M*Modal on Tuesday announced a cloud-based version of its radiology reporting solution, designed with the help of Aligned Imaging Solutions, a radiology company focused on X-rays, and Microsoft.

The company said its software, called M*Modal Fluency for Imaging, will help radiologists capture the complete diagnostic interpretation with real-time clinical intelligence delivered within the reporting workflow for improved patient outcomes and physician satisfaction.

WHY IT MATTERS

Radiology is emerging as an early use case for artificial intelligence in healthcare. Officials at Northwestern Medicine, in fact, suggested that deep learning will have “a profound impact on cardiac imaging,” as just one example.

THE BIGGER TREND

Many health systems are finding it easier to digest AI-refined complex information visually than to read lengthy descriptions, according to Cree Gaskin, associate chief medical information officer and division director of musculoskeletal imaging at the University of Virginia Health System, which recently moved away from text-only to AI-powered interactive multimedia radiology reports.

Gaskin added that patients are more engaged when they see images in their reports and the AI radiology images save the system time in results review and improves the clarity of reports.

MORE TO KNOW: AI NOT ALWAYS PERFECT

Recent research out of Mount Sinai found that deep learning algorithms performed inconsistently when applied to data sets at the National Institutes of Health and Indiana University Network for Patient Care.

The findings highlight the reality that much work remains for applying AI to radiological imaging and other promising use cases.

ON THE RECORD

“We are excited to bring our radiology reporting solution to the cloud to deliver more scalability, reliability and affordability to our clients,” said Scott MacKenzie, CEO of M*Modal. “Radiologists can work smarter not harder.”