Do you dream of pushing the boundaries of medical imaging?

Vista.ai is a small, rapidly growing startup developing cutting-edge MRI technology. We’re looking for a passionate and talented MRI Software Engineer focused on pulse sequence and RF development to join our team and play a vital role in shaping the future of this exciting field.

In This Role, You Will:

You’re A Perfect Fit If You Have:

Bonus Points For:

Benefits:

If you are a talented and experienced MRI software engineer who is passionate about making a difference in medical imaging, we encourage you to apply!

Ready to take your career to the next level? Apply today at  apply@vista.ai

PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vista AI today announced the appointment of Daniel Hawkins as President and CEO. The company is pioneering AI-driven MRI image acquisition enabling any MRI technician to consistently produce high quality scans for complex indications quickly, efficiently and affordably. Daniel joins Vista AI at a pivotal time following FDA clearance and confirmatory early commercialization of the company’s initial product focused on Cardiac MRI (CMR). Over time, the company plans to launch brain, spine and other indications to round out a suite of AI-driven MRI capability.

A serial entrepreneur and leader with more than 30 years of MedTech experience, Daniel has held marketing, business development and managerial roles in established and early-stage companies including Guidant (Abbott vascular), Intuitive Surgical where he drove initial market creation for the DaVinci surgical robot, and Shockwave Medical where he invented the core technology and served as CEO. A prolific inventor, he is named on over 160 medical device and digital health patents and applications.

“We invested in Vista AI early on as it has the potential to transform healthcare access and costs,” said Bruce Armstrong, Partner at Khosla Ventures. “We are thrilled to have Daniel at the helm of this company. His demonstrated experience in developing new markets, establishing product-market fit and driving foundational go-to-market strategies and results make him the ideal leader.”

“I am excited to join the outstanding team responsible for Vista AI’s transformational AI-based MRI technology. This is an important time for the company and I’m looking forward to leading our efforts to bring this much needed technology to market,” said Daniel.

He continued, “Over 40 million MRI scans are performed each year in the U.S. alone and wait times to receive a scan are often very long and scan quality can be quite variable. Most often, this is due to systemic shortages in MRI technicians with particularly acute needs for those trained to conduct complex scans in specialties like cardiac, brain and spine. Vista AI software is designed to eliminate those issues, enabling completion of high-quality complex and specialty scans by virtually any MRI technician, faster, better and more consistently than ever before. The team at Vista AI is looking forward to bringing this powerful capability to providers and patients worldwide.”

About Vista AI

Vista AI is the developer of Vista AI Scan, intelligent software that automates and simplifies MRI exams so any technologist can perform scans quickly, accurately, and affordably. The company’s first FDA-cleared product targets Cardiac MRI (CMR), with future releases focusing on brain, prostate, spine and other anatomical areas to complete a full suite of AI-driven MRI capabilities.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Vista AI, a pioneer in AI-assisted MRI solutions, today announced it has named Steve Cashman to its Board of Directors. The announcement comes at a time where the company is seeing significant adoption of its products.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steve to our Board of Directors,” said Juan Santos, Vista AI’s  Chief Architect and Co-Founder. “Steve is a seasoned executive in the healthcare AI automation space. His deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in this market will be invaluable in helping us grow our sales and innovate our products.”

Steve Cashman is an entrepreneur with deep experience in healthcare and has a track record of delivering exceptional results. He is passionate about technology’s ability to transform the patient’s experience and access to healthcare. He brings simple values and a commonsense approach to building winning teams, creating a client-first culture, and driving innovation that transforms the market.

Most recently he led development and commercialization of the industry’s first AI-powered ultrasound platform as President & CEO of Caption Health, acquired by GE Healthcare.

Prior to leading Caption Health, Steve was CCO at InTouch Health (acquired by Teladoc), where he oversaw domestic and global growth, as well as product, marketing, customer service, and clinical services. He is actively engaged in the business startup community, is an angel investor, and is on the Board of Stowe Mission.

“Vista AI’s recent successes in partnering with the world’s most renowned cardiology centers is truly impressive,” said Steve. “By automating and speeding up these complex cardiac MRI exams, while delivering consistent and accurate images, Vista AI is bringing this lifesaving diagnostic technology to all. I am committed to working with Vista AI to make their vision a reality and help ensure that everyone has access to this technology.”

