5 top stories that mattered for medtech in 2018

Artificial intelligence on the rise

[Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash]

In but another sign of the strides artificial intelligence is making into medtech, FDA in 2018 approved the first medical device to use artificial intelligence for detection of diabetic retinopathy in adults who have diabetes.

IDx’s software algorithm analyzes retinal camera images of the eye, telling doctors who upload the images whether it detects more than mild diabetic retinopathy.

The software enables diabetes patients to receive screenings in their primary care doctor’s office. If the software detects more than a mild diabetic retinopathy, a patient can then go to an eye doctor for further evaluation.

IDx is a great example of how AI might enhance and complement provider and patient interaction. Another example came out of Google, which worked with worked with others from UC San Francisco, Stanford Medicine, and The University of Chicago Medicine to use AI to predict when critically ill patients would die.

“AI is really game-changing,” said Ed Marx, Cleveland Clinic’s CIO, said during the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit in October 2018. Mark thinks AI will help physicians to prioritize cases and avoid burnout.

Not all the news about AI and medtech was positive last year. IBM, for example, found itself responding to negative stories about Watson Health offerings and whether they were providing benefits to patients.

Still, the buzz around artificial intelligence is not going away.