80% Fewer Words Dictated Using Rad AI Omni Impressions: A Case Study With Colorado Imaging Associates P.C.

Partner Profile & The Challenge

A leading private radiology practice, Colorado Imaging Associates (CIA) boasts a team of 48 top-tier radiologists dedicated to providing superior patient care through state-of-the-art imaging and interpretation.

Despite their expertise, CIA radiologists faced common industry challenges: time-intensive reporting processes, increasing scan volumes, and the risk of burnout. With the need to enhance efficiency and maintain quality, CIA sought a solution that could streamline their workflow without compromising the accuracy and detail in their reports.

“We are part of a consortium of 12 private practices, an MSO called Unified Radiology, and we heard very positive word of mouth feedback on the value of Rad AI from our sister practices.”
-Kevin Woolley, MD, FACR, CIA Radiologist

The Solution

Colorado Imaging Associates has always sought to stay at the forefront of industry advancements. True to these roots, they turned to technology to help them grapple with the challenges of increasing exam volumes. The partnership with Rad AI came about as they sought to improve their service quality and efficiency.

“We were impressed by the demonstrations Rad AI provided and the management team's adaptiveness in working with us, as well as the cost efficiency of using Rad AI.”
-Sachin Talusani, MD, CIA President

Colorado Imaging Associates harnessed the power of Omni Impressions by Rad AI to revolutionize their report generation process. Omni Impressions uses generative AI to automate the creation of accurate and comprehensive impressions in radiology reports. CIA had been seeking technological solutions to manage high exam volumes and reduce radiologist stress. Rad AI's partnership with CIA began in July 2023, and the implementation of Omni Impressions began a new chapter in CIA's operational excellence.

Impact Analysis

By analyzing data from 21 radiologists for their pre and post-implementation periods, Rad AI was able to quantify the significant impact of Omni Impressions. The results were striking: an 80% reduction in the number of words dictated per impression and a 30% reduction in the time spent on impressions overall.

80% Fewer Words Dictated Per Impression

One of the most significant benefits CIA experienced with Omni Impressions was a drastic reduction in the number of words radiologists needed to dictate. On average, the number of dictated words per impression decreased by 80%. 

This reduction has numerous benefits. Dr. Woolley, a CIA radiologist, emphasized that not having to talk as much was the most important advantage for him personally. Dictating fewer words leads to reduced vocal strain and fatigue over the course of a shift. It also contributes to lower stress and burnout.

“Much of the mental stress from the work that I do is related to vocalizing something that you have in your head, and the only way to get it into a report form is to say it, which slows the radiologist down and requires more mental energy. Personally, I feel that Rad AI takes care of about 99% of that work.”
-Kevin Woolley, MD, FACR, CIA Radiologist

30% Less Time Spent on Impressions

In addition to fewer dictated words, Omni Impressions led to a 30% reduction in the overall time CIA's radiologists spent on impressions. Before Omni, radiologists spent an average of 30 seconds per impression. After Omni, this decreased to just 21 seconds.

Omni achieves these time savings by using AI to automatically generate impressions based on the radiologist's dictated findings. This eliminates several manual steps that can be time-consuming, such as reviewing findings or other notes, rechecking images, and dictating impressions, saving precious seconds on each report. Omni completes the automated impression in just 1 to 3 seconds. These efficiency gains can have a major impact on revenue and the ability to handle rising scan volumes. 

“Rad AI removes the added mental and physical work of saying what I normally say, doing it extremely accurately, and allowing me to do 5-10% more work with the same mental energy.”
-Kevin Woolley, MD, FACR, CIA Radiologist

Additional Benefits: Improved Accuracy and Reduced Burnout

Beyond efficiency gains, CIA discovered additional benefits to using Omni Impressions, including improved report accuracy and reduced burnout.

"An unexpected aspect of using Rad AI Omni Impressions was the improvement in the quality of our reports. We found that misstatements in the findings were duplicated in the impression, and that afforded us an opportunity to go back and correct those discrepancies."
-Sachin Talusani, MD, CIA President

Moreover, the efficiency gains and reduction in repetitive dictation contribute to lower stress and burnout among radiologists. Dr. Woolley noted the cognitive breaks between reports, enabled by Omni Impressions, are very apparent and helpful over the course of a shift.

“With that 5-10% increase in productivity, I feel palpably less tired and burned out at the end of a workday doing 5-10% more. I haven’t experienced anything in my career since voice recognition with a similar impact. It really makes my days much better and makes me ready to do more work, leaving me less tired when I start work the next day.”
-Kevin Woolley, MD, FACR, CIA Radiologist

Summary and Key Takeaways

Colorado Imaging Associates' experience with Rad AI's Omni Impressions demonstrates the significant impact generative AI can have in radiology. With an 80% reduction in dictated words per impression and a 30% reduction in time spent on impressions, CIA's radiologists are working more efficiently while maintaining high report accuracy.

• 80% reduction in impression words dictated per report (from 67 to 15 words per impression)
• 30% reduction in overall time spent on impressions (from 30 to 21 seconds per report on average)
• 40% reduction in MRI impression times (from 50 to 29 seconds on average)
• 30% reduction in CT impression times (from 52 to 37 seconds on average)
• 20% reduction in Ultrasound and CR impression times

"Despite initial skepticism about using AI to generate impressions for our reports, CIA found it to be a mature, effective solution to our need for increased efficiency. We also found the Rad AI team to be very responsive to our particular group's needs.”
-Sachin Talusani, MD, CIA President