About Vista AI

Vista AI is the developer of Vista AI Scan, intelligent software that automates and simplifies MRI exams so any technologist can perform scans quickly, accurately, and affordably. The company’s first FDA-cleared product targets Cardiac MRIs (CMRs), with future releases focusing on brain, prostate, spine and other anatomical areas to complete a full suite of AI-driven MRI capabilities.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Vista AI, a pioneer in AI-assisted MRI solutions, and HekaBio K.K., a Japan-based healthcare investment, development and commercialization platform, have signed a strategic partnership agreement whereby HekaBio will market Vista AI’s innovative automation software in Japan.

Vista AI’s Automated Workflow Optimization for Cardiac MRI

Cardiac MRI (CMR) is the gold standard for cardiac diagnosis, and according to the Oct 2021 guidelines from the American Heart Association (1), a Tier 1 imaging modality for the evaluation of stable angina. Currently, Japan boasts world’s highest MRI equipment per capita capable of performing cardiac MRI examinations. (2) However, complex CMR examinations, which are highly tailored to each individual patient, often require specialized technologists and substantial time investment. This has resulted in a relatively low adoption rate of this highly informative, non-invasive procedure.

The Vista AI Solution

The FDA-cleared Vista AI Scan software elevates the standard of care for cardiac imaging, making MRI scanning simple, time-efficient, highly consistent, and more comfortable for patients.

Vista AI Scan takes direct control of the existing MRI machine and performs a scan with only one mouse click. Using AI to automate localization, dynamic stress imaging, LV function and myocardial delayed enhancement, this solution intelligently adapts to each patient’s unique requirements ensuring high quality diagnostic imaging while significantly reducing the user interactions and time required for the procedure. As a result, hospitals and medical facilities utilizing Vista AI Scan can now offer CMR examinations with greater efficiency, creating a simpler, streamlined workflow and improving image consistency to allow the MR technologist to complete the cardiac scan in a regular mixed-use MR time slot.

Partnership and Plans for Launch in Japan

Under the agreement with Vista AI, HekaBio has made an investment in the company and has committed to secure product registration through the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). HekaBio will seek a distribution partnership for follow-on commercialization to maximize the market opportunity for Vista AI Scan.

Vista AI Chief Architect and Co-Founder Juan Santos commented, “We are excited to partner with HekaBio to bring our groundbreaking cardiac MRI technology to Japan. With the highest number of MRI machines per capita in the world, Japan has an enormous potential to increase the access to cardiac MRI exams. HekaBio’s deep understanding of the Japanese market makes them the ideal partner for us to achieve our goal of making cardiac MRI more accessible for patients in Japan.”

HekaBio CEO Robert E. Claar commented, “We’re thrilled to partner with Vista AI to introduce Vista AI Scan to Japan. With CMR having low current penetration of cardiac examinations, this innovation opens a large opportunity. One Click™ MRI holds immense potential to enhance diagnosis and patient outcomes, aligning perfectly with our Cardiology focus. This collaboration reflects Japan’s drive for AI-powered solutions, championing efficiency and healthcare advancement.”

(1) Writing Committee Members, & ACC/AHA Joint Committee Members (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. Journal of cardiac failure, 28(5), e1–e167.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.02.010
(2) OECD Data 2022Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units https://data.oecd.org/healtheqt/magnetic-resonance-imaging-mri-units.htm

About Vista AI

Vista AI is a pioneer in AI-powered MRI solutions dedicated to advancing imaging technology to meet the evolving demands of modern healthcare. Its intelligent software automates and simplifies complex imaging workflows, enabling faster, more consistent, high-quality scans while ensuring greater access to the most advanced diagnostic care. With a mission to make MRI more accessible and accurate for everyone, Vista AI is setting new standards in quality and efficiency, empowering healthcare systems to improve care for more patients. For more information, visit vista.ai.

About HekaBio K.K.

