Looking Back and Moving Forward

I am often asked why I am not sitting on a beach drinking pina coladas after a long career in radiology and the sale of DR Systems, Health Beacons, and other healthcare companies I founded. Simply put, that’s just not in my DNA.  Some people relax, then work. I work to relax. As the kid of penniless immigrants, I continue to live by the adage, “Don’t forget to send the elevator back down.” To me, medical imaging remains miraculous; making it better, more accessible, and more efficient and continues to be a life passion.

In 1992, what we brought to healthcare with DR Systems- eliminating film in favor of PCs and networks- was called revolutionary. Now we are at the precipice of a new revolution, the synthesis of medical imaging, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. My colleagues and I at Synthesis Health envisioned the demand for a comprehensive, affordable, pay-as-you-go solution aimed at improving the success of overstressed imaging healthcare professionals. We went to work over three years ago building the most comprehensive clinical workflow, reporting, diagnostic viewing, and storage solution that I’ve ever seen.  What we didn’t fully anticipate was the enormous response we would receive from the radiology groups, hospitals, and imaging centers we showed it to.

Decades ago I concluded that viewing images while editing reports was like watching a basketball game on TV while doing homework (now I say, it’s like texting while driving).  From studying cognitive science and experiencing life as a practicing radiologist I felt that constant task-switching and head-turning was both exhausting and error-prone. Now AI and the workforce shortage is finally driving the industry to unify the reading and reporting experience.

So, has Synthesis Health become the Holy Grail of PACS? I’m not vain enough to think so. What we have done is develop a platform that delivers a wide array of essential functions while enabling continuous incorporation of our own and third-party AI software.

The market needs innovation if it is to grow and address the needs of radiologists. I don’t think anyone fully foresaw the decline in the number of radiologists available to perform diagnostic interpretations, the emergent need for improved workflow productivity, and the displacement of on-premises solutions with cloud-based solutions.  These realities need to be addressed for medical imaging to continue to grow.

The positive impacts we make today will help keep medical imaging at the forefront of technological advancement. As a privately held company, we are fortunate to be able to focus on investing in the needs of the market and not just ourselves.  We welcome the creative input of our users, including the more than 150 radiologists that have already invested in Synthesis Health. The objective is so much more than just applying technology to address a problem. We aim to pay it forward so there is a great tomorrow for those riding the elevator up.