Nuance CMIO Matt Lungren: Radiologist superpowers and future-proofing AI

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.  

The statement may sound like hyperbole, but it’s no exaggeration, says Lungren. The interventional radiologist and former co-director of the Stanford Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI) joins Nuance at a pivotal time for the company, now a part of Microsoft, and at a time when medical imaging AI is accelerating at warp speed.

In just the past 5 years, medical imaging in AI has progressed from narrow applications that help triage worklists to a more comprehensive and end-to-end approach that strategically and seamlessly streamlines radiologists’ ability to surface even more information than ever before for their clinician colleagues and patients. AI is infused in every step of the imaging process, working in the background of radiology applications to streamline radiologist workflows, including automatically generating portions of the report, and synthesizing and delivering key clinical insights from imaging examinations that ultimately drive better patient care. And while AI is already breaking barriers and changing the way that the medical field thinks about imaging, its exponential growth potential means that the impact of AI is only just beginning.

Delivering an ‘all-in-one’ approach

Technological capabilities have evolved astoundingly quickly over the past decade, Lungren notes. Gone are the days where radiologists have to choose multiple individual vendors and solutions to build out their tech stack one feature or function at a time. Today, they’re embracing “all-in-one” approaches that use technology to deliver a seamless, optimized experience for radiologists at all steps of the workflow within the same products they use routinely.

“We’re harnessing the leading platform for radiology workflows on the Microsoft Azure cloud to deliver a variety of AI solutions. PIN essentially delivers many ‘one-off’ capabilities and creates a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It's an entire, integrated ecosystem—and it’s the largest in the U.S.”

- Matt Lungren, MD, Chief Medical                       Information Officer, Nuance                               Communications

Nuance’s well-known voice recognition and reporting solution for radiologists, PowerScribe, remains the industry standard and was one of the first technologies to drive immediate workflow efficiency. In the decades since first released, it is now just a small portion of the company’s many offerings and as Lungren says, “PowerScribe was an incredible early example of how technology, in this case speech-to-text for radiology reporting, could ‘supercharge’ radiologists and deliver immediate value.”  

Recently, Nuance has led the imaging AI evolution through its Precision Imaging Network (PIN), a connected network that brings together industry leading AI applications and delivers them directly into the radiologist workflow. With PIN, Lungren says, the company delivers the largest comprehensive, AI-driven platform that extends the value of imaging to connect point-of-read to point-of care.   

“We’re harnessing the leading platform for radiology workflows on the Microsoft Azure cloud to deliver a variety of AI solutions,” Lungren says. “PIN essentially delivers many ‘one-off’ capabilities and creates a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. It's an entire, integrated ecosystem—and it’s the largest in the U.S.”

Natively integrated technology that works in the background

As AI continues to mature, Lungren warns that it must be deployed in an ecosystem that has capabilities beyond just “hooking AI up and turning it on.” Radiologists need an approach that does not place an additional burden on them to learn and navigate even more tools and systems during the interpretation process—especially at a time when burnout is such a common concern that it’s become almost exhausting just to keep hearing about.

“PIN takes the latest and greatest data-driven technology and insights, and delivers them directly to radiologist. But most importantly, it does so without them having to learn a new system or even do anything differently. This solution simply works with the tools you’re already accustomed to using. That’s the exciting part.”   

“I think sometimes the feeling is, ‘Oh, great, I’ve installed an AI application and it’s going to just work the way it was marketed forever,” he says. “But what we have learned about these AI systems in practice is that it’s critical to have a platform that can manage performance over time and have consistent outputs into the clinical workflow.”

The Precision Imaging Network works seamlessly within the tools and IT systems radiologists are already using, delivering AI-driven insights as needed, where needed. And through a single access point, it integrates AI into the workflow, so that radiologists can keep their focus where it matters: interpreting imaging studies.

Nuance also works closely with AI vendors and radiology societies like the ACR and RSNA to harness common data elements (CDEs) to ensure that the results of AI solutions are consistent across the industry. And by connecting PIN with core reporting tools like PowerScribe and analytics tools like mPower, AI is delivered into existing workflows and can be evaluated over time.

With more than a decade in radiology practice, Lungren knows just how important it is to have tools working in the background that don’t take up radiologist mindshare and truly helpand not distract. “PIN takes the latest and greatest data-driven technology and insights, and delivers them directly to radiologists,” he says. “But most importantly, it does so without them having to learn a new system or even do anything differently. This solution simply works with the tools you’re already accustomed to using. That’s the exciting part.”   

“We’re not just talking about AI triaging a study on the worklist or identifying a nodule on an exam. We’re talking about helping to automate what rads can’t stand, reveal what they can’t see, and catch what they can’t miss.”

Doing more with less: AI’s impact as a multiplier

A common directive in healthcare today is “do more with less.” Radiologists are dealing with hurdles including staffing shortages, a growing demand for imaging as the population ages, and more images per exam.

AI is scaling up right on time to answer that call, Lungren says.

“We’re not just talking about AI triaging a study on the worklist or identifying a nodule on an exam,” he notes. “We’re talking about helping to automate tasks that radiologists can’t stand, reveal what they can’t see, and catch what they can’t miss.”

In this way, synchronized AI solutions free radiologists to optimize their time, increase efficiencies without feeling rushed, and create high-quality, content-rich reports. AI exponentially multiplies their impact.

Harnessing the power of the cloud to deliver value at scale

The power of the Microsoft Azure cloud is one of the most critical advancements to occur in the world of imaging AI–opening up opportunities for collaboration and communication by establishing a connected network across different providers and systems. And now as part of one of the largest and most trusted cloud vendors in the world, Nuance solutions and its customers will benefit.

This “always on” cloud, interoperable data connectedness between stakeholders busts silos by bringing together all involved parties under one umbrella. Stakeholders have access to relevant patient information, history, and imaging―so everyone can easily collaborate and communicate. The benefits of widespread information availability flow downstream informing patient care decisions.

“The ability to move and analyze clinical data across many modalities is a critical part of where we are and where we’re going,” Lungren says. “Health data interoperability creates a ripple effect of value across the healthcare system. Ultimately, we see that what’s good for the radiologist is good for the healthcare system as a whole and ultimately, for the patient.”

Future-proofing solutions when there’s further to go

While radiology AI workflow tools have advanced in recent years, Lungren believes there’s still a long way to go as the industry explores new ways to improve the radiology workflow with integrated AI.

As Nuance continues to work with the world’s top researchers, data scientists, programmers at Microsoft, and across a wide ecosystem of partner vendors, they’ll continue pushing limits and exploring new frontiers. “We’re only beginning to find out what AI-powered technologies can do and what those superpowers will be over time,” Lungren says, “and when, not if, the next big AI breakthrough demonstrates meaningful value, Nuance and Microsoft together will be ready to deliver that seamlessly into the hands of radiologists and physicians across the healthcare system.”

With the AI technology and market changing so rapidly, a state-of-the-art solution today might look different tomorrow. That’s the advantage of adopting a secure and scalable infrastructure, like PIN, that can adapt seamlessly over time. Future proof and future forward is the goal to infuse AI into radiologist workflow and ease workload burdens.

“PIN customers can trust that Nuance solutions will always stay on the cutting edge of technology,” Lungren says. “I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.”