Few radiology subspecialties can match mammography at adopting new imaging modalities to improve patient care. Consider: The past 10 to 15 years have seen the rise of digital breast tomosynthesis, automated breast ultrasound, breast MRI (with and without diffusion weighting), low-dose positron emission mammography and contrast-enhanced dual-energy digital mammography. That’s just to name a few.
It’s been two and a half years since Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nuance Communications for a reported $19.7 billion. At the time of the March 2022 transaction, Microsoft said it liked Nuance for its core strengths—AI-powered voice recognition and related software and services—across numerous industries.
A recent 2024 PocketHealth survey of 202 U.S. hospital and imaging center decision-makers highlights the significant challenges healthcare providers face with legacy image exchange systems. The survey and conversations with industry leaders reveal that these outdated solutions impact both operational efficiency and patient satisfaction, often resulting in additional workload and increased costs.
Five years ago, two key takeaways from a survey of their pathologists sent NorthShore University HealthSystem toward the front lines of a technological revolution: digital pathology.
The team almost unanimously agreed that, first, it was time to consider AI as an aid to microscopic tissue analysis. And second, 73% wanted the flexibility to work remotely at another site or at home, at least sometimes, via telepathology.
It was about 2000 when Yale pathologist John Sinard, MD, PhD, first heard the prediction. “In five years, we won’t be using microscopes,” a respected peer quipped. “We’ll be examining all our slides as digitized images on computer monitors.”
Nearly a quarter-century later, Sinard reports: “I’m at my workstation, and my microscope is sitting right here next to me.”
When it comes to breast imaging, a few new technologies have improved the visualization of lesions and diagnostic procedures. But a new modality could change the game completely.
In an increasingly complex and demanding world for radiologists—one in which the word “burnout” is so common that it’s almost become cliché—healthcare IT companies have the unique responsibility and opportunity to ease radiologists’ burdens by rising to address these momentous challenges.
AGFA HealthCare has been dedicated to Enterprise Imaging since 2010. They were first in the industry to build a platform from the ground up—but recently, they’ve stepped up their game. Momentum in market adoption of the platform approach to enterprise imaging is evident in the company’s growing business agreements, as leading health systems select AGFA HealthCare Enterprise Imaging Platform that creates an Imaging Health Record™ (IHR).
AI should give radiologists superpowers. That’s the goal and vision of Matt Lungren, MD, MPH, long-time AI researcher and physician-scientist turned chief medical information officer at Nuance Communications.
Momentum. You feel it when you’ve got it. And when it lags, you’re pushing harder to regain your stride. In radiology, maintaining momentum is core to keeping radiologists, workflow, decision-making and patient care moving forward. An enterprise imaging solution is the orchestrator that’s making it happen.
For 20 years, my radiology practice was a large part of my life and my identity.
I was a solo practitioner at a small community hospital in Kansas. It was a lot of work, but I adored the people I worked with and I took pride in being the one to serve friends, family, and other familiar faces from my small-town neighborhood.
As the chief of surgery specializing in breast care, I’ve seen firsthand the negative impact the national physician shortage can have on women’s health—especially in underserved communities. At my community hospital, it’s hard for us to bring in a new doctor, a new nurse, anyone at all. There is just such a shortage of talent right now.
With the amount of volatility and uncertainty in the U.S. economy, it’s no surprise that even radiologists, who are used to being in high demand, are starting to wonder: How would a recession affect my current employment?
