Becker's Healthcare Podcast: Interview with Tim Plante, Region Chief Nursing Officer at CommonSpirit Health

Host: Erica Carbajal
Guest: Tim Plante, Central Region Chief Nursing Officer, CommonSpirit Health
Date: February 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the evolving challenges and innovative solutions within nursing leadership, featuring insights from Tim Plante, the Region Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at CommonSpirit Health. Tim discusses his career trajectory, major initiatives (with emphasis on virtual nursing), strategies supporting nurse retention and recruitment, and how his organization prepares for the rising number of uninsured patients. The conversation provides valuable, practical perspectives for healthcare executives, clinical leaders, and anyone interested in operational and workforce transformation in nursing.

Tim Plante’s Career and Role at CommonSpirit Health

[01:09 – 03:31]

• Tim oversees nursing operations across CommonSpirit’s Central Region, which includes six states and a mix of rural and urban hospitals.
• His healthcare career spans ICU and ED nursing, leadership roles at various levels, and nearly all of it in Catholic health systems.
• Notable Quote:
  “We’re about 150 hospitals across the country from everything from Critical Access all the way up to quaternary centers in some of our larger cities...I am over the central region, and so this region is six states: North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Nevada, and Arizona.” (C, 01:20)
• Journey includes ground-level clinical work through hospital leadership into regional CNO responsibilities.
• Emphasizes CommonSpirit’s support and broad organizational opportunities.

Virtual Nursing: Virtually Integrated Care (VIC)

[03:51 – 09:28]

• Key Initiative: Implementation of virtual nursing (“Virtually Integrated Care” or VIC) across med-surg and intermediate units.
  • Designed to combat persistent and anticipated nurse shortages.
  • Leverages experienced nurses working from home, providing admission support, med reconciliation, discharge processes, and answering call lights remotely.
• Operational Details:
  • Each patient room is equipped for two-way audio/video communication with virtual nurses.
  • On select units, VIC handles admission paperwork, medication reconciliation, discharge instructions, and quality audit support.
  • Innovative approaches include the use of VIC for discharge lounges, especially in high-volume centers (e.g., St. Joseph’s in Phoenix).
• Results:
  • Increased retention rates on VIC units (near 90%).
  • Improvements across all tracked healthcare-acquired conditions, including pressure ulcers and infections (CAUTI, CLABSI).
  • Enhanced morale and job satisfaction among med-surg nurses.
  • Smoother onboarding and support for new graduate nurses.
• Notable Quote:
  “We have improved every health care acquired condition that we track, including pressure ulcers, including infections...but probably most important to me is...I hear things like, ‘please don’t ever take this away.’” (C, 06:39)

VIC Implementation Logistics & Change Management

[10:21 – 12:57]

• Implementation Timeline: Typically requires a 90-day ramp-up per unit (assuming IT and electrical infrastructure are adequate), with further innovation occurring after six months.
• Engagement: Includes Kaizen events involving bedside staff to adapt workflows and ensure buy-in.
• Challenges: Requires Wi-Fi, bandwidth, and sometimes electrical upgrades; recruiting virtual nurses may be easier in metro areas versus rural locations.
• Notable Quote:
  “We bring the bedside staff to the table in a Kaizen event...help them to determine what their workflows are...after about six months, then comes the innovation.” (C, 11:21)

Recruitment and Retention, with Focus on Early Career Nurses

[13:06 – 18:52]

• Impact of COVID-19:
  • Pandemic pressures led to truncated nurse training, increasing turnover (up to 30% for med-surg first-year nurses in some cases).
• New Nurse Residency Programs:
  • Developed evidence-based, year-long residency programs with structured mentorship.
  • Strong emphasis on:
    • Matching new grads with trained/prepared preceptors.
    • Consistency in who does the training (not rotating preceptors as done in the past).
    • Supplementing clinical educators with “nurse buddies” for informal mentorship and support.
  • Outcomes:
    • First-year nurse retention now exceeds 90% post-residency across multiple units.
• Changing Culture:
  • Actively working to eradicate the “nurses eat their young” mentality.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “If a nurse doesn’t feel engaged with their co-workers...you’re going to end up with, you know, a turnover rate of 15 to 20% or higher.” (C, 14:01)
  • “We are over 90% with our first year turnover, which is a giant improvement to where we were just post Covid.” (C, 17:41)
  • “It’s not a badge of honor...we’re doing everything we can to change this culture that used to be very pervasive within nursing.” (C, 18:55)

Preparing for Increased Uninsured/Underinsured Patient Volumes

[19:39 – 22:47]

• Drivers: Anticipated expiration of ACA premium subsidies and Medicaid cuts could swell uninsured rates.
• Mission Alignment:
  • CommonSpirit positions itself as the safety-net provider, a role rooted in its founding by religious women.
• Financial/Advocacy Response:
  • Organization actively lobbies at state and federal levels; large potential financial impact anticipated.
• Clinical Response:
  • Commitment to maintaining quality and equitable care for all, despite financial headwinds.
  • Need to boost operational efficiency and reduce costs without compromising access or outcomes.
• Notable Quote:
  “As a clinical leader, we’re going to make sure that that consistent, safe care keeps happening.” (C, 22:32)

Organizational Growth and Efficiency Opportunities

[23:08 – 24:45]

• Focused on key operational levers:
  • Throughput and length of stay: Organization targets improved patient flow and access through efficiency.
  • Capacity Management: Strategies to alleviate ED boarding and patient holds.
  • Balanced Discharge Practices: Ensuring timely, safe discharges without risking readmissions.
• Nursing leadership is pivotal in driving efficiency while maintaining high-quality care.
• Notable Quote:
  “...for my world and what I’m doing with nursing, it’s mainly focused on being efficient and making sure that, you know, we’re reducing costs where we can.” (C, 24:22)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• VIC Impact on Culture:
  “We’ve made med surg a place that is fun to work or that people are enjoying practicing nursing... you’re not so stressed out all the time.” (C, 07:39)
• On Changing Nursing Culture:
  “Nurses eat their young...it’s actually not good at all. And we’re doing everything we can to change this culture.” (C, 18:55)
• On Uninsured Patient Care:
  “We do take care of the uninsured, we do take care of marginalized populations and I think we do it quite well.” (C, 20:29)

Episode Timeline of Key Segments

• [01:09] – Tim Plante’s background and scope at CommonSpirit
• [03:51] – Introduction and overview of the VIC (virtual nursing) program
• [06:23] – Outcomes, retention, and staff response to VIC
• [10:21] – Implementation process, logistics, challenges
• [13:06] – Retention/recruitment, nurse residency, and mentorship
• [17:41] – Cultural change and retention improvement outcomes
• [19:39] – Preparing for more uninsured/underinsured patients
• [23:08] – Approaches to organizational growth and efficiency

Takeaways

• Virtual nursing (VIC) is transforming nurse workflows, morale, and retention at CommonSpirit, especially in med-surg settings.
• Structured, evidence-based residency programs backed by consistent mentorship sharply improve nurse retention and engagement.
• As a safety net provider, CommonSpirit is preparing for financial and operational challenges posed by broader health policy changes, with a focus on clinical quality and efficiency.
• Ongoing cultural transformation in nursing is replacing outdated, negative traditions with supportive, relationship-driven onboarding and professional development.

(End of summary)