A trio of radiologists from Mount Sinai and East River Medical Imaging starred in a recent Aunt Minnie webinar, discussing their paths towards operational AI adoption, and sharing some very relevant takeaways for radiology groups and AI vendors.
The Cast – The Subtle Medical-sponsored webinar featured Mount Sinai’s Amish H. Doshi, MD and Idoia Corcuera-Solano, MD (neuro and MSK subspecialists) and East River Medical Imaging’s Timothy Deyer, MD (CMIO and MSK IR), all of whom were involved in evaluating and adopting Subtle Medical’s SubtleMR deep learning reconstruction solution.
Make it Easy – When discussing their AI evaluation criteria, the panelists placed a major emphasis on ease-of-evaluation and implementation, with one noting that “before even having a conversation” he’d have to be certain these early processes won’t be costly or cumbersome (clear process, no new hardware, minimal IT work, no up-front purchases, etc.).
Why Operational AI – Much of the discussion focused on why the panelists support operational AI, noting that scan-shortening DLIR solutions like SubtleMR:
- Allow more revenue-generating scans per day
- Alleviate technologist burnout and staffing challenges
- Improve the patient experience (especially pediatric)
- Eliminate re-scans by reducing movement artifacts that occur in long exams
- Don’t require changes to radiologist workflows
- Maintain diagnostic image quality
- Receive less pushback from admins and physicians than diagnostic AI
Evaluating SubtleMR for MSK – Mount Sinai’s MSK SubtleMR evaluation process included comparing standard of care and SubtleMR-enhanced abbreviated MRI exams from 50-consecutive knee MR patients. They found that SubtleMR cut scan times by 50% (13:27 to 6:45), while achieving comparable image quality, artifacts, and diagnostic performance.
Evaluating SubtleMR for Neuro – Mount Sinai’s neuro evaluation process involved comparing SubtleMR and conventional MRI with 10-15 patients for each potential MR sequence. They then reviewed the scans with key stakeholders, worked with the Subtle Medical team to make requested imaging adjustments, and implemented the solution.
SubtleMR Results – SubtleMR’s list of benefits (scan speed, patient experience, patient throughput, revenue) earned it approval from all key stakeholders. Although one panelist noted that some of their radiologists critiqued the enhanced images, the radiologist pushback wasn’t nearly as strong as what they’ve seen in response to diagnostic AI products.
The Takeaway
We cover plenty of editorials about what it takes to drive AI adoption, but feedback from real world AI adopters is still rare, making this webinar particularly useful for AI vendors and adopters. The webinar also states a solid case for SubtleMR and other deep learning reconstruction solutions, even for groups who might not be ready to adopt the kind of “AI” that we usually focus on.
