Imaging Informatics

Imaging informatics (also known as radiology informatics, a component of wider medical or healthcare informatics) includes systems to transfer images and radiology data between radiologists, referring physicians, patients and the entire enterprise. This includes picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), wider enterprise image systems, radiology information. systems (RIS), connections to share data with the electronic medical record (EMR), and software to enable advanced visualization, reporting, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, analytics, exam ordering, clinical decision support, dictation, and remote image sharing and viewing systems.

Hands-free, generative AI system reduces radiologists' time spent creating reports
"Application of these technologies represents potential areas to combat burnout," researchers wrote recently in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Radiomics-based tool predicts fracture risk in COPD patients
Such technology can be leveraged to improve risk assessments without accruing additional expenses for patients or clinicians, potentially filling in gaps where DXA exams fall short.
Many radiology PowerPoints inadvertently put private health information at risk
Many of these files are still readily available online, and numerous contain PHI that is “easily accessible,” a new analysis reveals.
Incidental finding characteristics that warrant communication
Three factors are associated with true high-risk findings—imaging protocols for aortic valve implantation planning, imaging area, and cardiology department orders.
GPT-4 as accurate as neurologists in predicting final diagnosis based on MRI reports
The large language model can also outperform other human providers, radiologists included, new study shows.

Which risk stratification system is best for classifying thyroid nodules?

A new analysis compared the results of 39 published studies and nearly 50,000 patient cases to rank the performances of six different thyroid nodule stratification systems.

February 8, 2023

Amyloid plaque patterns on PET imaging predict Alzheimer's progression in asymptomatic patients

Experts involved in the new research suggest that identifying these spatiotemporal variations could play an important role in clinical research and precision medicine.

February 8, 2023

An example of an FDA cleared radiology AI algorithm to automatically take a cardiac CT scan and identify, contour and quantify soft plaque in the coronary arteries. The Cleerly software then generates an automated report with images, measurements and a risk assessment for the patient. This type of quantification is too time consuming and complex for human readers to bother with, but AI assisted reports like this may become a new normal over the next decade. Example from Cleerly Imaging at SCCT 2022.

Legal considerations for artificial intelligence in radiology and cardiology

There are now more than 520 FDA-cleared AI algorithms and the majority are for radiology and cardiology, raising the question of who is liable if the AI gets something wrong.

February 3, 2023

AI program ChatGPT now has a published article in Radiology—is it any good?

The human author reviewing the article wrote about the benefits and inherent risks of utilizing AI in a medical publication setting, concluding that, overall, it could be “a powerful tool” used in the future of medical publishing—when used with caution.

February 2, 2023

VIDEO: Who gets sued when radiology AI fails?

Brent Savoie, MD, JD, vice chair for radiology informatics, section chief of cardiovascular imaging, Vanderbilt University, explains who will get sued when there is a misdiagnosis due to artificial intelligence (AI).

February 2, 2023

Example of a cardiovascular information system (CVIS) cath lab reporting module with a coronary tree model that will auto complete sections of the report based on how the cardiologist modifies the model. Image from the ScImage booth at ACC 2022. Photo by Dave Fornell

VIDEO: 4 key trends in cardiovascular information systems, according to Signify Reseach

Signify Research shares the latest big trends in cardiovascular IT systems, including the role of EMR cardiology modules vs. third-party CVIS, structured reporting, integration into enterprise imaging and inclusion of ambulatory surgical centers.

February 1, 2023

The American Hospital Association (AMA) is warning healthcare systems the Russians may attempt cyber attacks amid rising tensions of the war in Ukraine and the international community's response. #Ukraine #warinukraine #ukrainewar

VIDEO: How to prepare hospitals for ransomware attacks

John Gaede, director of information systems, Sky Lakes Medical Center, Oregon, discusses how hospitals should prepare for possible cyberattacks.

January 24, 2023

Sky Lakes Medical Center, Oregon, discusses how the hospitals IT team overcame a ransomware attack in 2020 during the height of COVID that took down their entire network and how radiology recovered within two weeks..

VIDEO: How radiology was restored after a ransomware attack at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Oregon

John Gaede, director of information systems, Sky Lakes Medical Center, Oregon, discusses how the hospital's IT team overcame a ransomware attack in 2020 and restored radiology in about two weeks.

January 23, 2023

Imaging Informatics

Hands-free, generative AI system reduces radiologists' time spent creating reports

Radiomics-based tool predicts fracture risk in COPD patients

Many radiology PowerPoints inadvertently put private health information at risk

Incidental finding characteristics that warrant communication

GPT-4 as accurate as neurologists in predicting final diagnosis based on MRI reports