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How Common Are Imaging Deserts, MRI Lawsuits, and GE’s Big PET Play
October 8, 2026
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Together with
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“My read: [AI] point solutions get bought and bundled. Workflow automation gets budgeted. Detection still matters, but it is the input, not the product. Which is yours: a point solution, or workflow automation?”
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Robert Lauritzen of Cerebriu, on what recent corporate acquisitions mean for radiology AI.
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Find out what it takes to run operational radiology workflows end-to-end with agentic AI in our webinar today at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT. You’ll hear from real-world users of agentic AI on how they’re putting the technology to work, as well as from executives with PocketHealth on the potential of this exciting new technology. Register now. – Brian Casey, Managing Editor
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Amid concerns about equitable access to healthcare, questions have arisen about imaging deserts – U.S. regions without any access to radiology services. A new study in Academic Radiology probes the issue, finding that it may not be as bad as originally feared – for reasons unique to radiology.
Uneven access to healthcare – particularly in rural regions – has become a common refrain in analyses of the U.S. healthcare system.
- In radiology, the issue has reached into the debate over workforce shortages as open jobs go unfilled in rural areas while urban positions are snapped up quickly – a trend one job board dubbed “geographic inconvenience.”
But how common is a complete lack of access to imaging? And what are the correct public policy tools to address it?
- In the new study, researchers assessed imaging availability in U.S. counties by determining whether imaging equipment, local radiologists, or both were available.
In their analysis of 3.1k U.S. counties covering 340.1M residents, researchers found…
- Only 1.9% of Americans (6.4M people) lived in true imaging deserts, where there was neither installed imaging equipment nor a local practicing radiologist.
- 7.6% of Americans (25.9M people) lived in counties with an installed scanner but no local radiologist.
- 0.1% lived in a county with a local radiologist but no equipment.
- 90% (307.4M) were considered “fully served” by imaging, with local image acquisition available and some kind of remote interpretation possible.
The statistics point to radiology’s advantage over other medical specialties that require doctors to be physically present to deliver care.
- Thanks to teleradiology, images can be acquired locally with installed equipment and then transmitted to central hubs for interpretation.
But even if less than 2% of the population lacks access, 6.4M Americans is a lot of people. How does living in an imaging desert affect their access to radiology?
- Researchers found that imaging use rates were 6% lower in imaging deserts compared to fully served regions, while Medicare payments per beneficiary were 8.9% lower.
The Takeaway
The new findings on regional access to imaging show that while most Americans have good access to radiology services, more work is needed to improve care for those who don’t. This is particularly true for services like interventional radiology that require radiologists to be present.
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AI-Enabled Data Migration
Laitek’s Migratek platform is a trusted solution for DICOM data migration that’s been significantly enhanced through Enlitic’s advanced ENDEX data standardization technology. Learn more about the future of data migration on this page.
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Advanced Women’s Health with Smarter Breast Imaging
Meeting the demands of advanced women’s health requires an imaging ecosystem that helps radiologists work efficiently, supports diagnostic confidence, and expands access to specialized breast imaging expertise. Discover how Fujifilm’s comprehensive portfolio of women’s imaging solutions can help.
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- MRI Vendors Hit with Patent Lawsuits: Radiology’s biggest MRI vendors were hit with patent infringement lawsuits by an MRI startup. According to an article by Bloomberg, GE HealthCare, Siemens Healthineers, and Philips were sued separately this month over MRI patents by MR Access, which claims to hold patents covering the use of multiple RF channels to produce higher-quality MR images. MR Access’ website says it intends to build “the world’s first affordable, accessible, and clinically robust full-body MRI system” with hardware and software developed at Columbia University.
- GE to Buy PET Maker Sofie: GE HealthCare made a move to strengthen its PET radiopharmaceutical distribution network by announcing a $945M agreement to acquire Sofie Biosciences. Sofie is a contract manufacturing organization operating a network of 15 sites that run 21 cyclotrons, and GE and Sofie have been collaborating on developing diagnostic radiotracers. GE portrayed the acquisition as bolstering its ability to provide the “final mile” of PET tracer distribution, while also expanding its participation in the rapidly growing theranostics segment.
- PSMA PET/CT-Guided Prostate Biopsy: PSMA PET/CT could be a good choice to guide prostate biopsy in men with non-diagnostic MRI findings. A new study in JNM of 63 men in Italy found that PSMA PET/CT-guided biopsy found more clinically significant cancer than systematic biopsy (37% vs. 21%), and combining PET/CT with systematic biopsy boosted that number to 41%. PSMA PET/CT could help detect prostate cancer in the 20% to 30% of men whose cancer is missed on non-diagnostic MRI scans.
