A London-based firm said it’s developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can help to quickly pinpoint COVID-19 abnormalities in chest x-rays.
Behold.AI said Tuesday that its Red Dot platform takes half a minute to recognize such findings on radiographs. They’re hoping for a “national roll out” of the solution in the U.K. to allow for quicker triage of the disease in slammed emergency rooms.
“We are able to prioritize abnormal chest x-rays with greater than 90% accuracy and a 30-second turnaround. If that were translated into a busy hospital coping with COVID-19, the benefits to healthcare systems are potentially enormous,” Simon Rasalingham, Behold.AI’s chairman and CEO, said in a March 31 statement.
The Food and Drug Administration previously cleared the company’s “instant triage” solution for U.S. use earlier in the month. A number of firms have come to market in recent weeks claiming their AI algorithms can help to quickly root out COVID-19. However, radiologists have urged caution in accepting such promises.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.