Press Release
12/04/2023
Unilabs Partners with AI Provider SmartSoft Healthcare to Enhance Lumbar Spine MRI Reading and Reporting in Spain
Geneva, 11 April 2023: Unilabs, a leading provider of diagnostic services, has entered into a partnership with SmartSoft Healthcare to deploy its AI solution, CoLumbo, to enhance lumbar spine MRI reading and reporting in Spain.
"We are excited to collaborate with SmartSoft’s CoLumbo to bring this innovative solution to our patients in Spain. CoLumbo acts like an extra set of digital eyes for radiologists, helping them detect significant pathologies in lumbar spine MRI exams. We believe CoLumbo will improve the quality and efficiency of our lumbar spine MRI exams, ultimately benefiting our patients and radiologists," said Unilabs President - Scientific Business Units and Chief Medical Officer Dr Christian Rebhan. "We are very excited to be the first country piloting this solution. Our technical team has seamlessly integrated the tool into the radiologists’ workflow, ensuring it can be used comfortably and efficiently," added Unilabs Spain General Manager Rainiero Holgado.
In the first implementation phase, Unilabs Spain will leverage this state-of-the-art solution to analyse 17,000 exams yearly, enabling radiologists to report more accurately and efficiently. In a second phase, an additional 25,000 yearly exams will be processed using CoLumbo, further bolstering Unilabs Spain’s diagnostic capabilities.
Media contact:
Sandra Lastra, Communications, Unilabs
Notes to editors:
CoLumbo reduces the reading and reporting time for radiologists by up to 25%, increasing the number of patients examined while improving the accuracy of the diagnosis. Clinical trials have concluded CoLumbo can reduce errors of omission up to 15%.
CoLumbo has received the European Commission Seal of Excellence, and the project has obtained CE mark and complies with FDA Quality System Regulations and has FDA 510(K) clearance, making it cleared for clinical use in both Europe and the USA. There is also a USPTO Patent Pending US 63/239,985.
Unilabs plans to monitor the impact of CoLumbo over the next year to ensure that it meets the highest standards of patient care and medical imaging technology. The company will also explore the possibility of deploying the solution in other countries.
Unilabs is one of Europe’s leading medical diagnostics companies, offering a complete range of laboratory, pathology, genetics, and imaging services to patients across four continents. A leading digital champion covering the full medical diagnostic spectrum, Unilabs’ 13,000+ people improve lives every day.
SmartSoft Healthcare has been applying machine learning to data capture and computer vision since its foundation.
The company’s strategy is to develop computer algorithms and solutions that will boost efficiency and provide reliable results in an easier and faster way. The company targets the eHealth market as one of the faster-growing markets.
The team working on CoLumbo is international with vast experience in software and project development, finance, technology, and medicine. Consultants to the project are radiologists, neurosurgeons and MSK specialists from the EU and the USA. The team has numerous publications in medical and technical journals.
