The Vigi Awards: Recognizing Users Who Are Transforming Their Health Systems

Posted on October 8, 2019March 24, 2020 by Leo Bogee

About

The Vigi Awards were established with two primary goals in mind: 1) to recognize our customers whose clever use of the VigiLanz platform has helped their health systems make more informed decisions that optimize patient care, and 2) to showcase those customers’ stories and best practices with other customers.

This year, ten winners were chosen between the categories of Infection Prevention and Pharmacy Surveillance, recognizing forward-thinking individuals or teams who:

Place patient care first
Think outside the box and use VigiLanz to solve a unique problem
Leverage VigiLanz for cross-departmental initiatives

Each Vigi Award winner was recognized with a $1,000 donation to a charity of their choice.

Adventist Health System

Bringing 21 Hospitals to National Standards–and Reducing Annual Antibiotic Costs by $500K

After significantly improving the use of VigiLanz with rule refinement at Adventist Health + Rideout, Brock Taylor, PharmD, led the charge in expanding VigiLanz to an additional 19 hospitals in the Adventist Health System.

Following the platform’s introduction, the system saw significant outcomes in the areas of antibiotic utilization, infection prevention and cost savings.

“[Prior to Taylor’s efforts,] antibiotic use was in the top quartile of all hospitals. Implementation of 3-day and 7-day ‘timeout’ reviews—identification of mismatched antibiotics to cultures—the focus on use of Zosyn in non-pseudomonas infections reduced annual antibiotic expenses by $500,000. The hospital is now meeting national standards of antibiotic utilization.” – Jerry Gonzales, PharmD | Director of Pharmacy at Adventist Health + Rideout

See more results

Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital

From Inconsistent to Cost-Cutting: De-escalating Antibiotics and Validating Patient Safety

Following patient safety concerns regarding how positive cultures were handled after patient discharge, Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital formed a cross-departmental initiative to better communicate these results to both patient and provider.

Using VigiLanz’s microbiology reporting capabilities, the team developed an Inpatient Positive Cultures Report, which allowed the Infection Control Practitioner and Director of Infectious Disease to monitor culture collection dates, discharge dates, sensitivity results and physician information. After months of closely monitoring the Inpatient Positive Cultures Reports, the team was able to validate the hospital’s EMR to automate all communications for physicians, enabling them to ensure appropriate treatment.

“The speed and knowledge of VigiLanz report creation and customer support allowed us to make rapid improvements in our patient safety.” – Lindsey Brucchaus, MSN, RN, CPHQ | Infection Control Practitioner, Houston Methodist The Woodlands

As a result of the team’s work, the hospital has cut costs by de-escalating antibiotics and automating the microbiology follow-up process, and met targets for length of stay, all while validating and ensuring patient safety. Since introducing the initiative throughout the entire system, Houston Methodist has seen positive outcomes in the communities that their seven hospitals serve.

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VigiLanz Recognized for High Customer Retention, Innovation in KLAS 2019 Infection Control Report

Posted on March 14, 2019January 11, 2022 by Leo Bogee

MINNEAPOLIS – March 14, 2019 – VigiLanz, a clinical surveillance company, has been featured in the Infection Control 2019 Report from KLAS Research, released today. The report aggregates and analyzes interviews from thousands of healthcare professionals about the products and services their organizations use.

In the report, KLAS characterizes VigiLanz as a market leader for its high customer retention and innovative technology additions, such as active alerting, in its Dynamic Infection Control Monitor product. VigiLanz is also recognized for providing advanced automation and predictive analytics, two capabilities KLAS identified as highly desired by the market.

“Before we had [VigiLanz’s] Dynamic Infection Control Monitor, I did everything with manual data extraction,” said one anonymized user in the report. “I would have to run about 12 different reports to even get a list of patients to perform surveillance on, and I would need another six reports to get all the communicable disease reporting. [The] Dynamic Infection Control Monitor has made my job so much easier. It is a lot more efficient. I can easily get my patient list and go through it.”

