Teladoc Health Inc. (NYSE: TDOC) stock surged 5.46% in pre-market trading on Monday, following the company's announcement of its new AI-enabled Virtual Sitter solution. This advanced technology helps hospitals and health systems improve patient safety, address workforce challenges, and enhance care delivery.

The Virtual Sitter solution utilizes AI algorithms, motion detection, and pose estimation to visually detect patient movements that could lead to falls, enabling faster intervention by bedside staff. This innovative solution aims to address the critical issue of hospital falls, which result in nearly 1 million incidents and $50 billion in medical costs annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Teladoc Health's President of Hospitals and Health Systems, Andy Puterbaugh, highlighted the company's pioneering role in leveraging technology to support human interaction in patient care. The AI-enabled Virtual Sitter solution is part of Teladoc Health's broader suite of inpatient connected care solutions, which includes virtual nursing, physician consults, and interpretive services, designed to reduce the administrative burden on bedside staff and improve clinician and patient satisfaction.