Health systems across the country are facing compounding challenges. Staffing shortages are straining clinical teams, emergency departments are overcrowded, and patients are often left without a clear path to the right level of care. These pressures are not new—but they are intensifying.
What’s needed is a practical model that addresses access, coordination, and clinician workload at the same time. As Cheryl Dalton-Norman, president of Conduit Health Partners, recently shared in Healthcare IT News, a nurse-first, telehealth-based model is delivering exactly that.
The Gaps Patients and Systems Are Navigating
Cheryl’s insight comes from both her clinical background and personal experience. When her father-in-law urgently needed care, she encountered the same barriers many families face: no clear point of entry, long waits, and a lack of timely clinical guidance. And this was with her deep knowledge of how the system works.
This situation is not uncommon. Without a clear alternative, patients often default to the emergency department—even when their needs could be addressed in a lower-acuity setting. That increases costs, contributes to ED overcrowding, and adds unnecessary pressure on clinical teams.
A More Direct Way to Access Care
The nurse-first model addresses this by giving patients immediate access to registered nurses through telehealth, without requiring portal logins or lengthy callback processes. These outsourced nurses provide real-time symptom assessment and guide patients to the appropriate level of care, whether that’s self-care, a primary care provider, or a higher-acuity setting.
This approach reduces unnecessary ED visits and helps patients receive timely care, especially in rural or underserved communities where healthcare access can be limited. It’s a practical, scalable way to improve care navigation and system throughput.
Reducing Administrative Load and Clinical Burnout
The benefits of this model extend well beyond patient triage. Centralized, nurse-led transfer coordination can streamline how patients are moved across a system. Instead of ad hoc, after-hours processes, health systems can rely on a consistent, clinically guided transfer center that improves communication, manages bed availability, and oversees transport logistics.
These efficiencies free up hospital resources and reduce the administrative burden on physicians and frontline staff. In a time when clinician burnout is a growing concern, shifting non-emergent tasks to trained triage nurses allows clinical teams to focus on what only they can do—delivering hands-on care.
Aligning with Broader System Goals
This is not a quick fix, and it’s not just about improving call flow. Nurse-led models align with broader system goals: expanding access, improving equity, reducing unnecessary utilization, and supporting clinical sustainability. They can serve as a key component in rethinking how and where patients enter the system.
As Cheryl put it in her interview:
“We owe it to our physicians, our clinical teams, and our patients to establish better systems of care.”
For health system leaders seeking both near-term relief and long-term improvement, a nurse-first model offers a clear and proven path forward.
Read the full article for more insights on how this approach is being applied in real-world settings.