- NRC Rule Reform Could Impact Theranostics: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s proposal to reform medical radiation exposure rules could complicate theranostic treatments, especially for Novartis’ Pluvicto radiopharmaceutical for prostate cancer. An article in Fierce Pharma explains how the NRC’s proposal to change the amount of radiation patient caregivers can be exposed to could make it more complicated to calculate when patients can safely be released – and it’s more of an issue with Pluvicto due to its dosing regimen than other radioligand-based therapies.
- Hastening High-Priority Breast Imaging: Labeling a patient as high priority for breast imaging is one thing, but actually getting them screened quickly is another. A JACR paper found that improved scheduling guidelines were associated with a nearly 8-point improvement in breast scan completion within three weeks of ordering (57% before vs 65% after). Researchers focused on educating schedulers on the need to diagnose high-priority patients and how to escalate their cases within existing workflows to meet scheduling guidelines.
- AIRS Expands into Body Composition: AIRS Medical is expanding into AI-based body composition analysis with the FDA 510(k) clearance of SwiftSight Body Composition. The algorithm analyzes MRI scans to derive quantitative measurements of muscle and adipose tissue, which can be used to track an individual’s health over time and also predict future medical conditions. The solution is designed around short, five-minute MRI scans, with automated scan-to-report workflow. SimonMed Imaging will be the first provider to deploy the software.
- Getting LDCT Patients to Quit Smoking: Smoking cessation treatment is a key part of any low-dose CT lung cancer screening program, and Pennsylvania researchers found an easy way to raise cessation rates: pay patients to quit. In a new study in JAMA, researchers paid people undergoing LDCT screening up to $600 to quit smoking. Among four cessation strategies tested in 3.2k people, those who got payments and pharmacotherapy had the highest quit rate at six months (8.8%). Adding a mobile health tool didn’t improve quit rates (7.2%).
- Riverain’s ClearRead Chest on RapidAI: Riverain Technologies’ ClearRead Chest software suite for AI analysis of lung and cardiac images is now available on RapidAI’s Rapid Enterprise platform. ClearRead Chest includes applications for detecting, characterizing, and visualizing lung nodules as well as coronary artery calcium, and the solution’s vessel and bone suppression technology gives radiologists unobstructed views of the lungs. ClearRead Chest will be integrated into RapidAI’s platform, including its Rapid Edge Cloud infrastructure, Rapid Navigator Pro workflow solution, and mobile and web applications.
- Unnecessary X-Ray Bills Net Prison Time: An Arizona physician was sentenced to over seven years in prison and ordered to pay $36.5M in restitution for billing Arizona’s public health system for unnecessary radiology services. Irfan Fazil, MD, of Yuma entered a plea deal with authorities after being accused of billing for thousands of radiology services, including X-rays, CT exams, and ultrasound scans, from July to December 2025. Authorities were alerted by Fazil’s high ordering volume, with one patient’s account billed for over 1.7k X-rays in six months.
- CARPL Adds HOPPR Foundation Models: Foundation models from HOPPR will be available on CARPL.ai’s orchestration platform through a new alliance between the companies. The agreement will make it easier for AI developers to access and use HOPPR’s foundation models to develop and fine-tune their own AI algorithms for specific radiology applications like automated report generation. Applications developed with HOPPR tools can then be made available on CARPL’s platform for use throughout an enterprise.
- 3D Spine MRI Software Cleared: The FDA granted 510(k) clearance to MRI2CT for its NextMR software that generates 3D images of bone from MRI scans of the lumbar spine and sacrum. MRI is typically the first step in treating patients with spine conditions, but CT is often required for visualizing bone morphology. NextMR creates bone images from 1.5T and 3T MRI scanners that can be used in surgical planning, saving some patients from exposure to ionizing radiation.
- ViewRay Launches Rad Therapy Line: Resurrected radiation therapy vendor ViewRay Systems launched a new family of image-guided radiation therapy systems at ASTRO 2026. The 510(k)-pending systems include the flagship ViewRay Model O, a 0.35T MRI-guided linear accelerator; ViewRay Model R, a 0.12T MRI-guided linac; and ViewRay Model X, a CT-guided machine. All systems run on the company’s new ViewRay AXi software, with AI-based auto-contouring for simulation, planning, and adaptation that enables radiation therapy sessions to be completed in 20-40 minutes.
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Report Up to 50% Faster
Spend less time reporting and more time focused on the images. Rad AI Reporting helps radiologists create personalized, accurate reports up to 50% faster. Request a meeting.
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Interpretation Efficiency in Radiology – A Critical Strategy
Healthcare institutions are at a critical stage, where an emphasis on interpretation efficiency needs to be a priority. Check out this white paper from Visage Imaging and Signify Research on strategies to optimize your interpretation efficiency.
