
Policy Imperatives for Advancing Virtual Care
This policy dialogue will be a continuation from the 2024 policy dialogue on virtual nursing. While the prior dialogue focused on understanding the current state of virtual nursing, the second dialogue in the series will further explore the challenges and policy implications of this rapidly evolving model of care delivery. Registration is open to Academy Fellows at no additional cost, non-members at $85, and students at $30. This policy dialogue will be 90 minutes and 1.5 nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) contact hours will be available for $30 in the registration portal.
Purpose Statement: The first policy dialogue in this series explored the implementation of virtual nursing and technology-assisted nursing into health care practice. As adoption of virtual nursing tools across the country continues to expand, innovative care models have been generated along with complex questions of regulation, reimbursement, and workforce design. Hosted by the Expert Panel on Building Health Care System Excellence, this policy dialogue will build on the foundation of the first dialogue, critically examining stories of implementation and the distinct regulatory and policy frameworks needed to support virtual nursing practice. Learning Outcomes: As a result of participating in this policy dialogue, attendees will be able to: - Examine the capability of an organization to implement virtual nursing care;
- Determine the characteristics of organizational and/or management culture that supports the adoption of technological innovations;
- Describe a potential regulatory model for the reimbursement of virtual nursing care; and
- Identify the market forces and policies impacting the implementation of virtual nursing practice.
Featured Speakers | Heather O’Sullivan, MS, APRN, FAAN Heather O’Sullivan is President and Chief Operating Officer of Healthcare at Home for Mass General Brigham, where she leads the strategic direction, operations, and growth of home-based acute, post-acute, and palliative care. She launched and scaled the nation’s largest hospital-at-home program, delivering over 6,000 acute episodes and unlocking more than 30,000 inpatient bed days in under three years, all while achieving superior clinical outcomes and zero unexpected mortality. With over two decades of leadership across payer and provider sectors—including roles at Cardinal Health, UnitedHealth Group, and Humana—O’Sullivan is a recognized innovator in healthcare transformation. She was named a 2023 Top Innovator by Modern Healthcare and a 2024 honoree among the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts by The Women’s Edge and The Boston Globe. She plays a national advocacy role in shaping regulatory pathways for care-at-home delivery and serves as a guest speaker at Harvard and faculty at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She is a board member of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts and an advisor to Cairns Health. O’Sullivan holds a BSN from the Medical University of South Carolina and an MSN from Simmons University, and spent much of her clinical career as a nurse practitioner in long-term care. |  | Julie Tuel, MSN, RN, CCRN, SCRN, CAVRN Julie Tuel is the System Vice President of Clinical Practice for CommonSpirit Health’s Virtually Integrated Care Team. She is a highly accomplished healthcare leader with over 17 years of nursing leadership and operational experience. She specializes in critical care services and is known for her expertise in utilizing High-Reliability Organization (HRO) principles. Julie has successfully developed and led critical care service lines using innovative dyad models, fostering strong interdisciplinary collaboration. As the System Vice President of Nursing Practice, Virtually Integrated Care (VIC), and Nursing Transformation & Innovation at CommonSpirit Health, Julie plays a pivotal role in aligning national clinical, quality, safety, and regulatory goals. She has driven the development of innovative models to enhance organizational throughput and efficiency, leading programs that expand nursing care beyond acute settings. She is also credited with developing a VIC simulation education program across the enterprise. With an MSN in Nursing Leadership and Healthcare Operations, Julie is an expert in transformational leadership, driving change, improving patient care outcomes, and enhancing operational efficiency. Her diverse experience ranges from nursing expert witness work to interim Chief Nursing Officer duties, making her a trusted leader in healthcare innovation. Julie is currently attending Chamberlain University to obtain her Doctorate in Nursing Practice in Healthcare Systems Leadership with an anticipated graduation date of April 2027. Additionally she holds numerous certifications, including CCRN, SCRN,and CAVRN. Her commitment to staff development, patient care excellence, and collaborative leadership continues to leave a lasting impact on the healthcare community. | | Randi Seigel, JD Randi Seigel provides legal and strategic counsel to health care providers, emerging health tech and services companies, women’s health companies, insurers, and post-acute care providers. Randi brings substantial knowledge of complex health care regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and state privacy laws, state licensure and scope of practice laws, telehealth, artificial intelligence, Medicare and Medicaid conditions of participation and billing, fraud and abuse laws, and other regulatory and enforcement matters. Randi’s deep understanding of the health care players—from commercial and government payors to providers—brings valuable insights to her clients to assist them as they develop and execute their strategic goals. Randi also supports her clients in structuring innovative payment arrangements, assessing the risks and regulatory impacts of complex transactions, and responding to government audits. Randi came to Manatt from the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), where she served as associate general counsel and then as the vice president of compliance and regulatory affairs and the privacy officer, advising on regulatory risks associated with, and paths to compliantly achieve, strategic objectives, including partnerships with hospitals and accountable care organizations (ACOs), and patient engagement. Prior to VNSNY, Randi was a health care associate at Garfunkel Wild, PC. She represented hospitals, home health agencies, physician practices, pharmacies and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in corporate and regulatory compliance, including researching Medicare and Medicaid billing, reimbursement, and fraud and abuse concerns; evaluating state and federal licensure issues; and responding to Medicare and Medicaid audits and investigations. |
Nursing Continuing Professional Development The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) hosts policy dialogues to discuss leading topics related to the organization's policy priorities. The American Academy of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
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