Fujifilm SonoSite to Develop AI-Powered Ultrasound Solutions

(Seattle, WA, USA) has entered into a strategic relationship with Partners HealthCare (Boston, MA, USA) to apply artificial intelligence (AI) for improving the utility and functionality of portable ultrasound. The two organizations will collaborate for enhancing ultrasound technology with AI in order to enable clinicians to perform scans at the point-of-care (POC), further expanding the accessibility of this technology for clinicians and their patients. The collaboration will be executed through the MGH & BWH Center for Clinical Data Science and leverage the extensive data assets, computational infrastructure and clinical expertise of the Partners HealthCare system.

FUJIFILM SonoSite is an innovator and leader in bedside and POC ultrasound, and an industry leader in ultra high-frequency micro-ultrasound technology. Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system includes community and specialty hospitals, a managed care organization, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. The MGH & BWH Center for Clinical Data Science is a joint center formed by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital to transform healthcare by translating the latest advances in AI into improved health outcomes and greater operational efficiency.

Both FUJIFILM SonoSite and Partners HealthCare agree that high fidelity, affordable medical imaging could have an impact on a global scale, particularly in the developing world, where access to care is a fundamental challenge. As an important diagnostic tool in the fields of obstetrics and emergency medicine, increased accessibility to, and utilization of, point-of-care ultrasound holds substantial promise. Through the collaboration, the collective clinical and technical expertise of the organizations will be harnessed to advance the field of POC ultrasound. The first project under the collaboration will target some of the more complex emergency medicine procedures using AI enabled portable ultrasound.

“If we build scanners that can be used by non-expert users both inside and outside the hospital, we can likely reduce the time delay between trauma and diagnosis, which will translate to more rapid interventions and improved outcomes,” said Andrew Liteplo, MD, MGH Department of Emergency Medicine.

“Allowing for even greater integration of ultrasound into our healthcare delivery system requires smarter machines,” said Keith Dreyer, DO, PhD, FACR, FSIIM, Chief Data Science Officer, Partners HealthCare. “In emergency settings, the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of portable ultrasound makes it a critical companion to other imaging modalities.”

“This collaboration is really focused on embedding AI in portable ultrasound with the goal of automating the segmentation of organ boundaries, measurement of anatomic features and calculation of physiological parameters—the type of automation that will allow us to increase the accessibility of this critical technology while still delivering high diagnostic value,” said Diku Mandavia, MD, FACEP, FRCPC, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of FUJIFILM SonoSite.

“FUJIFILM SonoSite introduced ultrasound systems designed for use at the point of care to the healthcare system over 20 years ago. We have always listened carefully to our customers to ensure their needs are being met and I am proud that we will be able to offer them AI enhanced technology to expand their utilization of ultrasound, increasing the quality of care they can provide while saving our healthcare system money,” said Rich Fabian, President and Chief Operating Officer of FUJIFILM SonoSite.