Steve Rankin explains the need to standardize imaging exam names and labels in radiology IT

Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly pivotal role in enhancing radiology operations on information technology systems to make data easier to find. Standardizing the naming and labeling of imaging exam data is one area where AI is making significant strides. This enables consistency when searching for prior exams, pulling analytics, clinical research and data-mining electronic medical records.

Radiology Business spoke with Steve Rankin, chief strategy officer of Enlitic, about this use of AI at the Radiological Society of North America 2024 meeting in December. He explained how this innovation is transforming radiology practices by improving data storage, accessibility and operational efficiency.

"Standardization today is critical. It's something that we should have done a long time ago in this business. Inside of a system, you might have something that you call a certain way, but over time terminology changes. There is a study description, a series description, what was a contrast in the study, what is the body part? Even the names of the actual modalities themselves, if it's really inconsistent, it gets harder to work with the data," Rankin explained.