October was another busy and productive month for both Osimis and me. During this time, I was fortunate enough to attend two key events in the medical imaging calendar: JFR 2022 (Journées Francophones de Radiologie Diagnostique & Interventionnelle) in Paris and the EuSoMII Annual Meeting aka “Your Portal to AI” in Valencia. Both shows cater to a different geographical audience, but there were some key takeaways to distill from my time at both shows that might benefit all of us.
JFR 2022 – go platform or go home
First, it was off to the JFR 2022 Congress, a prestigious annual event focused on the field of medical imaging. The show welcomed over 10,000 representatives from healthcare institutions and technology innovators across France, Wallonia, and Switzerland. JFR is always a rewarding experience, especially for myself and the team at Osimis as we saw many of the emerging topics and discussions from previous exhibitions were also present here, such as the growing development of academic papers coming out of China, positioning the academics’ insights as an emerging voice in the world of AI-driven radiology solutions, as well as the fact that radiologists continue to show interest in AI solutions that seamlessly integrate into their existing workflows.
One thing that struck me while at JFR 2022 was the clear indication that it’s fast becoming a case of ‘go platform or go home’. Utilising AI in radiology is actively improved when adopted as a platform. Radiologists aren’t struggling for patients, so large volumes of data are the norm. The platform or direct integration approach, powered by the cloud, ensures radiology departments can process larger quantities of information with the benefit of operational strategy in the long term.
It's also clear that a strong vision eats troubleshooting for breakfast. As my colleague Frédéric Lambrechts mentioned in our recent recap of #ECR2022, the future of AI in medical imaging isn’t going to progress with simple troubleshooting. It’s about uniting behind a shared vision that leverages professional insights and emerging technology developments to create a dynamic platform that benefits its users and the industry.
EuSoMII – 7 P’s to go Platform
Next, I journeyed to the beautiful city of Valencia to attend the EuSoMII Annual Meeting. EuSoMII (European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics) is a respected professional healthcare organisation that connects its members with the latest developments in radiological innovations and imaging informatics. Osimis has always been a great fit for this event, and this edition in particular, as it functioned as “Your Portal to AI”. Needless to say, I gladly took the stage and shared some of my AI-platform findings with my fellow peers.
On a personal note, first, allow me to share with you how delighted I was to be one of a select few individuals elected to become an Honorary Member of EuSoMII, alongside fellow industry professionals Peter Mildenberger and Mathias Prokop. I truly am humbly honoured. (All credits for the image accompanying this blog go to Elmar Kotter, Vice Chair and Head of Imaging Informatics, Department of Radiology bei Freiburg University Medical Center, who shared it on his LinkedIn profile)
In my presentation, one of the main talking points I shared was the importance of the ‘seven Ps’ of radiology: practicality, pragmatism, product, price, place, promotion, and passion. For me, these seven elements represent the parameters hospitals need to consider to effectively integrate AI into their clinical services. It’s what you need to consider for your AI solution to be fully automated and integrated into your workflow, so your way of working can be augmented to ensure a reduction in false positives and false negatives.
On that note, one must also consider the difference between a marketplace vs. a platform approach. Marketplaces offer so much choice, perhaps too much choice on a physician’s demand, especially when there are so many vendors out there. It’s an approach that might work for those hospitals that want to try different types of AI solutions or mix-and-match vendors, but it can be very incoherent when it comes to healthcare settings that need to support large volumes of data consistently.
As I mentioned earlier, the platform/direct integration pathway is far more reliable for radiologists because it’s more consistent when supporting large volumes. A platform-based solution also offers more operational choices, especially as a long-term application. Platforms that leverage the power of the cloud bring the beauty of freedom and ease of integration, making it a far smoother transition as they move away from premises-based tech.
Utilising a platform avoids the technical pressures of integrating a product directly from the marketplace while offering access to interfaces that empower every user in the radiology department. With the power of AI comes the benefits of automation, and automation - when adopted on a hospital-wide scale - benefits everyone. Ultimately, it’s that passion for change through effective technology adoption that leads to better patient care, and it’s that mindset that will alleviate some of the burdens on the radiologist’s workflow.
Conclusion
At both events, many companies reached out to us for advice and guidance on how to develop AI-powered services, it’s clear Osimis is becoming a recognised expert in the field of AI integration. I’m also seeing a sea change in mindset that’s being driven by a new generation of younger radiologists who understand and appreciate the benefits of new technologies, like platform-driven AI. AI integration ultimately requires a readiness for change, and we’re seeing that start to happen.
Events like these help radiologists see AI is not fad, nor magic. It is a reliable and dynamic tool with a growing track record for results, value, and ROI. Constantly expanded with new AI features that are supported by comparisons with prior studies, cases, and patterns in knowledge bases. From my perspective, the best integration scenario right now for AI is a basic approach to the augmentation of the existing workflow without the need for additional viewers, notifications, or messages. Let’s continue to build on that.
One final note, I feel I should share some of my personal experiences over the last few months. I left Russia because I had to. Because I believe that what we all need right now is a sense of unity, not division. Different positions will always lead to different viewpoints. We can and should always argue and debate, but only if we’re envisioning the same constructive outcome: a better life, a better world. And when it comes to our field of professional expertise: a better standard of care for all. That is why I am an ardent proponent of an integrated platform for the use of AI. I am convinced it is just one more way we can become more united across the healthcare sector.