HekaBio is a Japan-based healthcare investment, development and commercialization platform advancing a synergistic portfolio of breakthrough diagnostic and therapeutic solutions in Cardiology, Neurology, Oncology and Ophthalmology.

HekaBio offers global healthcare technology innovators value-enhancing access to Japan, the world’s third largest market and strategic gateway to the rest of Asia.

Future Hub presentation to be accompanied by updated results from Vista AI cardiac MRI study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

NEW ORLEANS — March 3, 2023 — Vista AI, a pioneer and leader in automated MRI solutions, today announced that Dr. Michael Salerno, Chief, Cardiovascular Imaging at Stanford Health Care, will conduct a live remote cardiac MRI (CMR) scan using the company’s Vista AI Scan software at the American College of Cardiology’s 72nd Annual Scientific Session Together With World Heart Federation’s World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.23/WCC). Dr. Salerno will scan a patient at Stanford Health in Palo Alto, Calif., virtually from the ACC.23/WCC Future Hub stage in New Orleans at 11 a.m. CST on March 5, 2023.

Dr. Salerno will be joined by Dr. Raymond Kwong, Director, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who will present updated results from an ongoing clinical adaptation study that shows Vista AI Scan significantly reduces CMR scan times and improves image consistency.

CMRs are considered the gold-standard cardiac diagnostici; however today, specially-trained CMR technologists need to perform an exam, and in the U.S., there is only one such technologist for every 20 MRI machinesii. Vista AI Scan’s benefits include simple, streamlined workflows and improved image consistency, so any MRI technologist can complete a cardiac scan in a regular mixed-use MRI time slot.

The supply-demand imbalance for CMRs has only worsened since the onset of COVID-19, which has driven a rise in heart attacks and led to a 14% increase in heart attack deaths.iii Among the hardest hit are adults, age 25-44, who had a 29.9% relative rise in heart attack deaths over the first two years of the pandemic.iv Furthermore, Penn State College of Medicine conducted a study, which found that people who contracted COVID-19 were 15 times more likely to develop myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.v With patient wait times for CMR lengthening across the U.S., the need for faster scanner throughput is dire.

“The recent surge in cardiac conditions attributed to COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented demand for CMR, including in younger patients. The scarcity of qualified technologists and the increased demand is limiting access to CMR. To do more with less, we need to turn to AI and automation,” Dr. Salerno said. “With Vista AI Scan, CMRs are much more efficient and streamlined, which greatly improves our ability to scan patients who need them. This is especially critical as we continue to study the full impact that COVID has on the heart.”

In addition to simplifying clinical workflows and shortening scan times, Vista AI Scan allows technologists, wherever they are available, to conduct a patient scan at a remote hospital, so long as the facility has an MRI scanner. This serves to expand the geographic reach of CMR and ensures that patients in isolated, rural areas of the country, where the shortage of MRI technicians is even more pronounced, can still receive an exam.

“CMRs should not be limited to people who live in close proximity to the largest and best resourced hospitals,” said Itamar Kandel, Vista.ai’s CEO. “Until now, smaller regional and community hospitals have struggled to get a CMR program off the ground due to scheduling challenges on mixed-use scanners, lack of trained staff, and quality inconsistencies. CMR’s differentiators are well-established, and it’s Vista.ai’s mission to ensure access to anyone who can benefit.”

While Vista AI Scan is initially focused on automating and simplifying a CMR exam, Vista AI recently announced it plans to expand beyond the heart to other anatomies and clinical areas.

About Vista AI

Vista AI is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer clinicians an easy, cost-effective and less stressful way to conduct MRI studies. The company’s FDA 510(k) cleared Vista AI Scan software-only solution automates and dramatically simplifies a CMR exam, enabling a hospital to obtain greater scanner throughput or get a CMR program off the ground cost-effectively. Vista AI is funded by Khosla Ventures, J-Ventures and the National Institute of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program.


i Writing Committee Members, & ACC/AHA Joint Committee Members (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. Journal of cardiac failure, 28(5), e1–e167.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.02.010.

ii Goldfarb JW, Weber J. Trends in Cardiovascular MRI and CT in the U.S. Medicare Population from 2012 to 2017. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2021 Feb 25;3(1):e200112. doi: 10.1148/ryct.2021200112.