Another anonymized user said, “We consider VigiLanz to be the leader in surveillance because of the flexibility of what we can do with the surveillance.”

VigiLanz’s Dynamic Infection Control Monitor is a seamless, real-time automated monitoring system that works with EMR systems. Its automatic exception-based alert system continuously surveils all patient records to alert decision makers in real time of potential infections, drug-bug mismatches, MDROs, isolation candidates, organism clusters, conditions of concern, and reportable infections. The surveillance is based on a sophisticated set of customizable rule engines.

“We understand how critical an infection prevention product is for patient outcomes and hospitals’ bottom lines, and we’re dedicated to the ongoing innovation that ensures we continue delivering what patients and the market needs,” said David Goldsteen, MD, CEO of VigiLanz. “In general, healthcare executives say infection prevention is one of the top five uses of clinical surveillance technology,[1] and it has rapidly become a critical component of quality patient care.”

The other top uses of clinical surveillance technology, according to healthcare executives, are:

1) Identifying adverse drug events
2) Promoting antimicrobial stewardship
3) Patient safety alerting
4) Managing readmissions

In addition to being a leader in this report, KLAS recognized VigiLanz in the 2019 Best in KLAS report, earning 2019 Category Leader designations for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Infection Control and Monitoring, and Pharmacy Surveillance.

About KLAS

KLAS is a research firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by enabling providers and payers to be heard and counted. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals, KLAS gathers insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver timely reports, trending data and statistical overviews. KLAS data is accurate, honest and impartial. The research directly represents the voice of healthcare professionals and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. To learn more about KLAS and the insights we provide, visit www.KLASresearch.com.

About VigiLanz

Founded in 2001, VigiLanz (www.vigilanzcorp.com) is a privately held, rapidly growing provider of SaaS-based clinical surveillance solutions. The firm is focused on aggregating disparate EMR transactional workflow and documentation data across health systems to identify real-time clinical issues that avoid or minimize harm, optimize clinical outcomes and support preventive care. VigiLanz supports a large and growing community of hospital CMOs, CMIOs, CIOs, quality teams, infectious disease and control specialists, pharmacists, and other clinicians dedicated to real-time inpatient and outpatient care.

[1] Market Report: Clinical Surveillance: The Next Step in Value-Based Care. Feb. 2019. VigiLanz.

VigiLanz Ranked No. 1 by KLAS Research for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Infection Control and Monitoring, and Pharmacy Surveillance

Posted on January 31, 2019January 24, 2023 by Leo Bogee

MINNEAPOLIS – Jan. 31, 2019 – VigiLanz, a clinical surveillance company, today announced that it has earned 2019 Category Leader designations from KLAS Research for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Infection Control and Monitoring, and Pharmacy Surveillance.

This is the second year VigiLanz has earned the No. 1 distinction for multiple categories. The company previously achieved Category Leader status in 2018 for Infection Control and Monitoring and Pharmacy Surveillance. Antimicrobial Stewardship is a new KLAS category for 2019.

Three VigiLanz products were recognized in the “2019 Best in KLAS: Software and Services” report, released on January 31:

VigiLanz Dynamic Infection Control Monitor

Earning a score of 90.6, the Dynamic Infection Control Monitor is a seamless, real-time automated monitoring system that works with an organization’s standard EHR system. Its automatic exception-based alert system puts all patient records under continuous surveillance to alert decision makers in real time of potential infections, drug-bug mismatches, MDROs, isolation candidates, organism clusters, conditions of concern and reportable infections. The surveillance is based on a sophisticated set of customizable rule engines.

VigiLanz Dynamic PharmacoVigilance

Earning a score of 93.0, Dynamic PharmacoVigilance acts as a bridge between a hospital’s pharmacy and lab information systems, automating the comparison of patients’ drug usage with lab results, then presenting the potential for Adverse Drug Event reduction. Based on the system’s built-in rule sets or hospital-specific guidelines, it automatically generates warnings and alerts that help clinicians make appropriate drug therapy decisions.

