AI is making a monumental impact on the way radiologists and other imaging specialists deliver care, but some providers still can’t afford to make the necessary investments at this time.
High costs are the biggest reason imaging providers are not yet implementing AI, according to a new survey from Definitive Healthcare. More than 54% of respondents who aren’t currently using AI pointed to the required financial commitment as their biggest hurdle. Meanwhile, 35.3% cited a “lack of strategic direction” and 33.1% said it was a “lack of technical expertise.”
A “lack of necessary IT infrastructure” (31.7%), dealing with regulatory guidelines (25.9%) and getting leadership on board (19.4%) were other common hurdles keeping respondents from implementing AI.
The survey included responses from more than 200 radiologists, managers, PACS administrators and executives. More than 39% of all respondents were radiologists, the most of any job title by a significant margin.
Another key finding from the survey was that a wide majority of users (92.6%) currently utilizing AI are using it for computer-aided image detection. Workflow improvements came in as the No. 2 most common use (26.5%), and the survey’s executive summary pointed out just how closely those two areas are linked.
“With algorithms achieving detection of abnormalities quicker than the human eye, AI has the ability to increase production through more efficient workflow,” according to the summary. “Utilizing AI for preliminary image detection would in theory allow radiologists to conduct their analysis or verification reads at a faster pace by narrowing the areas of focus, and weaning out the need to review images deemed negative. Further research has shown that AI can also reduce the time it takes to conduct imaging itself, allowing for more detailed imaging data to be collected in a shorter window of time.”
Details about Definitive Healthcare’s survey are available on the company’s website.
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.