Caregility Corporation is advancing virtual nursing adoption through two strategic partnerships announced within a week, signaling the enterprise telehealth leader’s commitment to both workforce preparation and global market expansion. The company has launched collaborations with Drexel University to integrate virtual care training into nursing education and with Nagoya University Hospital to evaluate virtual nursing feasibility in Japanese healthcare settings.
Preparing the Next Generation of Digital-Ready Nurses
According to the company, Caregility is partnering with Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions to embed virtual care technology and best practices into nursing curricula. The collaboration addresses a critical gap in nursing education: while virtual nursing has become increasingly prevalent in clinical settings, nursing students have received little preparation for leveraging these technologies to improve patient outcomes.
Caregility is donating equipment and access to its Connected Care platform to support the initiative, according to the press release. The platform currently enables dozens of clinical workflows in hospitals worldwide and includes AI technology using computer vision, ambient listening, and contactless sensors to provide caregivers with additional patient room insights.
“This partnership exemplifies Drexel Nursing’s dedication to preparing graduates for the future of healthcare,” said Kym Montgomery, senior associate dean of nursing and chief nursing academic officer at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. “By embedding virtual care technologies into simulation, we’re equipping students with real-world, hands-on experience in digital health environments.”
The Drexel partnership reflects growing recognition that nursing education must evolve to match the realities of modern care delivery. As digital health permeates both inpatient and outpatient settings, preparing students for technology-enabled workflows has become essential rather than optional.
“We are so happy that we can partner with Drexel University and support their nursing program to develop and enhance course content to provide nursing students with relevant training to be prepared for entering the emerging healthcare delivery environments integrating virtual nursing,” said Susan Kristiniak, Caregility’s chief nursing officer. “Nurses are our primary users of the technology to promote safe practice, quality care, and workflow efficiencies. It is vital to prepare these students for what they will undoubtedly be using upon graduation.”
Drexel’s commitment to innovation in nursing education recently earned the university the Community Impact Award at the 2025 Caregility Customer Connect Summit. The university plans to commemorate the official unveiling of its new nursing simulation environment with a ribbon-cutting event on October 15.
Addressing Japan’s Healthcare Workforce Crisis
Caregility’s second partnership takes the company into a challenging but opportunity-rich international market. The company, along with its Japanese distributor Media Plus Co., Ltd., and Nagoya University Hospital, launched a joint research project evaluating virtual care effectiveness and feasibility in Japanese healthcare settings.
Japan faces severe healthcare challenges that make virtual nursing solutions particularly relevant, according to the release. The country experiences a significant shortage of healthcare professionals alongside urgent pressure for care model reform. Despite these challenges, telehealth adoption in Japan has lagged behind other developed nations.
The research collaboration will conduct a proof of concept using Caregility’s Connected Care Platform at Nagoya University Hospital in Showa-Ku. The evaluation aims to localize the technology for Japan’s unique healthcare market while developing virtual care workflows tailored to Japanese healthcare environments.
The system connects on-site medical staff with remote healthcare professionals through a secure network, according to the company, enabling virtual nursing, virtual observation, remote specialist access, and other applications. Installed at patients’ bedsides, the purpose-built system includes advanced camera, audio, and analytics capabilities with AI features.
“To ensure the sustainability and advancement of our healthcare delivery system, the introduction of new care models is essential,” said Naoko Sugano, president of Media Plus Co., Ltd. “Our goal is not to replace the irreplaceable roles of medical and caregiving professionals, but to support and empower them through technology—such as virtual nursing—so that hospitals and care facilities in Japan can provide safe, efficient, and compassionate care.”
The Japan initiative aligns with broader government efforts to digitize healthcare as the country grapples with a rapidly aging population. Japanese medical institutions are increasingly allocating resources to digital health initiatives driven by pandemic preparedness needs, workforce shortages, and the pursuit of improved operational efficiency.
Strategic Implications for Virtual Nursing Growth
The dual partnerships demonstrate Caregility’s multi-pronged approach to market development: building future workforce competency while expanding into international markets facing acute staffing challenges. Both initiatives address different but related aspects of healthcare’s digital transformation.
The academic partnership tackles long-term workforce development. With virtual nursing adoption accelerating, health systems need graduates who can seamlessly integrate technology into care delivery rather than viewing it as an add-on to traditional nursing practice. By embedding virtual care training in pre-licensure education, Drexel aims to produce practice-ready graduates comfortable with technology-enabled workflows.
