The next IHE profile for AI integration

A task force from IHE Europe is working intensively on profiles to integrate AI results into the radiological findings workflow. VISUS is actively involved in this process. The most recent piece of the puzzle is the so-called AIRAI profile.

The profile landscape for integrating AI systems into radiology workflows continues to take shape. The most recent piece of the puzzle is the so-called AIRAI profile. The abbreviation stands for “AI Result Assessment for Imaging” and defines the interoperable recording and transfer of the results of a verification process for AI findings. "We are all set and ready to go. The profile will be available for implementation shortly," reports Dr. Marc Kämmerer, Head of Innovation Management at VISUS. He initiated the relevant task force at IHE Europe – the AI Interest Group for Imaging (AIGI). At this year's Plugathon AI Track organized by IHE Europe, which will be held in Vienna from June 24 to 25 in parallel with the IHE Connectathon, the group intends to discuss the results of the trial implementation. 

In focus: What happens with the AI findings?

The AIRAI profile becomes relevant at the point in the radiology workflow when the physician verifies the findings of an AI. The standardization provided with the aid of the profile will make it possible to document process results across systems - in other words, whether a result has been accepted, rejected, or supplemented. At first glance, this may sound like a mere technicality in data technology, but it has multiple applications in practice, as Marc Kämmerer explains. “This way, we ensure that, for example, referring physicians only receive access to verified examination data and can rely on the accuracy of the results.” Furthermore, the EU AI-Act (see Chapter IX, Section 1), requires that the quality of AI solution results be monitored. In this context, a deterioration in the ratio of correct to incorrect results could be indicative of a software problem.

With support from the USA

Marc Kämmerer is particularly pleased with the broad consensus on which the AIRAI profile is based. “It's great to see that all stakeholders have recognized that we need to think globally when it comes to profiles.” In addition to various globally active manufacturers, more than a dozen members of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) were also involved in developing the AIRAI profile. AIRAI complements the IHE integration profile family with an important and central element for AI-supported diagnosis, alongside AI Workflow for Imaging (AIW-I), AI Results (AIR+), Integrated Reporting Applications (IRA), Interactive Multimedia Report (IMR), and the Imaging Diagnostic Report (IDR).