Faster Alerts Help PIH Health Transform
By Inovalon
Manual infection tracking was slowing down the PIH Health team and putting patients at risk.
At this community hospital in the greater Los Angeles area, infection preventionists (IPs) were still printing culture results, reviewing census lists, and determining isolation status one case at a time. Every decision required manual review, and every delay increased the risk of exposure.
By the time a potential infection was identified, the patient already needed treatment – and nearby patients could be vulnerable too.
PIH Health needed a better way to manage infection risk for their IP team, floor staff, and patients.
From manual to AI-powered infection surveillance
That shift began with Inovalon’s VigiLanz Infection Prevention™, which integrated directly with the hospital’s EHR system. By applying custom rules and AI-driven analytics to patient data, the system helped the team move from reactive to proactive with near real-time alerts for suspected infections.
For example, while the EHR alone can’t flag a symptomatic C. difficile (C. diff.) case, the system’s AI analytics can. The care team receives alerts immediately, which empowers them to take action faster, initiate isolation sooner, and protect other patients.
With automated alerts and centralized visibility, the hospital now detects infections sooner, spends less time searching spreadsheets, and focuses more time on patient care. The result? Lower hospital acquired infection (HAI) rates, better documentation, and a stronger safety net for everyone involved.
Catching CDI sooner and reducing HAIs
Before VigiLanz Infection Prevention, PIH Health was seeing a high rate of hospital-onset C. diff. infections (HO-CDIs). The problem? Early signs like diarrhea or elevated white blood counts were often missed in the first 72 hours – delaying both treatment and proper attribution.
The new system changed that. Custom reports now alert the IP team when patients present with loose stools during the first three days of admission – a critical window to test for and classify CDI as community-onset.
“We noticed there were many missed opportunities of the team not catching diarrhea before hospital day 3,” said Infection Preventionist Peggy Leung. “Without that early screening, patients were going longer without treatment and the hospital was getting dinged on performance.”
Thanks to earlier alerts and better reporting, the hospital identified 50% more community-onset infections – and saw a meaningful drop in HAIs.
Data that drives better documentation and safer care
Better data didn’t just improve detection. It gave the IP team the insight and evidence needed to partner with nurses and physicians on documentation improvements. As Leung explained:
“The data has really opened our physicians’ eyes. We can explain to them that the documented diagnosis, signs, or symptoms are being captured by VigiLanz Infection Prevention, and the IP team get alerts on any possible communicable diseases or infections quickly.”
These improvements created a ripple effect. More consistent documentation led to better awareness of infection signs, faster screening, earlier treatment – and ultimately, better patient outcomes and hospital ratings.
Outbreak prevention has also improved. With clearer visibility into who is infected and who needs isolation, the team can take quicker, more targeted precautions. In some cases, they’ve been able to safely remove isolation protocols such as for MRSA carriers who are not actively infected.
“We don’t need to overly isolate our patients, which helps increase their satisfaction. No one wants to be isolated in the hospital if they don’t have to be,” said Leung.
Better analytics, documentation, and care
The benefits go beyond reporting. With deeper analytics, the team can now investigate infection trends and spot patterns in pathogens, surgeries, or care practices that may be contributing to infection risk. Whether it’s reinforcing hand hygiene or evaluating tools and procedures, the team is now equipped to act quickly and strategically.
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