New AI-enabled platform could be 'game changer' for opportunistic screening in women
Covera Health just launched its new artificial intelligence-enabled platform designed specifically to detect early signs of several diagnoses exclusive to women.
The New York-based health company, which specializes in quality insights targeted at improving radiology practice, announced the rollout of its Protect Her platform on Tuesday. The platform was designed to enhance the early detection of health conditions known to affect women in their 40s and older, including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis without the need for additional imaging exams.
Protect Her can be integrated into existing workflows and applied to routine mammograms, CT scans and chest X-rays that patients routinely undergo in screening settings. Experts are hopeful that the AI-enabled platform will help identify early signs of disease, enabling women to take proactive steps to prevent progression.
"Early detection is the single most powerful tool we have to improve health outcomes, particularly for women, who are frequently underdiagnosed in these areas," Ron Vianu, CEO of Covera Health, said in a news release. "Protect Her empowers providers with AI-powered insights that can detect serious and life-threatening conditions early, allowing women to get the right care before it's too late. This is a game-changer for women's health."
On mammograms, the platform identifies subtle patterns that may be indicative of early cancer development, in addition to flagging exams that contain breast arterial calcifications (BACs). BACs are rarely notated in reports of screening exams, though numerous studies have linked the finding to cardiovascular disease.
The platform also makes use of routine chest CT scans, highlighting the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC), which is known to be a precursor to heart disease. Protect Her makes use of those same CT scans, in addition to chest radiographs, to identify signs of osteoporosis in the vertebral column.
"AI has the ability to transform how we practice medicine, especially when it comes to our ability to detect early signs of disease," Phoebe E. Freer, MD, professor of radiology, breast cancer screening leader with the American College of Radiology, said in the same release. "By using advanced technology to analyze a patient's image beyond the primary concern, we can detect high-impact conditions more readily, giving patients and their physicians critical insights that may help them act before a crisis occurs."
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.