How have AI and Teleradiology transformed medical industry?

Teleradiology and artificial intelligence (AI) can work hand-in-hand and combine their ability to have a major impact on the delivery of health care. High-speed broadband networks' rapid growth has opened the way for vast amounts of data to be transmitted instantly across the globe.

What is teleradiology? How did Artificial Intelligence swooped-in its way into this industry?

Teleradiology is a tool that allows the distribution of imaging work in the manner of cellular osmosis from higher demand locations and lower conversion supply. Teleradiology has played an important role in addressing the emerging problem of radiology shortages over the past ten years or more.

How can both the technologies work in combination?

• AI and teleradiology came forth with the revolution of information technology

In both cases, two sequential development strides have driven them to the center stage of radiology. A similar comparison is that both originated from other progenitor industries, in that the teleradiology industry (or at least the overseas portion after hours of it) was influenced to an extent by the software industry creating global data centers to ensure 24/7 continuity of operation.

• The technologies have proven to be equally disruptive

In that sense, they turn the status quo, give rise to distrust, which is ultimately connected to a lack of understanding, and have the potential to create fear in those who see it as a threat rather than an ally. There was a groundwell of fear and disgust from the industry in the early days of teleradiology arising from the issue that some radiologists felt that teleradiology threatened their job or income.

• Teleradiology and AI provide cost-effective possibilities

Teleradiology and artificial intelligence are both reducing the cost of health care. In the outsourced model teleradiology groups with small quantities of nighttime reading will gain significant value by avoiding adding an FTE to the community by outsourcing to a dedicated provider of teleradiology.

To sum up

Teleradiology market developments will gradually surpass the regular PACS and RIS systems in the future and thus become easier to use as well as more successful. Such intelligent workflow management software can go beyond basic image viewing and reporting functionality and incorporate new smart technologies.

These technologies can route images across an internet network easily and securely to the most skilled and readily available radiologist at that time. These workflow management tools will have numerous collaboration tools to allow radiologists to interact online with each other or with a clinician to show them the area affected on a CT or MRI scan in a virtual setting. The analytics tools can also be used to make them more efficient.

Over the past twenty years, advancements and innovations in technology have transformed radiology revealing comprehensive imaging technologies and methods similar to breakthroughs at the tail end of the last century, demonstrating the promise of extremely detailed anatomy and pathology visualization in disease detection by multi-detector row CT and high-filed intensity MRI.

KBV Research is a global market research and consulting company serving all kinds of business verticals, government and non-governmental organizations, and not-for-profit organizations.