Sirona Medical CEO Ken Kaufman, in the latest edition of The Imaging Wire Show on cloud IT solutions.

It’s no secret that radiology is facing a variety of challenges, but new cloud-based imaging IT solutions that unify PACS, reporting, AI, and workflow into a single package promise to make radiologists’ lives easier. In this Imaging Wire Show, we talked to Sirona Medical CEO Ken Kaufman about how the company’s solutions can help.

Imaging Wire Sponsors

AGFA HealthCare  •  Bayer  •  CARPL.ai  •  DeepHealth  •  Enlitic  •  Gleamer  •  Intelerad  •  Kailo Medical  •  Mach7 Technologies  •  Medality  •  Merge by Merative  •  Microsoft  •  Philips  •  Quibim  •  Rad AI  •  Riverain Technologies  •  Siemens Healthineers  •  SpinTech MRI  •  United Imaging  •  Us2.ai  •  Visage Imaging

Emergency Imaging

Emergency CT Use Booms

Increased use of CT drove a boom in medical imaging utilization in the emergency department setting over the past 10 years. That’s according to a new study in Radiology that comes amid increased scrutiny over the long-term health effects of CT radiation. 

CT is tailor-made for evaluating patients in the emergency setting. It’s fast, relatively inexpensive, and provides high-quality images that can deliver a diagnosis quickly.

• For these reasons, emergency departments have been quick to install workhorse CT scanners running at all hours in the hope that faster diagnoses will lead to better patient outcomes. 

But there are also downsides to the growth in CT utilization. It can put strains on radiology departments to read all the new scans – a particular challenge in an era of workforce shortages.

• Concerns about the link between CT radiation dose and cancer also persist. Two controversial studies were published this year on the subject, one linking CT to future cancers across the U.S. population and the other specifically to pediatric blood cancer. 

The new study offers a useful benchmark for tracking CT’s growth in the ED. Researchers chronicled changes in U.S. emergency imaging use in Medicare from 2013 to 2023, finding that per 100 Medicare beneficiaries…

• CT use grew 96% (37 vs. 19 encounters).
• While ultrasound only grew 20% (2.8 vs. 2.3 encounters).
• And radiography use remained flat at 37 encounters in both years.

In addition, the number of overall ED encounters actually declined 16% (55 vs. 65 encounters), showing that imaging’s growth was due to more imaging per ED encounter rather than overall increased ED visits by beneficiaries. 

• On a per-encounter basis, CT use grew 134% over the study period compared to 43% for ultrasound and 19% for radiography. 

Researchers believe that the difference in modality growth rates could be due to the use of CT to accelerate patient turnover in the ED.

• Meanwhile, ultrasound use may have grown more modestly due to the proliferation of point-of-care handheld scanners among non-radiologists.

The Takeaway

The new findings underscore the conundrum behind emergency CT – it’s an incredibly powerful technology that nevertheless requires restraint in order to be used judiciously. Let’s hope emergency physicians take note.

AI Tools for Lung Cancer Screening

CT lung cancer screening is gaining momentum around the world. Learn about AI-based nodule detection tools that can improve the accuracy of low-dose CT scans in this video from Riverain Technologies.

What Healthcare Really Needs from AI

The AI hype cycle has flooded healthcare with promises, yet many tools fail to deliver real-world impact. Reserve your seat at this October 29 webinar hosted by Rad AI to hear healthcare leaders share their real-world experiences in making AI work.

Ahead in the Cloud

What do healthcare providers need to consider as they adopt cloud-based solutions for medical imaging? Read this article written for Mach7 Technologies by Eliot Siegel, MD, to learn the important role cloud-based technologies are having in shaping the future of healthcare.

The Wire

• Radiologist Attrition Doubles: The annual attrition rate of U.S. radiologists leaving the field more than doubled over an eight-year period spanning the COVID-19 pandemic. The AJR study from Neiman HPI found that radiology’s annual attrition rate grew from 1.1% to 2.5% from 2014 to 2022, with attrition rates 26% higher for women than men, 37% higher for subspecialists than generalists, and 34% higher for non-academic versus academic radiologists. The findings mirror workforce trends that occurred during the pandemic as burnout and attrition rates skyrocketed among all healthcare providers.

• Aidoc’s Foundation Model Breakthrough: Aidoc received FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its CARE foundation model for developing AI algorithms. Foundation models represent a new paradigm for AI, as models are trained on massive datasets and can be used to develop AI packages that address multiple clinical findings rather than single-point solutions. Aidoc invested $30M developing CARE, and on receipt of marketing authorization will be able to roll out AI triage packages for broader use cases, such as brain, lung, etc. rather than one condition at a time. 