iii Yeo YH, Wang M, He X, et al. Excess risk for acute myocardial infarction mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Med Virol. 2023;95(1):e28187. doi:10.1002/jmv.28187.

iv Yeo YH, Wang M, He X, et al. Excess risk for acute myocardial infarction mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Med Virol. 2023;95(1):e28187. doi:10.1002/jmv.28187.

v Voleti N, Reddy SP, Ssentongo P. Myocarditis in SARS-CoV-2 infection vs. COVID-19 vaccination: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022;9:951314. Published 2022 Aug 29. doi:10.3389/fcvm.2022.951314.

Real-world cardiac MRI data gathered at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to be discussed at 26th Annual SCMR Scientific Sessions 

SAN DIEGO — Jan. 26, 2023 — Vista AI, a pioneer and leader in automated MRI solutions, today announced results from a clinical adaptation study on the company’s Vista AI Scan software, led by Dr. Raymond Kwong, Director, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The findings show that Vista AI’s automation software for image acquisition improves cardiac MRI (CMR) scan times and achieves high adoption rates by hospital imaging staff. Dr. Kwong will discuss the learnings and implications of the study at an interactive breakfast symposium at 7:20 a.m. PST on Jan. 27, 2023, at the SCMR Scientific Sessions in San Diego. 

Dr. Kwong evaluated the use of Vista AI Scan across approximately 1,100 consecutive studies for cardiomyopathy and structural heart disease, comparing traditional CMR exams against both partial and full AI-assisted scans from April to September 2022. 

With respect to CMR exam time, Dr. Kwong’s study found that: 

Failed adoption of other promising technologies in the medical field has spotlighted the critical importance of gaining support of frontline workers. Notably, Dr. Kwong’s study found that voluntary use of Vista AI Scan steadily grew as technologists witnessed the software’s ease of use and benefits firsthand. Technologist adoption increased from 13% during the first full month Vista AI Scan was available (May) to 55% at the end of the study (September). 

“An influx of patients with COVID-19-induced cardiac issues further strained the operation of our CMR program at Brigham. Before initiating the Vista AI Scan study, some outpatients were waiting up to three to four weeks for a CMR scan. Even our sickest inpatients would often have to wait two to five days for a scan,” Dr. Kwong said. “We believe that with continued use of Vista AI Scan, we will further reduce scan times to an average of 30 minutes, shrink the backlog to improve upon pre-pandemic levels, and sustain a CMR growth rate of about 15% a year.” 

Read the full case study.

“A standard CMR is complex and unpredictably long, causing unnecessary stress and burnout for clinicians and discomfort for patients,” said Juan Santos, Vista AI’s Chief Architect and Co-Founder. “We applaud Dr. Kwong’s rigorous clinical evaluation of Vista AI Scan across more than 1,000 patients over a six-month timeframe, and we are thrilled with his conclusions that the software yields positive impacts on clinician workflow, MRI scanner throughput, patient convenience and time to diagnosis. These findings serve as a foundation of evidence to fuel our efforts to make CMR available to all patients who can benefit.” 

Vista AI Scan is initially focused on automating and simplifying a CMR exam, which is increasingly considered the gold-standard cardiac diagnostici, yet is notoriously difficult and time-consuming to complete. Today, specially-trained CMR technologists need to perform the exam, and in the U.S., there is only one such technologist for every 20 MRI machinesii. Vista AI recently announced planned expansion beyond the heart to other anatomies and clinical areas. 

About Vista AI

Vista AI is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer clinicians an easy, cost-effective and less stressful way to conduct MRI studies. The company’s FDA 510(k) cleared Vista AI Scan software-only solution automates and dramatically simplifies a CMR exam, enabling a hospital to obtain greater scanner throughput or get a CMR program off the ground cost-effectively. Vista AI is funded by Khosla Ventures, J-Ventures and the National Institute of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program.  

i Writing Committee Members, & ACC/AHA Joint Committee Members (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. Journal of cardiac failure, 28(5), e1–e167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.02.010 

ii Goldfarb JW, Weber J. Trends in Cardiovascular MRI and CT in the U.S. Medicare Population from 2012 to 2017. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2021 Feb 25;3(1):e200112. doi: 10.1148/ryct.2021200112.  

