AI-powered cognitive computing platform vendor behold.ai today announced that its artificial intelligence-based red dot algorithm quickly identifies chest X-rays from COVID-19 patients as abnormal.

WHY IT MATTERS

The vendor calls this “instant triage,” and it could potentially speed diagnosis of individuals with COVID-19 and ensure resources are allocated properly.

These findings follow recent news that behold.ai’s algorithm has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

ON THE RECORD

“The majority of deaths from COVID-19 are owing to pneumonia in the lungs of vulnerable patients,” said Dr. Tom Naunton Morgan, chief medical officer at behold.ai. “Pneumonia is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a number of pathogens including, directly or indirectly, COVID-19 infection. Our algorithm can detect abnormal chest X-rays including pneumonia almost instantly.”

Out of 28 X-rays reviewed from patients with COVID-19, the vendor reported it correctly identified 85% of them as abnormal using red dot.

“As we evaluate further positive cases from across the world, our results will be further validated,” Morgan contended. “This will increase the utility of our instant triage and potentially help reduce the burden on healthcare systems as more and more cases of pneumonia present and require rapid diagnosis.”

THE LARGER TREND

Healthcare-technology and services vendors have been mobilizing to deploy solutions aimed at reducing the strain on healthcare practitioners as the outbreak continues, among them IntelyCare, which launched free virtual nurse training for COVID-19.

Orion Health released a remote patient-monitoring platform to combat COVID-19, allowing for the engagement of patients in their homes and facilitating communication between quarantined people and healthcare providers.

Alphabet’s Verily launched a website where California residents can complete a short survey regarding their current condition and, if they meet certain criteria, could be referred to a nearby mobile COVID-19 testing site.

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.