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Accelerating Care Today for More Tomorrows
GE HealthCare empowers precision care with innovative imaging, patient management solutions, and tailored consulting services for every step of the theranostics pathway. Learn more about theranostics on this page from GE HealthCare.
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- How AI is Unlocking Opportunistic Screening: Routine imaging already contains preventive health information patients often never receive, and AI is making it possible to surface that data. Learn how CARPL can help you implement opportunistic screening on this page.
- End-to-End Imaging Interoperability: Basic image exchange is increasingly table stakes. The harder work happens around it: finding relevant priors, bringing in outside imaging, reconciling patient identity, and much more. In this live demo, see how Medicom manages those workflows end-to-end through one interoperability platform.
- A Next-Generation Oncology Ecosystem: Quibim has launched their next-generation oncology ecosystem platform. Find out how QP-Prostate provides a comprehensive, end-to-end management workflow for prostate cancer care, supporting clinicians from the earliest stages of image acquisition through diagnosis, patient management, and follow-up.
- Five Years Into the Cloud – And Just Getting Started: John Muir Health in California needed help dealing with its data deluge, which became acute with the adoption of 3D breast tomosynthesis. Find out how they turned to Sectra and their cloud-based enterprise imaging management for a solution.
- AI-Assisted Radiology Reporting: Move beyond legacy radiology reporting with AI-assisted reporting from Mosaic Technologies. See how Mosaic Reporting can help your organization move faster today while building for tomorrow.
- Advancing Enterprise Imaging With IntelePACS: Watch this on-demand webinar to learn how IntelePACS from Intelerad helps radiology groups, hospitals, and health systems simplify imaging workflows through a scalable, enterprise-ready platform.
- Making a Difference For Pediatric Patients and Families: A new study published by Stanford Children’s and Duke examined over a year and a half of patient feedback following the implementation of patient-friendly radiology reports from Scanslated. Learn about the positive impact Scanslated can create for your patients today.
- Smarter CT at Lower Dose: Meet Verida, the latest in Philips’ new CT fleet, built for smarter imaging, less complexity, and lower dose. Verida combines AI-powered reconstruction with advanced spectral imaging for consistent results and streamlined workflows – scan after scan.
- Reporting Is Radiology’s Next Transformation: While AI’s role in diagnostic imaging is well-established, one part of the workflow has remained largely unchanged despite its central role: the report. Read this article from DeepHealth to learn more about radiology’s next transformation.
- A New Resource for Radiology Jobs: Check out the new Job Boards from Medality to gain access to newly posted positions for radiologists, residents, and fellows. If you’re an employer, post your first job for no charge to reach Medality’s network of over 40,000 monthly users.
- Enterprise Access to Clinical Video: Altamont Software offers a centralized, enterprise approach toward capturing all medical video in the DICOM standard format and making it available to the EHR, providing operational, security, clinical, and financial benefits. Learn more on this page.
- A New Foundation for Healthcare AI: MergeIQ from Merge provides a scalable, governed approach to healthcare AI, enabling organizations to adopt advanced capabilities without adding standalone systems, increasing IT complexity, or disrupting existing workflows. Learn more about the first MergeIQ applications today.
- AI Detects Pulmonary Hypertension from a Single Echo Clip: Pulmonary hypertension carries a diagnostic delay of years due to symptoms that can overlap with common heart and lung diseases. But AI from Us2.ai can detect the condition from a single echocardiography clip, substantially exceeding current clinical benchmarks.
- Power at the Point of Care: The uDR 380i Pro from United Imaging is a high-performing and agile mobile X-ray system with an ultra-narrow body design, a high-voltage generator, and the uVision Remote Console that redefines the workflow for point of care imaging.
- More than an Image. The Big Picture: AGFA HealthCare understands that striking the critical balance between clinical efficiency and quality delivery of patient care starts with the clinician experience. Learn how their Enterprise Imaging platform makes the complex simple.
- The Radiology Layer Nobody Talks About: Detection algorithms, generative reporting tools, and worklist triage engines are only as good as the data that reaches them. Kailo Medical’s KailoHub is the connective tissue that sits between everything. Learn how it can benefit you on this page.
- Opportunistic Detection of CAC and Pulmonary Nodules: Achieve a newfound certainty of search for thoracic CT when using ClearRead CT from Riverain Technologies. It’s a natural addition for opportunistic CAC scoring and nodule detection, or as part of a CT lung cancer screening program.
- Radiology’s Biggest Challenges Don’t Occur One at a Time: Why should your solution address them one at a time? SWO simultaneously optimizes the operational factors affecting throughput, turnaround time, workload equity, radiologist capacity, and burnout – transforming how the entire practice performs.
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