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Apple Studio Display XDR Now FDA-Cleared for Diagnostic Radiology Use
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boswald
macrumors 68040
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I've worked in healthcare well over a decade and I've never seen macOS on anything except laptops running charting software.
I do see android, occasionally. Our bladder scanners are run on Samsung tablets, but you can't tell unless you look on the back behind the brackets.
What’s the technical reason why these medical scans require special monitor calibration? It’s hard to imagine these scans can’t be displayed on a standard modern monitor. The skeptic in me feels like this is the tail wagging the dog… apple adopting specs that really should’ve been adjusted to account for modern, typical monitors.
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It's grey and white shades and brightness calibration. They have to be exact, and they have to stay stable over time, for a radiologist to determine what they are looking at.
It requires at least yearly calibration and recertification.
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All devices that are marketed for medical purposes (i.e. marketed as medical devices) have to be cleared by the FDA.
Note the issue isn't just that the calibration is "good" but a) that the device totality (e.g. an end-to-end imaging system) is suitable for diagnostic/medical purposes and b) that the solution maintains its performance from unit-to-unit and over time.
Then while the Apple monitor is of sufficient quality to be used for medical purposes, that doesn't mean all monitors calibrated for photograph/broadcast/etc work are suitable for medical purposes.
And it's not just a matter of DCI-P3 color gamut or HDR or whatever -- most radiology is done in grayscale -- it has to be shown as reliable for medical purposes as a solution. Not because non-cleared products are never good enough but because in general society has determined that we don't want companies marketing products for medical purposes unless they meet minimum standards. In the case of monitors this avoids someone missing someone's cancer diagnosis (or whatever) because someone thought some batch of Dell or ViewSonic monitors they saw on sale should be good enough.
ikramerica
macrumors 68030
Veinticinco
macrumors 68020
Mac Fly (film)
macrumors 68040
Blackstick
macrumors 68000
Wouldn’t even be the radiologist. It’d be a tech. These days you’re lucky if the radiologist is even in the hospital. Half the time they’re sending it to India to be read. Most states allow that.
Yep, they will get it read for 1/10th the price but still charge as if it was full price.
Most pacs systems are either windows based. Some are web based now, but I'd still put that on the lower end.
I don't know where you live, but the best physicians here are becoming concierge and are very much practicing independently. Apple is aware there are quite a few practitioners who will use this in their home office.
concierge physicians is more for primary care specialties like internal medicine, family medicine, etc.
Radiology does not fit into that model. Majority of the imaging centers are owned by hospitals or private equity companies now. Smaller number are independently owned. ~20 years of yearly cuts, inflation and bonuses to billing from hospitals have made running an imaging center very difficult financially. Expensive start up costs from building, equipment, staff, accreditation, etc. Few do it. Most radiologists/radiologist groups sold their centers because of declining reimbursements 10-15 years ago.
How much is Apple going to charge per month so you're not interrupted by commercials? ;D
Good to know about this. Not surprised to see Apple devices in the medical field.
My work monitor varies visibly in color temperature across the screen space. Even if calibrated, you would not be able to count on what you see. It’s not difficult (I hope) to imagine how that would be problematic for a critical use case like that. A physician looking at an MRI can’t have in the back of is mind that a shade he is looking at might be due to the screen. They’re not looking at Excel sheets.
Also, what you call “standard monitors” are widely being calibrated by users for much more mundane tasks, such as editing a photo for an Instagram ad… FDA approval ensures the quality of the calibrated result, so that what is seen in one clinic is the same as in another clinic. This stuff is important.
According to my AI of choice, a typical monitor for this use is in the 10.000USD range. This development is significant, for those who need it.
If it’s a seperate mode, the display doesn’t necessarily require MacOS (disclaimer: I don’t know if it does, but it could).
While many radiologists in the US do work remotely, the overwhelming majority are within the country.