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Blackford Finds Buyer, POCUS Recall, and Why AI Hasn’t Replaced Rads
October 12, 2026
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Together with
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“I guess this signals the ‘announcement season’ ahead of #RSNA26!”
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Steve Holloway of Signify Research, on Sopris Capital’s acquisition of Blackford.
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How can radiology promote and mentor the next generation of imaging leaders? In this episode of The Imaging Wire Show, we talk about how it’s being done in the Leaders of Choice program with Lisa Walling, director of radiology at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, and Luann Culbreth, senior director of corporate advocacy and outreach at United Imaging.
In other news, thanks to everyone who attended our webinar last week on agentic AI in healthcare operations. It was a great discussion, and I for one learned a lot I didn’t know about agentic AI. Don’t worry if you missed it … the webinar is now available on demand. – Brian Casey, Managing Editor
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One of radiology’s longest-running mysteries was resolved late last week when a U.S. private equity firm acquired AI platform company Blackford Analysis from Bayer. Sopris Capital said it would fold Blackford into another radiology AI property it owns, Azra AI, as it builds its healthcare technology portfolio.
The news comes just over a year after Bayer made the stunning announcement that it was backing away from the AI platform business and would “discontinue offerings and services” in the sector, including Blackford.
- The move reversed several years of Bayer’s investment in digital platforms, including the company’s own Calantic Digital Solutions division, which had been formed in 2022.
The announcement left Blackford twisting in the wind. Some industry experts questioned the long-term viability of the AI platform model, in which platform companies act as middlemen between algorithm developers and end-users, adding a markup that made AI deployment more expensive.
- But others still see AI platforms and algorithm orchestration as a necessary foundation for successful AI deployment, especially given the explosion of clinical algorithms and the complexity of IT integration.
For its part, early reports following last year’s Bayer announcement suggested that Blackford’s business model was sound, with the company reporting a strong pipeline of prospective customers.
- And despite the departure of key executives like founder Ben Panter, Blackford continued operations under new managing director James Holroyd. The company even exhibited at SIIM 2026 – not exactly a sign of a firm about to go under. And not long after SIIM, Blackford announced a new partnership with Azra AI – perhaps a portent of last week’s announcement.
So what do we know about Sopris? With its main offices in Colorado and Florida, Sopris first invested in Azra AI in 2022 to help the company acquire Digital Reasoning and expand into oncology.
Sopris sees the Blackford acquisition as adding an AI orchestration capability to its growing imaging IT portfolio, combining Blackford with Azra AI.
- Blackford will remain a separate legal entity with operations in Scotland and the U.S., and will continue serving its existing OEM partners and health system customers “with no disruption to current deployments or operations.”
The Takeaway
The Sopris acquisition of Blackford means that one of the radiology AI sector’s most established companies will continue operations for the foreseeable future. It also raises the intriguing prospect that a new player is entering the game to drive AI consolidation.
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How Cloud-Based Enterprise Imaging Accelerates Insights
Cloud-based enterprise imaging shortens the path from scan to diagnosis by centralizing data, automating workflows, and enabling AI-driven prioritization. Find out how Intelerad’s cloud-native imaging platform can help you change healthcare delivery.
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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 free to reach Medality’s network of over 40,000 monthly users.
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Elevating Breast Cancer Detection
Breast Suite from DeepHealth is a new package of AI-powered solutions delivering increased breast cancer detection rates, risk stratification tools, and viewing and reporting workflow acceleration. Find out how it can benefit your practice today.
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- Patient Deaths Prompt POCUS Recall: Philips has issued a recall covering its Lumify point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) systems due to connectivity issues associated with eight serious injuries and four deaths. According to an FDA alert, a software issue in Lumify’s Android and iOS applications requires users to re-register prior to point-of-care use, and scanning is blocked until registration is completed. Lack of Wi-Fi or cellular signal can prevent registration, especially outside hospital environments, resulting in delayed patient care. Philips is working on a software update to address the issue.
- Why AI Hasn’t Replaced Radiologists: Despite some famous predictions, AI hasn’t replaced radiologists, while the technology devastated professions like entry-level software engineers. A new article in CARJ investigates why radiology has proved so resilient to AI’s inroads, concluding that while pattern recognition is a major part of every radiologist’s job, the specialty includes a human element that is difficult to define – and thus can’t be replicated by AI. Unlike software coding and its defined programming rules, radiology is based on expert judgment that even experts can’t fully explain.
