Google Cloud and German healthcare company Bayer announced Tuesday that they are building an artificial intelligence-powered platform that aims to help radiologists diagnose patients and treat cases faster.
The platform’s genetic AI highlights abnormalities within images for radiologists to examine and can also pull relevant information from a patient’s medical history, Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, told CNBC. If a patient comes in for an annual breast cancer screening, for example, the platform can identify current problems, compare the image with previous exams and summarize that information, he said.
Healthcare companies like Bayer will be able to use the platform to develop radiology-specific apps that perform functions like these more easily, Google said.
A radiologist is a doctor who uses medical imaging such as CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays to diagnose and treat conditions. But like doctors of many specialties in the U.S., radiologists are facing a growing workforce shortage, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. As of early April, there are more than 1,800 vacancies employment ads on the American College of Radiology website, compared to about 220 entries in April 2014.
Many radiologists are also battling burnout as the population ages, and easier access to imaging technologies has led to an increasing number of cases. Google Cloud said its new platform could help alleviate these ongoing workforce challenges.
“This entire process flow is designed to help radiologists get their work done with assistance faster,” Kurian said in an interview. “It makes them more efficient so they can see more images and serve more patients.”
Kurian said the platform doesn’t replace radiologists, as the doctor still retains “sole control” over the recommendation they make. Instead, he wants people to see the platform as a helpful tool, like a microscope. The goal is to easily give radiologists the information they need and save them from spending 15 or 20 minutes searching patient records, Kurian said.
Google Cloud and Bayer aren’t the only companies exploring AI applications for medical imaging. In 2021, the Netherlands-based healthcare company Philips and Amazon Web Services said they are working to use AI for analysis medical imaging data. Similarly, GE Healthcare published a suspension in 2022 on the various AI tools it has developed for radiology.
Keith Kirkpatrick, director of research at The Futurum Group, said there is not yet a clear market leader for artificial intelligence in medical imaging as the technology is still so new.
“It’s really wide open,” Kirkpatrick told CNBC. “We’re still pretty early in the game right now.”
Kirkpatrick, who was briefed on Tuesday’s announcement, said Google Cloud and Bayer’s radiology platform will need to demonstrate high levels of technical accuracy, offer strong privacy and security controls and be easy to use to win in the space. Building trust with radiologists will be key, he added.
“Google should make sure its technology is as non-repudiable as possible,” Kirkpatrick said.
Google Cloud has been working with Bayer on the radiology platform for about five years. The foundation was built using existing Google Cloud solutions like Vertex AI, Healthcare API and BigQuery, and Kurian said the platform’s data is encrypted.
The companies used Bayer’s expertise in radiology to make sure the product is easy for doctors to use. Bayer said its radiology products generated about 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion) in sales last year, according to a statement.
Even so, the platform represents a foray into an entirely new business model for Bayer, according to Guido Mathews, Bayer’s vice president of radiology.
“We’re not offering a new pill — we’re offering a service for which we’ll charge users accordingly,” Mathews told CNBC in an interview. “To help develop models and also help develop models for radiology, that’s a big step forward for us.”
Google Cloud and Bayer are exploring a number of different pricing models for the platform, he said. Other healthcare organizations will begin testing and providing feedback on the platform this year.