In the face of a growing radiologist shortage, departments are turning to innovative IT solutions to maximize efficiency. Radiology Business spoke with several medical imaging IT vendors, including Agfa HealthCare, at the RSNA 2023 meeting to find how they are addressing the needs of imaging departments.
"You want to maximize what the IT tools are providing to you, not just to create better clinical outcomes, but also make your reading more efficient. You want to make sure that you are leveraging all of what that application is providing so you're not just getting the clinical information, but you're utilizing that clinical information for higher efficiency," said Kyle Souligne, director of enterprise imaging radiology at Agfa Healthcare. He shed light on how technological advancements in enterprise imaging systems are being utilized to optimize radiologist workflows and ultimately address the shortage.
Souligne emphasized the importance of creating smart, happy and proficient radiologists. At RSNA, Agfa introduced a new new streaming client and workflow-orchestration tools designed to prioritize and streamline radiology tasks in its enterprise imaging system. These tools ensure that the right radiologist gets the right read promptly, especially considering that professionals may be reading for multiple facilities.
Workflow orchestration and AI integration
The workflow orchestration tools are integrated into Agfa's PACS solution. The technology not only orchestrates the radiology reading list, but also manages various tasks, including wet reads, post-reads, and the utilization of artificial intelligence to prioritize studies. The integration of partner AI applications is pivotal, allowing for the seamless movement of studies and prioritizing specific findings.
The applications, tailored to subspecialties such as neurology and mammography, integrate natively with Agfa's solutions. This integration ensures that radiologists receive not only image files but also essential metadata, facilitating efficient study prioritization and labeling.
"What we're doing is helping prioritize to get the right radiologist the right read. But it's not just about that; radiology is complex. So most radiologists aren't just sitting in one location reading for one facility. They may be reading for multiple facilities and it doesn't matter where those studies live. We're just going to make sure that all of the work that needs to be done is orchestrated efficiently to keep the doctors in the flow so that they're getting the most done and have time for their life after their shift," Souligne said.
He emphasized the need for AI to be an integral part of the workflow rather than a standalone tool. Maximizing the benefits of AI enhances clinical outcomes while also making the radiologists' reading process more efficient.
Cloud solutions are transforming radiology
Cloud adoption was a key topic at RSNA, with many vendors promoting cloud-based solutions. Agfa launched its Enterprise Imaging Cloud software as a service solution, hosted in partnership with Amazon Web Services, at the conference. This move toward cloud solutions aims to provide flexibility and accessibility, particularly for radiologists working in remote locations, Souligne said.
One of the big complaints about cloud has been the low image dataset loading speeds, but Souligne said Agfa has addressed concerns about latency and bandwidth. He demonstrated load times of just a couple seconds for large breast tomosythesis and brain scans using the vendor's new pixel streaming technology. Agfa showed that even with the server located in Ohio and Fresno, the streaming of studies to the RSNA booth occurred seamlessly, dispelling apprehensions about the potential hindrance of cloud adoption.
Unlike traditional file transfers, pixel streaming moves only the pixels currently displayed on the screen, ensuring instantaneous loading of images. This lossless streaming technology allows radiologists to work seamlessly without compromising image quality, even with advanced tasks like scrolling through lesions.
"For a lot of our clients, they're definitely looking at cloud strategies moving forward. One of the impressive things that a lot of the clients are seeing is that even these newer streaming technologies are not going to hinder their ability to work natively. They are seeing where the technology's gotten to and how fast it's gotten, and they're recognizing that they're probably going to have to start moving fast so that they're not getting left behind," he said.
Workflow optimization and user experience with AI orchestration
In response to radiologists' concerns about excessive clicks and complex workflows, Agfa has focused on optimizing their workflow orchestration tool. The product allows customization, enabling radiologists to choose the level of automation they prefer.
"A lot of radiologists want the freedom to be able to see what studies are in their queue and which studies should be read next. Some are trying to figure out how can we work most efficiently and they're ready for a workflow engine that basically is just continuing to push the next best study to them," Souligne explained.
Souligne also said workflow orchestration can help address challenges with readers cherry-picking studies and workload balancing. The orchestration tool's flexibility allows facilities to set rules that fit their organizational needs. It ensures that radiologists receive a balanced mix of study complexities, aligning with their expertise.
"Cherry-picking is definitely an issue, and one of the things with workflow orchestration is how strict you want to be with it. So we can push just five studies, we can push 10 studies, we can push just one study, so it's read next, read next, read next. The orchestration tool has to make sure that it is feeding the radiologist not just the right study, but the right series of studies so that they're being the most efficient with their time," he said.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: dfornell@innovatehealthcare.com