Very professional, on task, and efficient.
Founder, PeriopMD
I can not express enough how pleased we are with the whole team. From the first call and meeting, they took our vision and ran with it. Communication was easy and everyone was flexible to our schedule. I’m excited to...
Founder, Seeke
We had very close go live timeline and Mindbowser team got us live a month before.
CEO, BuyNow WorldWide
Mindbowser brought in a team of skilled developers who were easy to work with and deeply committed to the project. If you're looking for reliable, high-quality development support, I’d absolutely recommend them.
Founder, Teach Reach
Mindbowser built both iOS and Android apps for Mindworks, that have stood the test of time. 5 years later they still function quite beautifully. Their team always met their objectives and I'm very happy with the end result. Thank you!
Founder, Mindworks
Mindbowser has delivered a much better quality product than our previous tech vendors. Our product is stable and passed Well Architected Framework Review from AWS.
CEO, PurpleAnt
I am happy to share that we got USD 10k in cloud credits courtesy of our friends at Mindbowser. Thank you Pravin and Ayush, this means a lot to us.
CTO, Shortlist
Mindbowser is one of the reasons that our app is successful. These guys have been a great team.
Founder & CEO, MangoMirror
Kudos for all your hard work and diligence on the Telehealth platform project. You made it possible.
CEO, ThriveHealth
Mindbowser helped us build an awesome iOS app to bring balance to people’s lives.
CEO, SMILINGMIND
They were a very responsive team! Extremely easy to communicate and work with!
Founder & CEO, TotTech
We’ve had very little-to-no hiccups at all—it’s been a really pleasurable experience.
Co-Founder, TEAM8s
Mindbowser was very helpful with explaining the development process and started quickly on the project.
Executive Director of Product Development, Innovation Lab
The greatest benefit we got from Mindbowser is the expertise. Their team has developed apps in all different industries with all types of social proofs.
Co-Founder, Vesica
Mindbowser is professional, efficient and thorough.
Consultant, XPRIZE
Very committed, they create beautiful apps and are very benevolent. They have brilliant Ideas.
Founder, S.T.A.R.S of Wellness
Mindbowser was great; they listened to us a lot and helped us hone in on the actual idea of the app. They had put together fantastic wireframes for us.
Co-Founder, Flat Earth
Mindbowser was incredibly responsive and understood exactly what I needed. They matched me with the perfect team member who not only grasped my vision but executed it flawlessly. The entire experience felt collaborative, efficient, and truly aligned with my goals.
Founder, Child Life On Call
The team from Mindbowser stayed on task, asked the right questions, and completed the required tasks in a timely fashion! Strong work team!
CEO, SDOH2Health LLC
Mindbowser was easy to work with and hit the ground running, immediately feeling like part of our team.
CEO, Stealth Startup
Mindbowser was an excellent partner in developing my fitness app. They were patient, attentive, & understood my business needs. The end product exceeded my expectations. Thrilled to share it globally.
Owner, Phalanx
Mindbowser's expertise in tech, process & mobile development made them our choice for our app. The team was dedicated to the process & delivered high-quality features on time. They also gave valuable industry advice. Highly recommend them for app development...
Co-Founder, Fox&Fork
