Southcoast Health in Fall River, North Dartmouth, New Bedford, Wareham one of 13 systems in the U.S. to receive AI recognition

Fall River, North Dartmouth, New Bedford, Wareham, MA – Southcoast Health was recently named a Recognized Center for Healthcare-AI (ARCH-AI) by the American College of Radiology® (ACR®).

This is the first national artificial intelligence quality assurance program for radiology facilities. The program is built on best practices, outlines expert consensus-based building blocks of infrastructure, processes, and governance in AI implementation in real-world practice. Southcoast Health is one of only 13 health systems to earn this recognition in the United States.  

Southcoast Health radiologists utilize AI imaging as a second set of eyes, scanning for abnormalities on CT and X-ray images. This technology allows for faster identification of medical conditions and can provide valuable insights to a patient’s health quickly and accurately.

“We first looked to bring AI to Southcoast Health in 2018,” said John Mungovan, MD, Chairman of Radiology Imaging Services. “We were early to adopt this innovation compared to other health systems, and now numerous departments across Southcoast Health utilize AI-based solutions. I am proud of our advancement in this field and am particularly proud of the role the radiology team played in ushering us into this digital era.”

“Since we began using AI in 2022 to enhance our diagnostic process it has been very exciting to witness the progress we have made,” added Debra A. Desmarais, MBA, CRA, RT(R)(M), Executive Director of Radiology Imaging Services. “The main benefit is the decrease in the amount of time it takes our team to evaluate and diagnose a scan, leading to faster results and a better patient experience. I am thankful for our team’s adaptability and commitment to excellence that enabled us to achieve this recognition.”

This designation exemplifies Southcoast Health’s commitment to digital excellence in patient care. By working toward, and attesting to, compliance within the tenets of the program participation in ARCH-AI helps radiology practices provide safe and effective implementation of AI products.

To earn this designation, Southcoast Health verified that the system adheres to the criteria below:

• Establishing an interdisciplinary AI governance group.
• Maintaining an inventory of AI algorithms with detailed documentation.
• Ensuring adherence to security and compliance measures.
• Engaging in diligent review and selection of AI algorithms.
• Documenting use cases and training procedures.
• Monitoring algorithm performance, including safety and effectiveness.
• Participating in the Assess-AI national AI registry for performance benchmarking.

“I want to congratulate the entire Southcoast Health Imaging team for being at the forefront of AI in healthcare and achieving this distinction. The drive to leverage AI to improve efficiency, accuracy, and safety within our radiology workflows at Southcoast Health started many years ago. Thanks to their hard work, they have successfully embraced the benefits of AI and set Southcoast Health as an industry leader and improved the care we provide to our patients,” said Jim Feen, Senior Vice President, Chief Digital & Information Officer.

To learn more about radiology services at Southcoast Health please visit, www.southcoast.org/services/radiology.