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is increasingly considered the gold standard in cardiac diagnostics[i], offering unparalleled clinical insights, including heart function, muscle scarring, blood flow patterns, tissue characterization, and angiography. In October 2021, American Heart Association (AHA) added its overwhelming support when it updated its clinical guidelines to include CMR as a Class 1 Recommendation or stable angina.

Despite its clear advantages, clinician use of and patient access to CMR is often limited due to multiple factors, including:

Dr. Raymond Kwong, Director, Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a prestigious teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, has observed this supply-demand imbalance firsthand within Boston and its outlying communities. Out of concern for patient quality of care and health outcomes, Dr. Kwong undertook a real-world, clinical adaptation study to examine how artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted CMR – specifically using Vista.ai’s One Click MRI™ software – might overcome traditional CMR shortcomings to mitigate patient backlogs and extended wait times.

Background on Brigham’s CMR Program

Dr. Kwong has directed the CMR program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital since 2001. Since the inception of this program, patient scan volume has increased steadily, more than doubling in the last 10 years alone. The onset of COVID-19 has served as key catalyst for growth since early 2020. In the first six months of that year, the pandemic initially decreased outpatient hospital visits. Rescheduling of deferred medical appointments, coupled with a rise in COVID-related myocarditis and pericarditis, resulted in a surge of CMRs, almost doubling the weekly clinical volume compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Provider sites within the Brigham network funnel inpatients and outpatients to the main campus for scans on one of four MRI machines equipped and staffed to perform CMR exams. The Brigham Health and Brigham and Women’s/Mass General Health Care Centers in Foxborough, in particular, have a large patient population requiring CMR for urgent cardiac planning.

Figure 1

A team of nine specially trained technologists and six to eight rotating fellows at various stages of training staff the Brigham CMR program. The team offers CMR service 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to cover both scheduled appointments and inpatient emergencies.

 

 Brigham’s Pre-AI Challenges

 

Brigham and Women’s stature as a Top 10 cardiac care hospital in the U.S., prestigious teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and prime location within Boston’s medical and biotech hub, in many respects affords it unparalleled access to resources and highly skilled talent. Yet as the hospital seeks to further expand its services, it is hampered by numerous barriers to an efficient and patient-friendly CMR program.

On its regular status quo schedule, Brigham’s CMR team conducts 7 to 15 studies a day. Scans average approximately 60 minutes in length, with a high degree of variability due to a multitude of patient-specific attributes and pre-scan unknowns. During an exam, a specially trained MRI technologist needs to make hundreds of intricate manipulations to program the scanner and customize the exam. This creates a high-stress environment in the MRI control room and discomfort for the patient (related to length of the procedure, frequency of breath holds, and potential for claustrophobia). Due to the sheer number of manual selections involved, resulting image quality is highly inconsistent across technologists.

The four scanners available for CMR, also used across many other specialties and anatomies, run at greater than 95% capacity with outpatient wait times stretched three to four weeks – versus several days prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the case of cancellations or no-shows, administrative staff are challenged to fill vacated slots due to the disparity in length between CMR and other MRI exams.

 

Clinical Evaluation of Vista.ai’s One Click MRITM

 

Vista.ai’s One Click MRI is an AI-guided software-only platform that, through direct control of Siemens and GE MRI scanners, automates the acquisition of diagnostic-level, highly consistent CMR images. The company has developed and continually optimized One Click MRI over the last decade using data collected from highly experienced CMR technologists across thousands of patient scans and millions of images.

A couple of years ago, Brigham and Women’s Hospital started exploring whether integrating Vista.ai’s software into the CMR workflow could yield the desired efficiencies to alleviate technologist and radiologist burden, improve patient convenience, and accelerate diagnosis and proper treatment.

In May 2022, after Vista.ai completed its Siemens Access-i integration, enabling customers to combine sequences from Vista.ai and Siemen’s respective libraries, Brigham initiated an IRB study to measure various improvements associated with the AI software and to better quantify clinical and patient benefits of the technology.

