From the November 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


The Aidoc Full Body Solution has already been deployed in more than 50 hospitals worldwide. Two days after it was deployed at a university hospital in the U.S., Walach said it flagged a patient with an intracranial hemorrhage who needed urgent treatment.

“This patient would have been released home and only looked at the day after [because of] this site's workflow,” said Walach. “Instead, the radiologists were able to reach him on time, and make sure he gets admitted on the spot.”


Aidoc is not the only group doing work in this field. For example, a research team at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York has developed AI software for CT that can identify stroke, hemorrhage and other neurological problems in 1.2 seconds. Another team at the University of Central Florida’s Computer Vision Research Center is developing an AI solution that can detect tiny masses of lung cancer in CT scans, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

With all these computer algorithms poised to enhance the way scans are read, there has been a lot of talk about what this will mean for the role of radiologists in the future. Most experts agree that imaging providers should not worry about being displaced by AI, but need to become comfortable with the new technology so that it can serve them in their efforts to become more efficient.

“Radiology is the most data-driven field in medicine and the majority of radiologists I speak to realize that AI solutions are here to help,” said Walach. “AI has the ability to sift through the growing piles of data and help radiologists make decisions faster and more accurately.”

One facility’s experience with LDCT lung cancer screening
With the American Cancer Society estimating that over 200,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year, low-dose CT scanning is vital for patients with a long history of smoking. Unfortunately, access and awareness can be lacking among the populations who need screening most.

The University of Michigan Medicine implemented its low-dose CT lung cancer screening program in the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until the past few years that it began to gain traction. The program is currently approaching approximately 100 patients per month.

November 2018 Magazine

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