RadNet inks AI partnership with large value-focused physician group
RadNet Inc. has inked a new artificial intelligence partnership with a large primary care physician group, the two announced recently.
The publicly traded, Los Angeles-based imaging center operator is teaming with Desert Oasis Healthcare to offer RadNet’s Enhanced Breast Cancer Detection program, or EBCD. Under the agreement, the Palm Springs, California, physician group will provide EBCD to its patients at no additional cost. Previously, Desert Oasis had given customers the option to use the program, but at an additional $40 out-of-pocket charge.
First launched in 2022 (originally at an OOP cost of $60), the Enhanced Breast Cancer Detection program uses AI to detect areas of suspicion, which radiologists may have missed. Women who opt for the service are about 21% more likely to have their cancer discovered than those who do not, according to research presented last year.
"We know that early detection makes all the difference,” Marc Hoffing, MD, medical director of Desert Oasis Healthcare, said in an Oct. 17 announcement. “By working together with [RadNet affiliate] Desert Advanced Imaging, we're giving our patients access to state-of-the-art imaging and compassionate care—helping us find cancer sooner and treat it more effectively.”
Hoffing and colleagues said the two companies also will leverage advanced imaging technology, “data-driven diagnostics” and coordinated care to identify breast cancer at its “earliest, most treatable stages.” Desert Oasis Healthcare was formed in 1981 as one of the first medical groups in the desert communities of Southern California. It now provides both primary and immediate care, home health, palliative services and more to 60,000 members/patients across the Coachella Valley and the Morongo Basin of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Desert Oasis is part of the larger Heritage Provider Network, an integrated medical group focused on value-based care with over 600,000 plan members. Heritage had previously inked a partnership with RadNet in July, covering affiliates including Regal Medical Group, Lakeside Community Healthcare and the ADOC Medical Group. Similarly, the three medical groups—spanning Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties—are now providing AI-backed breast cancer services to all mammogram-eligible patients at no extra charge.
RadNet, meanwhile, is a leading provider of freestanding, fixed-site imaging services. It currently operates a network of 405 outpatient centers, concentrated in Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Additionally, RadNet runs a growing AI division under the DeepHealth brand, with the EBCD program also including enhanced screening options, educational outreach and a streamlined referral process, Desert Oasis Healthcare noted.
“One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, making it critical to detect the disease early, when treatment options are most optimal,” President and CEO Howard Berger, MD, said in the same announcement. “The AI-powered EBCD program is able to detect breast cancer that otherwise would be found much later, thereby improving patient outcomes by reducing the amount of treatment and/or life impact through early detection.”
RadNet on Monday also announced plans to release its third quarter earnings results on Nov. 10.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.