The Japan research project addresses immediate operational pressures in a healthcare system struggling with workforce shortages and an aging population. Japan’s nursing shortage is projected to reach 30,000 to 130,000 personnel by 2025 according to government estimates, creating urgent demand for solutions that extend existing staff capacity.
“Just as we’ve seen in the U.S., the introduction of virtual care programs can serve as the foundation for broader innovation in hospital settings,” said Bin Guan, Caregility’s chief innovation officer. “We are honored to work with Nagoya University Hospital and Media Plus to advance Japan’s digital health transformation. Together, we’re helping healthcare organizations address clinician shortages, reduce staff burden, and improve the consistency and quality of patient care.”
Competitive Context and Market Dynamics
Caregility faces competition from multiple virtual care platform providers targeting the growing virtual nursing market. AvaSure has made aggressive moves in the space, recently acquiring Nurse Disrupted to expand its virtual nursing capabilities and previously acquiring Ouva’s smart room AI technology. TytoCare focuses on hybrid care models combining remote examination technology with virtual consultations, partnering with health systems like Allina Health to reduce urgent care wait times.
The virtual nursing solutions market is experiencing rapid growth driven by persistent workforce shortages and increasing comfort with telehealth following the pandemic. Market estimates project the sector will reach $14 billion by 2034 from $2.48 billion in 2024, representing an 18.9% compound annual growth rate.
However, adoption remains uneven. Survey data from AvaSure indicates that only 10% of hospital leaders and 14% of hospital IT leaders have fully integrated virtual nursing into standard care delivery as of 2024, while 30% reported not using virtual nursing at all. Yet optimism is growing, with 74% of hospital leaders believing virtual nursing is or will soon become core to inpatient care.
Caregility’s strategy of combining workforce development with international expansion differentiates the company from competitors focused primarily on domestic health system deployments. The academic partnership helps ensure a pipeline of digitally-prepared nurses, while the Japan initiative positions Caregility in a market with acute need but historically slow technology adoption.
Challenges and Implementation Considerations
Both partnerships face distinct implementation challenges. The Drexel collaboration must balance simulation-based learning with actual clinical exposure, ensuring students gain hands-on technology experience without sacrificing fundamental nursing skills development. Integration into existing curricula requires careful attention to accreditation standards and clinical competency requirements.
The Japan research project confronts cultural and regulatory adaptation challenges. Japanese healthcare has historically been slower to adopt electronic health records and telemedicine compared to other developed nations, with EMR adoption in primary care at only 42% in 2021 versus an OECD average of 93%. Building trust in virtual care models requires demonstrating tangible benefits while respecting Japanese healthcare culture’s emphasis on personal relationships and in-person care.
Caregility’s cloud-based platform architecture and edge-based AI processing could facilitate deployment in both contexts. For academic settings, the technology can be configured for simulation while maintaining security and privacy. For Japanese hospitals, the distributed architecture allows rapid implementation across new regions while processing sensitive AI functions on local devices rather than in centralized cloud environments.
Looking Ahead: Building Sustainable Virtual Care Ecosystems
These partnerships reflect Caregility’s recognition that sustainable virtual nursing growth requires more than technology deployment. Success depends on preparing caregivers to use the technology effectively, adapting solutions to diverse healthcare environments, and demonstrating measurable benefits that address real operational challenges.
For nursing education, integrating virtual care training helps close the academic-practice gap that health systems consistently identify as a workforce challenge. Graduates entering the field with technology competency can contribute to virtual nursing programs more quickly and comfortably, accelerating implementation and improving outcomes.
For international markets like Japan, proof-of-concept research provides the evidence base needed to drive broader adoption in risk-averse healthcare systems. Demonstrating effectiveness in Japanese healthcare environments can overcome skepticism while building momentum for regulatory approval and payment reform.
Caregility connects care in more than 1,100 hospitals across 85 health systems globally, hosting over six million virtual care sessions annually according to the company. These dual partnerships position the company to expand that footprint by simultaneously developing the workforce pipeline and proving value in new international markets. As virtual nursing evolves from innovation to standard practice, partnerships bridging education and deployment will prove increasingly strategic for vendors seeking sustainable market leadership.
– This original article was created with AI support.