• FDA Mulls Approach to Real-World AI Data: The FDA this week issued a request for public comment on how to evaluate AI’s effectiveness for real-world clinical tasks. The move addresses concerns that positive AI results in clinical studies aren’t replicated in real-world clinical use, due to changes in clinical practice, patient demographics, data inputs, and healthcare infrastructure. The topic came up during the first meeting of the FDA’s Digital Health Advisory Committee in November 2024, and most likely will be discussed at the next DHAC meeting on November 6.

• RP Launches 2-for-1 Screening Tool: Radiology Partners this week launched Mammo Enhance Heart, an AI-enabled program that combines breast cancer screening with detection of breast arterial calcification, an indicator of future cardiovascular risk. The program uses an internally developed, FDA-cleared algorithm for detecting BAC on mammograms and stratifying a patient’s risk of a future cardiac event. Mammo Enhance Heart is already in use at RP’s Desert Radiology affiliated practice, and will be rolled out to additional sites in 2025 and 2026. 

• Imaging Groups Unite for AI Education: A coalition of radiology groups joined forces to publish a syllabus to guide AI education in radiology. Experts from AAPM, ACR Data Science Institute, RSNA, and SIIM worked together to create a common list of competencies for radiology professionals who work with AI, from clinicians to AI developers. The syllabus can be used by educators to craft their own instructional curricula for AI education. 

• Lessons from a Mass-Casualty Incident: Radiology published an overview of an Israeli hospital’s experience during the October 7 terror attacks that can help other imaging departments facing mass-casualty incidents. Providers at Soroka University Medical Center used CT to triage 68% of arriving patients, stationing a radiologist at each scanner console to improve turnaround time, which fell sharply (28 vs. 54 minutes). AI was used as a real-time safety net to flag critical findings and cross-check reports rather than as a triage tool.

• Riverain Collaborates with Azra AI: Riverain Technologies signed an agreement to integrate its ClearRead solutions for lung cancer analysis with offerings from oncology workflow software developer Azra AI. ClearRead will be combined with Azra AI’s pathology and radiology analysis, automated care coordination, and survivorship management solutions to offer a connected ecosystem that combines radiology, pulmonology, and oncology. 

• AI for Body Composition Analysis: An open-source AI algorithm for whole-body MRI showed potential for predicting future risk of diabetes and major adverse cardiovascular events in a study in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers applied the algorithm to 33.4k adults from the UK Biobank study, finding that after adjusting for patient factors, AI-derived measures of visceral adipose tissue were the strongest predictors of future cardiometabolic risk in men and women, while skeletal muscle proportion was predictive in men. The algorithm could be useful for opportunistic screening.

• Intelerad Moves InteleHeart to the Cloud: The cardiac image management segment is red hot, and Intelerad is beefing up its offerings with a cloud-native version of its InteleHeart cardiology workflow platform. InteleHeart unifies cardiac viewing, reporting, analytics, and workflow orchestration in a single package, and the cloud-native architecture simplifies deployment across multiple care settings while also enabling better integration with the company’s IntelShare and InteleOrchestrator solutions.

• FDA Clears United DR System: United Imaging continues to expand its product lineup, this time in digital radiography as the company’s new uDR Aurora CX system received FDA clearance. The system is based on United Imaging’s uVERA platform, which integrates DR with vision-enabled robotics thanks to two cameras built into the tube head that create real-time 3D patient models for automated patient positioning and adjustment of collimation and exposure settings. An embedded AI-enabled quality control system also provides real-time feedback to technologists.

• More News from ASTRO 2025: ASTRO 2025 wrapped up this week, with a wide range of research presented in San Francisco. The STARS trial found stereotactic radiation therapy had 10-year survival outcomes comparable to surgery for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, while in the NRG Oncology GU005 trial a five-session SBRT course for prostate cancer had fewer side effects than a longer course but lower disease-free survival (89% vs. 92%). And in the RadComp trial of 1.2k patients, both photon- and proton-based treatment for breast cancer had similar clinical outcomes but patients favored proton therapy.

• New Siemens MRI, CT at ASTRO: Siemens Healthineers debuted new MRI and CT scanners for radiation therapy at ASTRO 2025. Magnetom Flow RT Pro edition is a 1.5T helium- and quench-pipe-free scanner with a special package for treatment planning (FDA clearance is pending). The FDA-cleared Naeotom Alpha Prime for RT brings Siemens’ photon-counting CT technology to radiation oncology for the first time. Finally, Siemens’ Varian division showed Halcyon 5.0, the latest update of its flagship radiation treatment system with a more adjustable patient couch.

• Carebot Expands AI Portfolio: Czech AI developer Carebot expanded its AI portfolio with the launch of Horizon, a new platform that covers seven clinical applications. Horizon includes the company’s flagship Carebot AI CXR algorithm for analyzing chest X-rays, but also includes applications for head CT and lung CT, bone fracture detection, bone age assessment, and skeletal measurement. The move reflects the recent trend of AI developers expanding from single-application point solutions into broader portfolios that cover more clinical use cases.

