Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic’s radiology department is one of the health system’s largest consumers of artificial intelligence, according to a May 14 report from The New York Times.
The health system, which operates 16 hospitals, uses more than 250 AI models across its footprint. In radiology, the technology enhances imaging, automates routine tasks, analyzes tissue, identifies medical abnormalities and predicts disease, according to the Times.
In 2016, amid fears that AI would replace radiologists, leaders of the department formed a group to examine how AI could augment the specialty. The department now employs more than 400 radiologists, a 55% increase since 2016. The AI group hosts 40 members, including AI scientists, radiology researchers, software engineers, and data analysts.
One AI tool used at Mayo Clinic measures kidney growth, an early indicator of renal function decline. Kidney volume was traditionally measured manually, a method described as both time-consuming and unreliable. The new AI software is more accurate and saves physicians time, according to the report.
Another AI model in use can predict atrial fibrillation risk from electrocardiogram data. “The math can see what the human eye cannot,” said John Halamka, MD, chief medical officer of Mayo Clinic Platform, according to the Times.