VigiLanz Antimicrobial Stewardship

Earning a score of 94.6, the Antimicrobial Stewardship product monitors antimicrobial therapy to ensure appropriate use, including unnecessary antibiotic therapy, de-escalation opportunities, positive rapid diagnostic test results, and opportunities for antibiotic “time-outs.” The Antimicrobial Stewardship dashboard shows usage and resistance trends across the organization, is Meaningful Use 3 certified, and provides direct reporting to the Centers for Disease Control’s National Healthcare Safety Network.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by KLAS as a leader in multiple categories for the second time, validating the confidence and trust we know our customers have in our clinical surveillance products,” said VigiLanz Chairman and CEO David Goldsteen, MD. “KLAS’ global reputation for accurately and impartially measuring vendor performance is an unparalleled channel for customer feedback – something we find invaluable to our culture of continued innovation. We look forward to continuing to provide industry-leading solutions to hospitals across the country that improve the safety and quality of patient outcomes.”

The KLAS Category Leader designation is awarded to vendors that lead select market segments in which at least two products meet a minimum number of KLAS Konfidence reviews. Rankings are based on customer surveys of North American healthcare leaders, administrators, clinicians, and others who interact with the solutions.

About KLAS

About VigiLanz

Founded in 2001, VigiLanz (www.vigilanzcorp.com) is a privately held, rapidly growing provider of SaaS-based clinical surveillance solutions. The firm is focused on aggregating disparate EHR transactional workflow and documentation data across health systems to identify real-time clinical issues that avoid or minimize harm, optimize clinical outcomes and support preventive care. VigiLanz supports a large and growing community of hospital CMOs, CMIOs, CIOs, quality teams, infectious disease and control specialists, pharmacists, and other clinicians dedicated to real-time inpatient and outpatient care.

VigiLanz Ranked #1 in Best in KLAS Report for Infection Control and Clinical Decision Support-Surveillance Categories

Posted on January 31, 2018January 11, 2022 by Leo Bogee

MINNEAPOLIS – (January 31, 2018) – VigiLanz, a digital healthcare intelligence firm, announced today that it has earned 2018 Category Leader designations for Infection Control and Clinical Decision Support-Surveillance in the 2018 Best in KLAS: Software and Services report. These mark the second and third KLAS honors in the past year for VigiLanz, which also achieved the top overall satisfaction rating in the “Antimicrobial Stewardship 2017” performance report for its platform, customer partnerships, and dedication to customer service and support.

In the “2018 Best in KLAS: Software and Services,” report, released on January 30, VigiLanz’s Dynamic Infection Control Monitor product garnered a score of 90.3 while its Dynamic PharmacoVigilance product earned an 89.9.

The Category Leader designation is reserved for vendor solutions that lead select market segments in which at least two products meet a minimum level of KLAS Konfidence. Rankings are based on customer surveys of North American hospital and clinic executives, administrators, physicians, nurses, clinicians, and other directors and managers interacting with healthcare equipment solutions.

Dynamic Infection Control Monitor is a seamless, real-time automated monitoring system that works with an organization’s standard EHR system. Via an automatic exception-based alert system, all patient records are under continuous surveillance to alert decision makers in real time to potential infections, drug-bug mismatches, MDROs, isolation candidates, organism clusters, conditions of concern and reportable infections. The surveillance is based on a sophisticated set of rule engines that can be customized for each hospital.

Dynamic PharmacoVigilance acts as a bridge between a hospital’s pharmacy and lab information systems, automating the comparison of patients’ drug usage with lab results, then presenting the potential for Adverse Drug Event reduction. Based on the system’s built-in rule sets or hospital-specific guidelines, the system automatically generates warnings and alerts that help clinicians make appropriate drug therapy decisions.

“VigiLanz is honored to see our solutions recognized as Category Leaders, particularly as healthcare professionals are the engine that drives KLAS’ impartial research on the software and services used by providers worldwide,” said VigiLanz Chairman and CEO Dr. David Goldsteen, MD, MBA. “Following upon VigiLanz’ recognition by KLAS in 2017 for our Antimicrobial Stewardship products, these additional designations further validate our reputation among clinicians and administrators alike as a company that offers the best, top-performing solutions in the industry.”