- State Laws Promote Imaging: A pair of state laws with important ramifications for medical imaging are going into effect. In Maryland, starting October 1, healthcare providers are required to tell women if their mammograms show signs of breast arterial calcification, a marker for heart disease. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation requiring stores that sell tobacco to display signage about CT lung cancer screening starting in 2028. Both laws could serve as models for similar legislation in other states.
- Chinese Firm Midea Acquires Esaote: Italian medical imaging company Esaote has been acquired by Chinese technology firm Midea. Esaote specializes in MRI and ultrasound scanners as well as imaging IT, and will be folded into Midea’s healthcare division, with longtime Esaote chief executive Franco Fontana continuing as CEO. The acquisition will give Esaote access to new international markets through Midea’s sales channels while complementing Midea Healthcare’s existing product line of DR, high-field MRI, and CT scanners. Midea acquired Carestream’s international DR business in late 2025.
- ABUS for Dense Breast Imaging: Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) stacked up well against handheld ultrasound for screening women with dense breasts. In a new study in JACR, researchers compared both techniques in 21.4k women, finding a trend toward better cancer detection with ABUS that wasn’t statistically significant (2.6 vs. 1.7 cancers per 1k screens, p = 0.25). ABUS had the edge with a lower abnormal interpretation rate (15% vs. 19%) and a rate of short-interval follow-up recommendations (3% vs. 15%), indicating it’s an effective alternative to handheld ultrasound.
- Younger Women Face Breast Cancer Delays: Breast cancer is rare but increasingly common in younger women, yet many rely on self-exams as guidelines don’t recommend mammography until age 40. To quantify the impact of care delays, researchers collected data from 1.1k women ≤ 40 years old with breast cancer. In all, 78% of cases involved self-detected cancer, and delays ≥ 90 days occurred for both presentation and diagnosis (14% and 11%, respectively). Lower annual income was associated with higher odds of delay, but surprisingly, delays didn’t influence clinical outcomes.
- Ways to Reduce Off-Hours Pediatric Fluoro: The ongoing radiology workforce crisis has hit pediatric imaging particularly hard, making it harder to provide services like fluoroscopy off-hours. Writing in Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, researchers shared tips that helped them reduce off-hours pediatric fluoro procedures by 64%, such as by using midgut ultrasound instead of fluoro upper GI series, or using CT to identify esophageal foreign bodies. Also, technologists can perform X-ray contrast studies to confirm placement of percutaneous feeding tubes rather than radiologist-performed fluoroscopy.
- Fracture AI Reduces Pediatric Stays: Fractures are a common reason why children present to the emergency department, and AI could help diagnose them faster. In a new study in Injury, French radiologists used the BoneView AI algorithm from Gleamer (now part of DeepHealth) to analyze X-rays for 4.2k patients. Orthopedic consultation rates fell (from 73% to 68%), and patients who didn’t need consultations saw a 28-minute reduction in length of stay (from 2.3 to 1.8 hours). Those with confirmed fractures saw no statistically significant change.
- AI Bone-Age Assessment: Bone-age scans are important for diagnosing and monitoring growth disorders in children, but they can be tedious to read and often rely upon manual references. The process could be getting easier thanks to Visiana’s new 510(k) clearance for its AI-enabled BoneXpert software to assist bone-age calculations using hand radiographs from patients aged 2 to 21. The solution analyzes and annotates images using the standard Greulich-Pyle method, but radiologists have the final say in the diagnosis.
- AI of Prostate MRI Helps Avert Biopsies: An AI algorithm from DeepHealth helped avert biopsies in men suspected of prostate cancer in a new study in European Radiology. Researchers used DeepHealth’s Prostate MR solution to analyze MRI scans of 787 men, focusing on equivocal PI-RADS 3 cases in which radiologists may disagree about whether to biopsy. AI helped reduce biopsies by 19% while maintaining 98% sensitivity for clinically significant prostate cancer. AI can help triage biopsy for equivocal prostate cancer cases.
- OXOS Gets Portable X-Ray Contract: Portable X-ray developer OXOS Medical received a federal BARDA contract to develop a new generation of its digital radiography technology for use at the point of care. BARDA will provide a base amount of $9.6M and up to $24.4M to fund OXOS development of X3, a new version of its MC2 system designed to bring X-ray directly to patients. The funds will support OXOS in developing X3, securing FDA clearance, and launching the system commercially.
