Hospitals across Coachella Valley expanding use of artificial intelligence to speed diagnoses and catch illnesses earlier
Garrett Hottle
COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) Hospitals across the Coachella Valley are adopting new forms of artificial intelligence to speed up diagnoses, reduce wait times, and catch serious conditions earlier according to officials at Desert Oasis Healthcare and Eisenhower Health.
Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC) is deploying AI inside remote patient monitoring devices, allowing clinicians to receive alerts the moment a patient’s readings fall into a dangerous range.
The monitors, which include glucometers and blood pressure cuffs, automatically transmit data back to care teams in real time.
“You take a reading and it notifies us right away of that reading,” DOHC’s Associate Director of Technology, Thomas Brezeal. “Now, if it’s good, normal, within range, wonderful. However, if your blood sugars are way high or way low, then that notifies us right away and says we need to call that patient right now.”
Brezeal said the faster notifications have helped prevent hospitalizations by allowing staff to intervene earlier.
DOHC has also added an AI overlay to its breast cancer screening process. The system analyzes medical images to identify potential abnormalities that may require follow up review.
“It’s an AI overlay that analyzes the images for breast cancer screening to see, are we potentially missing something?” Brezeal explained. “Are we making this as accurate as possible so we can catch that breast cancer as soon as possible?”
At Eisenhower Health, AI is being used in the emergency department to assess advanced imaging scans as soon as they are taken. Ken Buechele, Eisenhower’s vice president and chief information officer, said the tool flags potentially serious conditions in real time so clinicians can respond immediately.
“When a patient comes into an emergency room, they get an advanced imaging scan,” Buechele said. “AI will then process that scan in real time and notify the clinician.”
Eisenhower has also launched a virtual assistant program for cancer patients, which helps manage communication and care coordination throughout their treatment.
“It frees up our nurses and our care team to focus on the patients who need that help,” Buechele said. “It also allows us to better keep in touch with those patients and then escalate those care needs.”
Both hospital systems emphasized that AI is used as a support tool, not a replacement for medical decision-making. Providers remain involved at every step of the process.
Hospital officials said they expect AI to expand into more personalized care planning in the coming years as the technology continues to evolve.