The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) in the UK has continued to lead the path towards digital transformation in its Radiology Department when the hospital embarked upon a consolidated imaging platform strategy.

With an Enterprise Imaging strategy, Princess Alexandra was able to establish a core framework for diagnostic image consolidation, multispecialty collaboration and a modular strategy that would help the hospital roll out future innovations when they are introduced, on a secure and modular platform.

When Agfa HealthCare launched the RUBEE for AI framework, Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust’s leadership began assessing their options on the path towards AI, focused on embedding AI in its diagnostic imaging workflows. Hence began the internal work, at the hospital, on the business case for AI.

With the COVID-19 pandemic upon us, and the emphasis on chest screening, it made sense for Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust to consider Agfa’s CT AI Package, that included RUBEE and ClearRead CT Algorithm from Riverain Technologies.

RUBEE™ for AI embeds AI seamlessly in Enterprise Imaging Workflows.

What did the Radiology Department look for when it comes to workflow embedded AI?
• Regulatory Clearance
  If the AI solution was regulatory cleared by FDA, CE and for example Health Canada.
• Decision Transparency
  The radiologists were interested in advanced features such as Vessel Suppress, which would help enhance nodule detection.
• Clinical Validation
  Another aspect that was considered was if the AI solution is validated for all nodule types, for example solid, part-solid and ground glass.
• Priors and Comparisons
  One differentiating feature was the depth of integration of the CT AI Algorithm (ClearRead CT) with RUBEE, and how seamlessly prior exams and comparisons were integrated into the workflow to enable prior processing of exams.
• Incidentals
  With Chest CT’s being done for various clinical manifestations, it was important to the hospital that Agfa’s CT AI package would help embed AI detected incidentals, for both contrast and non-contrast CTs
• Scientific Evidence
  The Radiology Department was very keen on seeking the available evidence that Agfa and Riverain Technologies had published, including peer reviewed articles on performance, efficiency, and accuracy.

​The business case was further aided by Agfa’s favorable licensing and implementation model for the CT AI software, which was based on an unlimited user license model, and was considered better than pay per use model for many reasons.

Another primary reason being that Agfa HealthCare’s deployment model for AI would work on-premise, in real-time in the background, assessing all thoracic CT scans, helping improve incidental findings and automated comparisons.

This helped eliminate the need for cloud hosted AI and related integration requirements, and information governance concerns with sending images offsite to a third party.

Since going live with RUBEE for AI, reporting is up to 30% faster

Since going live with the solution, radiologists are appreciating the value of embedded AI from the following perspective:
• Easy delineation of incidental lung nodules (less laborious)
• Automated detection and characterization
• Vessel Suppress helping pick up early cancerous nodules
• Reporting is quicker – approximately 30% improvement
• RUBEE embedded AI workflow

The collaborative team effort of everyone involved with this project at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Agfa HealthCare and Riverain Technologies, brought together a powerful experience that not only saw a speedy and on time project delivery and GO LIVE, but also helped establish a forum for ongoing discussion and feedback to improve AI enabled workflows, a process that derives strength from clinical experience and further deepens the AI evidence.

To learn how to turn AI into true Augmented Intelligence, visit the Agfa HealthCare website.

Cut through the AI hype to achieve real Augmented Intelligence results – a 30 min Virtual Lecture.

Dr. Anjum Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer Agfa HealthCare

In recent months, Dr. Anjum M. Ahmed (MBBS, MBA, MIS), Agfa HealthCare’s Chief Medical Officer, has shared his insights and expertise on true Augmented Intelligence with leading healthcare providers across the globe, and is supporting them to cut through the AI hype.
With the right approach, and by embedding AI into clinical programs, AI becomes true Augmented Intelligence resulting in higher productivity and improved clinical confidence.

Hear from Anjum directly in this 30-minute Virtual Lecture, accessible at your convenience.
Access here.