- Cleerly Puts Mobile CT on the Road: Concerns are growing about imaging access in underserved areas. One good way to address the problem is mobile imaging, and cardiac software company Cleerly is testing the concept by partnering with Clear Heart and Lung Imaging in the TRANSFORM trial. A mobile coach outfitted with cardiac CT visited sites in Arizona, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida, and Cleerly software is being used to analyze images to see if an AI-guided approach can detect coronary artery disease and reduce adverse cardiac events.
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Elevate Your Imaging Enterprise
Altamont Software’s Connectivity Platform affords a unified and modern approach to enterprise medical image management through one powerful platform with many amazing apps. Learn how it can help your enterprise today.
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Preserve Your Radiography Investment
FutureProof 20 is Philips’ commitment to support their Radiography 7300 C for 20 years, helping you keep the system performing for decades, reducing total cost of ownership over the long run and letting you focus on the patient.
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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.
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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.
- Reimbursement for AI-Powered CAC Scoring: Medicare reimbursement for AI-powered coronary artery calcium scoring is now available with code G0680. Find out how it can impact your practice – and your patients – in this video interview with Riverain Technologies.
- The Tale of Three Orchestrators: Choosing the wrong operational platform doesn’t just delay improvement – it can limit your practice for years before you realize it. Discover why one of North America’s largest radiology groups succeeded only after its third orchestrator – and why they now describe SWO as a completely different class of solution.
- KailoFlow Replaces the Patchwork: KailoFlow from Kailo Medical gives you one platform from digital patient intake to final structured report, with automated measurement transfer, built-in TI-RADS and BI-RADS calculations, and pre-drafted reporting across any device, any site.
- Connected Imaging. Empowered Flow: Know those rare and indescribable moments at work when distractions melt away? AGFA HealthCare’s Enterprise Imaging Platform is designed to keep you in that hyper-focused state of mind all day long. Learn more about their solutions today.
- Cutting-Edge PET/CT to Support Theranostics: Theranostics is an exciting new field that combines diagnostics and therapy. Discover how Florida Theranostics is using United Imaging’s uMI Panorama PET/CT scanner to establish a high-quality level of patient care.
- AI Echo Reduces Reporting Time by 35%: AI-assisted reporting of echocardiography exams reduced preliminary reporting time by nearly 7 minutes per case, or 35%. Read the study to find out how Us2.ai can help you speed up reporting turnaround times.
- 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.
- Purpose-Built for Modern Radiology: MosaicOS from Mosaic Clinical Technologies unites clinical expertise, AI, and advanced workflow tools in one intuitive platform. Find out how it can expand your clinical capacity and speed up turnaround times today.
- A New Solution for Radiology Reporting: Sectra Reporting delivers a fully built-in, AI-enhanced reporting experience that seamlessly connects PACS imaging data and measurements through intuitive templates. Discover how it can meet your needs today.
- Leadership in Life Sciences: Quibim is committed to accelerating its development within the life sciences sector and strengthening collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies. Learn about recent leadership developments that are moving the company forward.
- The Modern Way to Send and Receive Medical Images: Medicom Connect enables you to automate clinical image exchange across your healthcare ecosystem with workflows that automatically find, retrieve, and deliver images directly to the point of care, improving access and care coordination. Learn more about Medicom’s solutions today.
- Rapid AI Deployment in Emergency Care: University Hospitals used CARPL to deploy AZmed’s fracture detection tool directly in the emergency department, reducing interpretation time by 30% without disrupting workflows. Learn how UH accelerated AI deployment.
- The Power to Explore Further: The SIGNA Sprint MRI scanner from GE HealthCare combines exceptional power at 1.5T with brilliant intelligence from their deep-learning solutions. Learn how it can help you unlock the full clinical potential of MRI.
- Technical Brilliance That’s a Generation Ahead: Read with the highest quality and precision at ultrafast speed using Visage Imaging’s friction-less, server-side architecture, enabling you to use Visage 7 on your favorite devices without compromise.
- Next-Generation 1.5T MRI: Echelon Synergy from Fujifilm Healthcare Americas is a powerful and affordable next-generation 1.5T MRI system featuring Synergy DLR deep-learning reconstruction, fast exam times, and patient-friendly design. Discover how it can help you achieve faster workflow and improved image quality.
- 20% Less Time on Reports: ARA Heath reduced median reporting time by 20% after moving to Rad AI Reporting, creating meaningful capacity at scale. Read the blog.
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