About KLAS

About VigiLanz

Founded in 2001, VigiLanz Corporation (www.vigilanzcorp.com) is a privately held, rapidly growing provider of SaaS health care intelligence and predictive analytics. The firm is focused on aggregating disparate EHR transactional workflow and documentation data across health systems to identify real-time clinical issues that avoid or minimize harm, optimize clinical outcomes and support preventive care along the entire health system continuum. VigiLanz supports a large and growing community of hospital CMOs, CMIOs, CIOs, quality teams, infectious disease and control specialists, pharmacists, and other clinicians dedicated to real-time inpatient and outpatient care. VigiLanz is shaping the emerging era of real-time health care by delivering enterprise intelligence technology and services that improve clinical outcomes, patient care and operational effectiveness.

VigiLanz Achieves Top Rating for Overall Satisfaction in KLAS AMS Performance Report

Posted on August 31, 2017January 11, 2022 by Leo Bogee

MINNEAPOLIS – (Aug. 31, 2017) – VigiLanz, a digital healthcare intelligence firm, announced today that its antimicrobial stewardship platform achieved the top overall satisfaction rating in the “Antimicrobial Stewardship 2017” performance report from KLAS Research. In identifying VigiLanz as the market leader, KLAS cited the platform’s highly robust, fairly user-friendly platform, the strength of the firm’s partnerships with customers, and its dedication to providing the guidance necessary to ensure customizations meet end users’ needs.

“The key is real-time alerting, and Antimicrobial Stewardship has it. The system is able to alert clinicians to certain conditions, even when the physicians are at home having dinner. It is nice to get alerts when we aren’t in front of the EMR,” according to one VigiLanz customer.

To compile its report, KLAS conducted in-depth interviews with current customers of each participating vendor to better understand which antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) tools are helping to drive meaningful interventions and track internal metrics. Interviews also focused on how well users can customize rule sets and use antibiograms to meet organizations’ unique goals, as well as which vendors help customers optimize tools and prepare for future reporting requirements.

Writes KLAS, “Providers new to AMS programs highly value guidance and expertise from their vendors, and VigiLanz’s proactive support has driven their top overall satisfaction rating. Provider interest in VigiLanz has grown over the last few years, and customers receive strong guidance and expertise that ensures their success.”

VigiLanz, which had the highest number of customers interviewed by KLAS, excelled in a large number of the evaluation categories. Under performance indicators, 100% of users said they would buy the platform again and that VigiLanz kept all promises. The platform also exceeded the market average for functionality of its custom rules set and customizable antibiogram. It was also singled out for being farthest along the compliance reporting spectrum, delivering on the three basic fronts of making AMS data accessible within the system for reporting, communicating with customers about forthcoming regulations and actions underway to help them prepare, and automating reporting. Specifically, customers have access to reports that can be submitted directly to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

Also noteworthy is that a significant majority of respondents were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the VigiLanz platform’s ability to track key internal metrics and with its optimization services. This is an important distinction because, as KLAS notes, “internal tracking is crucial to a good AMS program because it enables users to see trending and benchmarking data. It can be tricky to do well because data from many different sources must be aggregated, analyzed and made easy to digest. VigiLanz customers have strong customization abilities and highly value VigiLanz’s robust interfaces, which successfully pull in data from many areas.”

“As more healthcare organizations seek to automate the crucial AMS process, it is important to partner with a vendor that can provide a solution that is flexible, robust and backed by outstanding customer support,” said VigiLanz Chairman and CEO Dr. David Goldsteen, MD, MBA. “It is truly gratifying to know that our customers feel that VigiLanz is that solution.”

About KLAS

KLAS is a research and insights firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by amplifying the provider’s voice. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals and clinicians, KLAS gathers data and insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver timely reports, trends and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Follow KLAS on Twitter.