GE Healthcare late last year chose University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH) as the first hospital to evaluate its AI-powered mobile x-ray system.
The Optima XR240amx mobile x-ray unit features a Thoracic Care Suite which is powered by AI algorithms from Lunit INSIGHT CXR, which flags if a patient has a collapsed lung or other abnormalities. Specialists are then notified for immediate reading, putting patients on a rapid path to treatment.
GE Healthcare selected UH to evaluate the mobile x-ray system in November 2019, and completed the evaluation phase the following month. The hospital is now using the technology in daily clinical practice, identifying 7 to 15 collapsed lungs per day.
“UH evaluated the equipment in the clinical setting, reporting back (to us) before the company made the system available commercially,” said Katelyn Nye, general manager of global mobile radiology and artificial intelligence at GE Healthcare. “Today there are a multitude of AI algorithms being developed, but very few solutions seamlessly integrate into actual clinical workflow.”
GE Healthcare picked UH as the first national pilot site because of an extensive research relationship, its advanced radiology and IT teams, and its center of excellence for cardiothoracic care, according to Nye.
“Employing this equipment means better care for our patients,” said Dr. Amit Gupta, modality director, diagnostic radiography and principal investigator on the project. “It’s now not just the humans working for them — now the machines are assisting in the patient’s welfare. This improves workflow as well as patient care.”
When they were piloting the technology, UH and GE did not anticipate the increased importance the AI-enhanced chest x-ray would take on in the pandemic context several months later. Complications of Covid-19 include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress, further pressuring radiologists to quickly read imaging exams. The AI-powered analysis allows taxed clinicians to more quickly diagnose and treat Covid-19 patients with respiratory complications.
Kieran Murphy, president & CEO of GE Healthcare, added, “The pandemic has proven that data, analytics, AI, and connectivity will only become more central to delivering care.”
Headquartered in Chicago, GE Healthcare is one of the leading manufacturers of medical diagnostics equipment and technology. Its management consulting arm GE Healthcare Partners supports healthcare organizations in North America, and was named the #1 Best Consulting Firm for Innovation in Vault’s 2020 rankings.
The company earlier this year launched Mural Virtual Care Solution, which allows hospitals to remotely monitor numerous ventilated patients simultaneously, and enables the identification of patients at risk of deterioration.