Los Angeles Times | April 25, 2025
PeriWatch Vigilance was recently highlighted in the Los Angeles Times for its impact at Hoag, where it helped reduce cesarean section rates from almost 29% to between 24 and 25%. Preview Matt Szabo’s article below, and read the full story at latimes.com.
Dr. Lisa Karamardian made the pitch for funding to the Hoag Innovators in October 2023. In a “Shark Tank” style of meeting, Karamardian sought to convince donors to provide money for PeriGen artificial intelligence technology, an automated early warning system for obstetrics.
Karamardian, Hoag’s Jeffrey M. Carlton Endowed Chair in Women’s Health in honor of Dr. Anne M. Kent, received nearly $300,000 in funding that night. Eight months later, in July, the PeriWatch Vigilance software was out of the box and ready to be used for patients at Hoag in both Newport Beach and Irvine.
There were a record 8,387 babies born at Hoag last year, the second-highest volume in the state.
PeriWatch helped Hoag improve outcomes for hundreds of mothers and babies, although Karamardian admitted there was skepticism from nurses about the software at first.
