114: Radiology Partners’ approach to clinical AI applications: w/ Nina Kottler, MD, MS, FSIIM | Radiology Partners

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In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nina Kottler, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Clinical AI at Radiology Partners, to dive into the evolving role of AI in radiology and how it can shape the future of digital pathology. Dr. Kottler shares her unique journey, expertise, and practical frameworks for implementing AI that enhance patient care and streamline diagnostic workflows.

Episode Highlights and Key Moments:

• [00:00:45] Introduction to Dr. Nina Kottler
  Dr. Kottler discusses her background in applied mathematics, her journey into medicine, and her work at Radiology Partners, where she combines clinical practice with AI innovation.
• [00:04:30] Breaking Down Complex Problems in AI
  Nina explains her approach to tackling large clinical challenges by breaking them down into manageable parts, a method that’s essential for developing and optimizing AI solutions.
• [00:08:15] The Role of Data Orchestration
  We dig into “data orchestration” and how ensuring data is aligned with the right AI model is key to producing accurate and reliable clinical outcomes.
• [00:11:45] Life Cycle of an Exam in Radiology
  Nina takes us through each step in the radiology workflow—from the initial patient consultation to reporting—and highlights how AI can streamline and enhance each phase.
• [00:17:00] Evolution of AI Models in Healthcare
  We explore how AI has evolved, from early CAD systems to today’s multimodal and transformer models, and the exciting possibilities they bring to both radiology and pathology.
• [00:23:20] Addressing the Lag in AI Adoption in Healthcare
  We discuss the challenge of keeping up with AI advancements while balancing patient safety, regulatory standards, and the need for reliability in clinical settings.
• [00:27:50] Frameworks for Reducing Variability and Improving Accuracy
  Nina shares actionable frameworks that Radiology Partners uses to reduce variability and improve diagnostic precision—strategies that pathology can learn from.
• [00:32:40] AI in Workflow Optimization: Where It Has Real Impact
  We discuss specific use cases in clinical workflows that show where AI can bring the greatest value, especially in enhancing patient care through optimized processes.
• [00:36:50] The Power of Multimodal AI and Vision-Language Models
  Combining large language models with computer vision is moving diagnostics closer to comprehensive, AI-driven care—a promising development we explore in depth.
• [00:42:15] The Future of Agents in AI
  We dive into the concept of “agents” in AI and how these systems may soon coordinate multiple models for more complex and precise clinical analyses.
• [00:48:10] Where to Learn More about Dr. Nina Kottler’s Work
  Nina shares where you can catch her upcoming talks and presentations, plus resources for staying updated on the latest in AI for radiology and digital pathology.

If you're a pathologist, radiologist, or healthcare professional curious about AI’s impact on diagnostics, this episode is packed with practical guidance on integrating AI into clinical workflows. Join us as we explore how AI is shaping the future of radiology and pathology!

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