RSNA: 2024 Radiological Society of North America Convention
For anyone working with radiological equipment or as a radiologist, the RSNA convention is an essential event. I didn’t know much about it until I entered the business of owning and operating X-ray, MRI, CT, PET, and ultrasound equipment. It became clear quickly, as all my radiologists and senior operators were eager to attend. My first experience at RSNA was costly but rewarding—we returned with around $3 million in orders.
RSNA typically happens after Thanksgiving, as business tends to slow down, especially here in Florida. But what an incredible experience it was for me. Historically, the event has always been held in Chicago, and as a Floridian, the cold Chicago November and December weather isn’t the most inviting. This year, the convention started on Sunday, December 1, with an expected 40,000 attendees and over 700 exhibitors. Early reports are focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
In his President’s Address on December 1, Dr. Curtis P. Langlotz, M.D., Ph.D., addressed the radiologists gathered at McCormick Place, stating, “Forming intelligent connections from machine to machine, human to machine, and human to human will lead us to an exciting future. Building these intelligent connections will yield amazing technological innovations, with reduced stress, a more balanced life, and ample time to nurture the most intelligent connections of all—the ones we build with each other.”
While I’m not a doctor and can’t read medical scans, I have observed many over the years. In our previous blog posts, we’ve discussed how AI is well-suited for healthcare fields such as radiology, pathology, genetics, and dermatology—fields that rely heavily on pattern recognition. But there are concerns. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expressed concerns, as highlighted by FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf, who has called for “guardrails” for AI. I’ll explore his comments in a future blog.
A keynote speaker at RSNA 2024 was Dr. Eric Topol, M.D., a renowned physician, researcher, and author of Deep Medicine (2019), a book that reshaped my understanding of AI. Dr. Topol, a practicing cardiologist at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, spoke on December 2 to a packed room. He shared several insightful thoughts, including that AI will transform healthcare in the coming years. It’s hard to imagine anyone who’s informed about the field disagreeing with that statement.
What struck me most, however, was his claim that “800,000 Americans die or are seriously injured by misdiagnosis.” This figure was new to me, as I’ve previously seen estimates of 100,000 deaths due to misdiagnosis in the U.S. This issue, among others, drove me to work on creating top-tier Electronic Health Records (EHRs) since 1996.
Dr. Topol went on to discuss how AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), can process vast amounts of data and images, improving diagnostic accuracy. He provided examples from other medical specialties already using AI, such as gastroenterology, where AI aids in detecting polyps during endoscopy procedures at a level that the human eye cannot match.
He also highlighted AI’s potential in the United Kingdom, where it’s being used to analyze retinal scans. He predicted that AI would enhance doctors’ accuracy and potentially enable more home care for conditions that typically require hospitalization. While I can’t comment on the feasibility of this idea, I do know that hospitals can be dangerous environments, with exposure to infection and other risks. I’ve experienced this personally.
Dr. Topol also discussed the impact of generative AI, not just for natural language processing (NLP), but for tasks such as creating more accurate audio notes, setting up follow-up appointments, and even ordering prescriptions. Remarkably, he suggested that AI could help physicians become more empathetic and improve their communication skills.
He further explored the idea of using longitudinal data to create “individualized medicine from pre-womb to tomb.” This data, currently locked away in hundreds of EHR systems, could revolutionize personalized care. We believe the FDA is lagging in terms of regulating AI, but we also see its potential to empower consumers with more control over their health information.
Dr. Topol acknowledged the resistance within the medical community to adopting new technologies, citing challenges such as reimbursement issues, regulatory hurdles, and the need for transparency. Most importantly, he emphasized the necessity of gaining the trust of clinicians and the public—whom we often refer to as consumers.
In a future blog, we’ll discuss the FDA’s current stance on AI, but let me preface that by saying they are both excited by the potential of AI and cautious about how to regulate something so rapidly evolving.
We are indeed living in extraordinary times, and we believe AI will transform healthcare, especially in high-impact areas like radiology, pathology, and genetics. However, we see challenges in the practical application of AI in primary care, where the average doctor-patient interaction lasts only 7 to 8 minutes. We strongly advocate for consumers to have access to their own health data, with AI suggesting key discussion points for their visits with healthcare providers.
-Noel J. Guillama, Chairman
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