How to Use AI to Diagnose COVID-19 (for Free)

When it comes to diagnosing and treating the novel coronavirus, sooner is better.

Healthcare providers need to diagnose COVID-19 accurately and quickly to improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of viral exposure. Unfortunately, PCR nasal swab testing can take days to get a result, leaving individuals and communities potentially vulnerable to the virus. PCR nasal swabs also produce a high rate of false negatives.

In contrast, chest computed tomography (CT) has a high sensitivity, making it preferable in accurately identifying and diagnosing suspected COVID-19 patients.

Diagnose COVID-19 with speed and accuracy

The new NovaradAI COVID-19 module combines the accuracy of chest CT with the analytical power of artificial intelligence (AI) to identify patients with COVID-19.

This feature works in seconds, reducing exposure risk for clinicians, staff, and other patients. Providers can then act quickly to treat and isolate infected patients.

This module is supported by Azure, Microsoft’s powerful cloud computing service. No protected health information is stored in Azure, so the COVID-19 AI Diagnostic Assistant is fully HIPAA and HITECH compliant.

How does the process work? 

First, you'll need to download the NovaradAI edge client software to your hospital computer or virtual environment. Once that's installed, you can begin uploading studies. 
  1. Manually or automatically upload a study from any DICOM-compliant PACS or CT scanner to the module.
  2. NovaradAI COVID-19 module runs five consecutive models on each study to ensure accuracy and reduce false negatives.
  3. The module creates a highly secure optical QR code that is associated with the patient report and returned to a designated printer.
  4. Scan the printed QR code to present the report in a secure browser for printing or downloading as a PDF.

The module’s accurate, comprehensive report includes:

  • Indication of ground-glass particulate involvement, consistent with COVID-19
  • Extent of lung involvement
  • AI’s specificity and selectivity

Our Diagnostic Assistant is now free to use around the world. You can download the NovaradAI COVID-19 AI Diagnostic Assistant at www.novarad.net/covidai. (We're excited about the "free" part.)