May 21 2020
Behold.ai, the UK Artificial Intelligence radiology company, today announced its partnership with Apollo Radiology International, part of the Apollo Hospitals Group and a leading provider of interpretative and other clinical radiological services, on a pilot programme using Behold.ai’s ‘instant triage’ AI-based chest X-ray technology to quickly triage suspected COVID-19 patients. This ‘instant triage’ will boost India’s efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by potentially speeding up diagnosis and ensuring proper allocation of resources.
Behold.ai will supply its red dot® algorithm via Apollo Radiology International to Apollo Hospitals’ network of 71 hospitals in India, comprising 12,000 beds. The algorithm will also be deployed in some local government-run hospitals in India as part of the pilot programme making it the world’s largest deployment of a radiology-based AI diagnostic solution for COVID-19. The service is expected to go live when the lockdown measures are eased by the government of India.
The red dot® algorithm is able to diagnose chext X-rays as ‘normal’ or abnormal in 30 seconds. This ‘instant triage’ offers clear benefits over conventional human-read processes when time is of the essence. Behold.ai was recently issued with what is believed to be the world’s first CE Mark Class IIa certification for diagnosis in the UK and Europe for its red dot® algorithm. The technology has also been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration and commercial rollout in the US is planned for later this year.
“Working with a leading hospital provider like Apollo Hospitals is an important milestone for a UK company in the global AI marketplace. We continue to work to make our AI-based technology available in countries around the world,” said behold.ai’s Chairman and Chief Executive Simon Rasalingham. “Our technology has been proven to rapidly diagnose chest X-rays as ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’ accurately, potentially allowing for faster diagnosis of individuals with COVID-19 and the better management of resources in healthcare systems already stretched by the increase in hospital admissions. If successful, this infinitely scaleable pilot programme could make a significant difference to hospitals across India and the rest of the world struggling to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Apollo Hospitals has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in India. Our comprehensive and integrated COVID-19 response plan called Project Kavach has brought together all the resources of Apollo Hospitals against this pandemic. The use of AI has been a critical part of this plan and our AI-powered BOT helped individuals to assess their risk of contracting coronavirus. We look forward to working with Behold.ai to further enhance and accelerate our radiology reporting for COVID-19 patients. This will help us evaluate patients with speed and accuracy,” said Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group.
“Radiology reporting for COVID-19 has to be easily accessible, quick and accurate so that immediate decisions can be made on the next steps. To achieve these goals, Apollo Radiology International is setting up a dedicated centralised COVID-19 reporting service. Behold.ai’s chest X-ray algorithm will be an important component of this service. The instant triage provided by this algorithm will be a key factor that will allow our radiologists to provide immediate reports for these patients,” said Dr Sreenivasa Raju Kalidindi, CEO, Apollo Radiology International.