Study Methodology

 

Dr. Kwong’s practice evaluated One Click MRI over a 6-month period (April to September 2022) across approximately 1,100 consecutive studies for cardiomyopathy and structural heart disease. In total, the team performed 698 studies using its normal process (i.e., without the AI-driven software) and 374 studies using a partial or full-AI assisted workflow.

Results

 

Dr. Kwong’s findings using One Click MRI in his CMR practice span three dimensions: 1) Average and variance of CMR scan time, 2) Image quality, and 3) Technologist adoption of the software.

CMR Scan Time

See Figure 2.

Figure 2

 

The clinical benefits of shorter and more precise scan times are clear. Improved scanner throughput enables patients needing CMR to be scanned sooner. Higher confidence in scan times allows Brigham greater flexibility to schedule and change appointments on its mixed-use MRI scanners.

 

Image Quality

Image quality for AI-assisted scans was significantly better than for unassisted scans. One Click MRI Cine and LGE sequences produced images scoring 4.5 and 4.3, respectively, on a five-point image quality scale compared to 4.1 without the AI software. See Figure 3.

 

Figure 3

 

Producing high quality images is essential for timely accurate diagnosis and can prevent the inefficiencies and inconveniences of rescans and potentially un-reimbursable costs.

 

Technologist Adoption

Prior to testing One Click MRI, Brigham CMR technologists were skeptical the technology could improve CMR workflows and patient care, perhaps influenced by previous experience with other software making similar promises and claims, yet yielding only nominal improvements. As frontline workers running CMR scans, technologist support is critical for adoption.

It was highly encouraging that during the 6-month study period, voluntary use of One Click MRI steadily grew as technologists witnessed the software’s ease of use and benefits firsthand. Adoption increased from 13% during the first full month One Click MRI was available (May) to 55% at the end of the study (September). See Figure 4.

Figure 4

 

 

Conclusions

 

Vista.ai’s One Click MRI offers major advantages to cardiology departments of any size. For hospitals such as Brigham and Women’s with a well-established CMR program and substantial opportunity to grow, One Click has shown to improve workflow efficiency, increase scanner throughput to clear patient backlogs, and enable geographic expansion. For hospitals with nascent or non-existent CMR programs, One Click makes it possible to forego hiring specially trained CMR technologists while performing CMRs in a time window comparable to MRI scans of other anatomies.

One Click does require technologists to adjust to an altered workflow, but most at Brigham were able to ramp up the learning curve within one or two weeks.

Based on the success of its real-world, clinical adaptation study, Brigham is seriously considering incorporating Vista.ai’s One Click MRI software across its organization, including at satellite facilities, with the expectation that they will further reduce scan times to an average of 30 minutes.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital estimates that broader implementation of One Click MRI across its network will decrease patient backlogs by 50% while achieving a sustained annual growth rate of 15% for its CMR program.

[i] Salerno M, Sharif B, Arheden H, et al. Recent Advances in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance: Techniques and Applications. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2017;10(6):e003951. doi:10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.116.003951

Company extending its Vista AI Scan acquisition software to other anatomies to make MRIs faster, easier and accessible to all. 

CHICAGO — Nov. 27, 2022 — Vista AI, a pioneer and leader in automated MRI solutions, today announced that it has changed its name to Vista AI as the company broadens its sights to simplify and enhance MRI exams for anatomies beyond the heart. A major academic medical center has already begun a clinical study to evaluate the software for use with the prostate, and Vista AI plans to launch a similar study for musculoskeletal scans in the near future. The company made the announcement from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 108th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting held Nov. 27-Dec. 1, 2022, in Chicago. 

Vista AI’s FDA-cleared platform, Vista AI Scan, automates MRI scanning makes it easier to acquire high quality MRI images by automating the exam workflow. The company initially targeted cardiac MRI (CMR) as it is increasingly considered the gold-standard cardiac diagnostici, yet the heart is a notoriously difficult and time-consuming anatomy to scan. Today, specially-trained CMR technologists need to perform an exam, and in the U.S., there is only one such technologist for every 20 MRI machinesii. Vista AI Scan’s benefits include simple, streamlined workflows and improved image consistency, so any MRI technologist can complete a cardiac scan in a regular mixed-use MRI time slot. 