• BDI Touts Opportunistic Screening: Osteoporosis AI developer BDI is highlighting results of a new clinical study showing that its algorithm for calculating bone mineral density can also detect coronary artery calcium – creating the possibility of an opportunistic screening test for cardiovascular disease. In 6.8k people drawn from the MESA study, researchers found that CAC scores > 300 corresponded to 7 mg/cc lower BMD than normal in men and 5 mg/cc lower BMD than normal in women. Both men and women with osteoporosis had greater risk of high CAC scores. 

Leading the Way in AI Transparency

There’s a need to better inform radiologists about AI’s role when interpreting images and generating measurements. Visage Imaging’s Visage 7 can display text in the viewer indicating that AI was used as a diagnostic aid – find out how it works today.

5 Data Migration Myths You May Still Believe

Many healthcare organizations fall victim to data migration myths that derail their efforts, waste valuable resources, and put their business at risk. Learn about five common myths and how they cost you in this article from Laitek, an Enlitic portfolio company.

The Resource Wire

• Learn a New Subspecialty in 5 Minutes a Day: Become a faster, more confident radiologist with expert-led online video courses from Medality. Gain simulated practice with the largest collection of curated, scrollable DICOM cases available anywhere. Browse their library of radiology courses today. 

• Optimize Radiology Workflows: Harness cloud and AI technology to help your radiology teams unlock insights, increase efficiencies, and improve patient care. Learn more about an integrated approach to AI in radiology in this e-book from Microsoft. 

• The Future of Teleradiology Starts Here: Is your radiology team ready for growing demand? Discover how Merge Imaging Suite for Teleradiology helps remote radiologists work faster, smarter, and more securely –  24/7.

• The Benefits of Structured Reporting: Kailo Medical hopes to revolutionize radiology with its structured reporting solutions. At SIIM 2025, we talked to Lauren Therriault and Denholm Rhys about the latest developments at the company and why structured reporting is a benefit to radiologists.

• Remote vs. Tableside Fluoroscopy:  Choosing the right fluoroscopy system is critical – download this e-book from Siemens Healthineers to discover key safety and efficiency factors that will help you decide between remote and tableside options.

• Presenting Unboxing AI: Check out CARPL’s video series, Unboxing AI, featuring experts discussing AI and its future in radiology. The next episode on October 9 features Dr. Anjali Agrawal of Teleradiology Solutions – reserve your seat today. 

• Could AI Help People Live Longer? The most powerful transformation in healthcare may come not after illness appears, but through what we do before disease ever takes hold. Read this article from DeepHealth on how AI can fundamentally change the way we approach health.

• Echo AI for Cardiac Amyloidosis Diagnosis: AI is reshaping how cardiac amyloidosis is detected. Us2.ai’s pattern recognition model can identify the disease from a single apical four‑chamber echo view – learn how it works on this page. 

• Transform Imaging Data into Actionable Predictions: When you choose Quibim, you get more than a partner for detecting and diagnosing prostate cancer on MRI scans. Learn how they can help you transform imaging data into actionable predictions by booking a demo today. 

• Gain Clarity in MRI at Speed: Discover how STAGE from SpinTech MRI gives you better gray-white matter contrast in MRI and more efficient reads, with up to 30% faster scans on all 1.5T and 3T magnets.

• How Intelerad Is Improving the Client Experience: Intelerad has launched a new client obsession initiative to improve the client experience with the company. We caught up with Chief Client Officer Eric Grunden to discuss the project in this episode of The Imaging Wire Show.

• A New Solution for Chest AI: Gleamer’s ChestView AI solution is a computer-aided detection (CADe) model cleared by the FDA for simultaneously detecting multiple findings on chest X-ray. Discover how it enhances explainability and confidence compared to traditional triage-focused CADt solutions.

• Ensuring the Safety and Well-Being of Patients Undergoing MR: It’s important to create a safe environment for every patient, every scan. Unlock how thoughtful planning and innovative technology from Philips can reduce risks and enhance care during MRI procedures. 

• Radiology Case Report: A man in his 40s presented with a known metastasis within his abdomen. Learn how contrast-enhanced MRI helped to diagnose the extent of his disease.

• The Leader in Molecular Imaging: United Imaging’s uMI portfolio of solutions is designed to help you lead the way in molecular imaging. From digital PET/CT systems designed to stand the test of time to the cutting-edge uEXPLORER total-body PET scanner, discover the uMI difference today. 

• Redefining Breast Imaging in the Enterprise Era: As breast imaging grows more complex, radiology teams need more than siloed tools. Watch this on-demand webinar hosted by AGFA HealthCare about transforming breast imaging workflows in the enterprise imaging era.

The Industry Wire