Innovation management and the future of radiology

At this year’s ECR the first of two Management in Radiology (MIR) sessions addressed the issue of innovation management and future challenges.

Dedicated to management topics, developments in e-health and major trends in...
Dedicated to management topics, developments in e-health and major trends in the discipline, the ESR subcommittee Management in Radiology (MIR) is chaired by Professors Yves Menu and Peter Mildenberger. The subcommittee organises MIR sessions at ECR as well as a scientific meeting on related topics, to be held between 9-11 October in Barcelona, Spain.
Dedicated to management topics, developments in e-health and major trends in...
Dedicated to management topics, developments in e-health and major trends in the discipline, the ESR subcommittee Management in Radiology (MIR) is chaired by Professors Yves Menu and Peter Mildenberger. The subcommittee organises MIR sessions at ECR as well as a scientific meeting on related topics, to be held between 9-11 October in Barcelona, Spain.

According to key speaker Bruce Hillman, Professor of Medical Imaging and Public Health at the University of Virginia, ‘accessed innovation’ has proved a remarkable success story during the past forty years. ‘It has brought radiology up from a specialty hidden in basements … to being one of the premier specialties in all of medicine,’ he said. ‘What we need now is innovation that will carry us into the future, responding to the major paradigmatic changes in medicine.’ This includes innovations geared at enabling ‘P4’, precision medicine – at affordable cost.

Investors are more cautious

Innovations have typically come from independent individuals in academia to be translated into clinically viable technologies by the industry, the expert continued. ‘This cycle has brought us technologies such as ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET. Today, however, there is a highly disadvantageous milieu for this – due to the overall emphasis on cost and further pressures, such as a general bias against medical imaging. ‘These factors are making companies cautious about investments in innovation,’ Prof. Hillman believes. Thus firms will approach innovations rather strategically, with an eye towards the cost and the potential return on investment. Care providers need to be careful about the technologies that may interest them, in terms of when they purchase and what the actual value will be to patients as well as their individual institution. This really holds true for technological innovations in all medical fields including radiology.

‘Today, new technologies tend to be disruptive,’ Prof. Hillman concluded: radiologists may tend to be rather satisfied about how their business is progressing and not worry too much about innovation. ‘But new technologies may well sneak up on you and put you out of business before you know it.’

To ensure they can continue being the provider, radiologists therefore need to ‘put their feet into waters’, while continuing their conventional work, even if emerging technologies may appear to be crude and costly. Information about innovations will increasingly come from social networks and further online sources.

22.05.2013

Related articles

Photo

Article • Population Imaging

Ethical considerations arise from incidental findings

ECR 2015 evoked Shakespeare´s repertoire as delegates were asked to ponder the ethical implications of incidental findings in large population imaging studies in Vienna.

Report:…

Photo

Article • Harmonising Imaging

Could the dream ever come true?

Every European knows how differences can boost cultural diversity and open unexpected perspectives – but, when it comes to having a homogeneous standard of care, they can become an absolute…

Photo

News • Medical technology presentation

United Imaging showcases EU presence, AI-driven solutions at ECR 2024

United Imaging showcased its full portfolio of AI-empowered products at the ECR 2024 in Vienna. The company highlighted its significant EU growth since establishing its regional HQ in 2019.

Related products

Subscribe to Newsletter