Vista AI is demonstrating Vista AI Scan this week at Booth 5143 in the AI Showcase during RSNA exhibit hours. In addition, Raymond Y. Kwong, MD, MPH, FACC, FSCMR Director of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will share case studies and research findings using the software in his clinical cardiac MRI practice. Dr. Kwong will present at noon CST, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, in the RSNA AI Theater (#5149). 

Vista AI developed Vista AI Scan using sophisticated and versatile AI-based algorithms that would be scalable to other types of MRI scans. The company chose the prostate and spine as its next candidates because of known challenges with those exams and the number of people who could benefit. In the U.S., more than 10 million people receive prostate and spine MRI scans annually, 25% of the total MRI volume.iii 

“Given the complexity of manual CMR, and the millions of patients who could benefit from the exam, it was clear that applying our automation technology to the heart would create enormous value in the market. Despite the evidence-backed advantages of MRI for diagnosing a myriad of heart conditions, only 2% of scans today are CMRsiv yet 700,000 people are dying of heart disease each year in the U.S.v,” said Juan Santos, Vista AI’s Chief Architect and Co-Founder. “But we always knew it was just the beginning. Once we had the most complex anatomy tested, validated, adopted and endorsed by several elite medical institutions, we planned to roll out to other anatomies that would share in the benefits we have shown for numerous heart diseases.” 

Each year clinicians in the U.S. conduct almost 40 million examsvi on the approximately 12,000 MRI machines installed in the country.vii But MRI scanners are only beneficial if trained healthcare professionals are available to run the exam, which is an escalating concern. In 2019, the U.S. had 20,000 fewer healthcare professionals than necessary to meet the needs of Americansiii, a situation that only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Radiologist and technologist burnout is at a breaking point, which has only worsened since the pandemic given the exodus of medical professionals, backlog of imaging cases and increasing incidence of COVID-related illnesses, such as myocarditis and pericarditis,” said Dr. Scott Flamm, Section Head of Cardiovascular Imaging at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. “To address the staffing shortages – particularly for challenging, time-consuming procedures like CMR – we are in earnest need of automation technologies like Vista AI Scan to ensure patients anywhere can receive the quickest possible diagnosis and treatment.” 

About Vista AI

Vista AI is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to offer clinicians an easy, cost-effective and less stressful way to conduct MRI studies. The company’s FDA 510(k) cleared Vista AI Scan software-only solution automates and dramatically simplifies a CMR exam, enabling a hospital to obtain greater scanner throughput or get a CMR program off the ground cost-effectively. Vista AI is funded by Khosla Ventures and the National Institute of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program. 

 

i Writing Committee Members, & ACC/AHA Joint Committee Members (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. Journal of cardiac failure, 28(5), e1–e167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.02.010 

ii Goldfarb JW, Weber J. Trends in Cardiovascular MRI and CT in the U.S. Medicare Population from 2012 to 2017. Radiol Cardiothorac Imaging. 2021 Feb 25;3(1):e200112. doi: 10.1148/ryct.2021200112. 

iii Spine MRI Results and Medical Decision Making: Consider All Your Options. Elite Pain & Health. https://epainhealth.com/spine-mri-get-options/. Accessed Oct. 26, 2022. 

iv Kalorama Information. MRI: World Market Analysis. November 2014. 

v Heart Disease. Heart Disease Facts. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm. Accessed Oct. 24, 2022. 

vi Conor Stewart. Number of MRI scans in the U.S. in 2016 and 2017, by facility type. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/820927/mri-scans-number-in-us-by-facility-type/. Accessed Oct. 20, 2022. 

vii Conor Stewart. Number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units in selected countries as of 2019. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/282401/density-of-magnetic-resonance-imaging-units-by-country/. Accessed Oct. 20, 2022. 

viii Association of American Medical Colleges. The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections from 2019 to 2034. June 2021. https://www.aamc.org/media/54681/download?attachment. Accessed Oct. 20, 2022.  

Siemens and Vista AI seek to simplify cardiac MR with AI-based initiative