The investment aims to expand patient access to faster, AI-enhanced MRI scans across the nonprofit health network.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, a nonprofit healthcare network, has made a $30-plus million investment in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology and service from GE HealthCare.
The investment is intended to expand patient access to advanced imaging that can help enhance image quality while reducing scan times and patient discomfort.
“This is a major win for our patients and our community,” says St. Luke’s radiology chairman Robert Fournier, MD, in a release. “Medical specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology, and oncology rely on imaging for diagnosis and treatment planning. At St. Luke’s, we are committed to providing the best imaging technology because we understand its vital role in modern medicine.”
Standardizing imaging technology across the network can provide several advantages, including improved operational efficiency. These new MRI systems can help enhance the patient experience by reducing claustrophobia with wider scanners and are also equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), which can improve both the quality and speed of MRI scans.
Scan times may be reduced by up to 83% with GE HealthCare’s Sonic DL AI application, according to a release from GE HealthCare, potentially capturing an image of the heart in as little as a single heartbeat, while helping to optimize image quality.
“In addition to the tremendous advantages this GE HealthCare technology offers our health system,” says Fournier in a release, “it presents an invaluable educational opportunity for our physicians in residency and fellowship training programs. They’ll gain hands-on experience with the latest AI-driven imaging technology, placing them at the forefront of next-generation medicine and allowing them to witness firsthand how innovation improves patient care and outcomes.”
Additionally, St. Luke’s will be one of the first network health systems in the United States to implement Intelligent Radiation Therapy for MR, a software solution that can help to improve and accelerate the radiation oncology care pathway. This software is designed to enable more precise radiation therapy planning, potentially reducing the treatment timeline compared to conventional CT for certain types of cancers.
“We are pleased to build upon our more than 30-year relationship with St. Luke’s to upgrade their MR fleet, including adding artificial intelligence technology,” says Catherine Estrampes, president and CEO of US and Canada at GE HealthCare, in a release. “We are proud to work with St. Luke’s to enable greater precision, efficiency, and access to advanced technology for their patients.”
This latest MRI investment follows previous commitments to GE HealthCare’s imaging solutions, including a $30 million investment in CT technology in 2023 and an $11 million investment in ultrasound technology in 2020.
Photo caption: MRI at Easton campus
Photo credit: GE HealthCare
