If AI is the future, radiology needs to look to the cloud

For a recent commentary in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, radiologist Florence Doo, MD and colleagues examined the role of cloud computing in supporting the specialty's future. 

The authors argued that radiologists, as pioneers in integrating technology into healthcare, grapple with the increasing importance of managing the vast amounts of medical imaging data—which they said constitutes 90% of all healthcare data. 

The advent of AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), poses challenges in computing power and storage for current noncloud systems. Considering the strain on these systems, cloud technologies emerge as potential game-changers, offering technical capabilities along with economic and environmental advantages, noted Doo, with the University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging Center 

Below are the three key takeaways for why the shift to the cloud deserves serious consideration: 

1. Moving to the cloud makes business sense:  Radiology's increasing reliance on data-driven processes makes migrating to cloud-based solutions a logical and strategic move. Cloud adoption signifies a fundamental shift in how radiology departments manage imaging data. Tangible benefits of cloud migration include reduced downtime, enhanced productivity, deferred hardware investments, and economic advantages.

2. The AI revolution needs the cloud: Radiology is on the brink of a technological revolution driven by AI, mainly LLMs, which necessitate robust computing capabilities and extensive storage space. Cloud solutions offer a potential remedy, providing necessary infrastructure while reducing costs associated with hardware ownership, maintenance and upgrades.

3. Reduces the environmental impact of practices: Cloud migration not only offers economic benefits but also champions environmental responsibility by concentrating hardware, optimizing energy consumption and reducing the environmental footprint of radiological operations.

Conclusion

The authors analogized the move to cloud as being similar to radiology’s transition from film to digital imaging, despite acknowledging there are challenges in not only the shift to, but the maintenance of, an all-cloud image management infrastructure. 

The path to cloud integration presents challenges that radiology informatics leaders must address, including architectural choices, pricing, data security, uptime service agreements, user training/support and broader interoperability. The authors ultimately believe that overcoming these challenges is essential for the future of radiology, given the increasing importance of data-driven tools in the field.

The full piece can be read here.

Chad Van Alstin Health Imaging Health Exec

Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.

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