Vetology’s AI Technology is Eligible for Pet Insurance Coverage

Vetology’s AI Technology is Eligible for Pet Insurance Coverage

by | Aug 29, 2020 | News

Vetology's Leading AI Technology for Veterinary Radiograph Interpretations is Eligible for Pet Insurance Coverage

SAN DIEGO, CA – Aug 29, 2020 –  PRNewswire-PRWeb – The use of AI technology for diagnosing covered conditions in veterinary medicine is now eligible for coverage by Embrace Pet Insurance.

The field of veterinary artificial intelligence (AI) technology is growing rapidly, and pet insurance companies are taking notice and expanding coverage. One of those insurance companies — Embrace Pet Insurance — will cover the use of AI technology for diagnosing covered conditions in animals.

“This a vital step in acceptance by insurance companies in both animal and human medicine alike,” said Eric Goldman, President of Vetology AI, a leading provider of AI teleradiology technology for the veterinary industry. “It is only a matter of time to see how the Vetology AI continues to evolve and improve pet care.”

For the last several years, AI has been a hot topic in medicine and technology as it helped streamline efficiency and gain accuracy. AI is concerned with the development of smart machines or programs that are capable of performing tasks that require human intelligence. To stay current with advancing technologies and trends in veterinary medicine, many pet insurance companies, like Embrace, are learning more about what AI teleradiology can do for diagnostics. Embrace covers the technology as part of the diagnosis of covered conditions, but pet owners should refer to their pet insurance provider’s terms and conditions to confirm that this diagnostic reporting is covered under their accident and illness policies.

Vetology is the first to use AI as well as machine learning for reading radiographs. The technology allows veterinary practices the ability to receive clinical findings and recommendations in a matter of minutes, rather than spending hours or days while radiographs are sent out to third parties for report generation.

For improving veterinary teleradiology’s long-term availability and affordability for all practices, Vetology’s AI targets four main areas. These include technology, service, expertise to add clinical value to services provided, and stability for a portion of the teleradiology markets in terms of turnaround time and price.

Vetology and its parent company, the Veterinary Imaging Center of San Diego, is a worldwide teleradiology service provider that was established in 2010. Even with the inclusion of new technology, and AI, Vetology is an expert in traditional teleradiology. It is the second half of the AI radiologist model that Vetology offers.

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To learn more, contact Vetology for a demo.

ABOUT VETOLOGY

Vetology AI is the creator and leader of zero touch, hybrid Artificial Intelligence / Human intelligence veterinary teleradiology service called SmartAI™. SmartAI™ is the combination of Artificial Intelligence backed by experienced, board certified veterinary radiologists. Vetology AI combines years of board certified veterinary teleradiology experience with the increased interpretation speed, accuracy and productivity AI brings to veterinary radiology. Vetology AI offers a highly cost effective AI radiograph solution that typically delivers reports back to the veterinarian in five minutes or less. The company utilizes an automatic, zero touch proprietary submission and report process that does not alter a veterinary hospital’s current radiology workflow. To learn more, contact Vetology AI for a demo or call (888) 416-2124.

 

ABOUT EMBRACE PET INSURANCE

Embrace Pet Insurance, a part of NSM Insurance Group, is a top-rated pet health insurance provider for dogs and cats in the United States. Embrace offers one simple yet comprehensive accident and illness insurance plan. In addition to insurance, Embrace offers Wellness Rewards, a non-insurance, optional preventative care product that is unique to the industry. Wellness Rewards reimburses for routine veterinary visits, grooming, vaccinations, training, and much more, with no itemized limitations. Embrace is a proud member of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) and continues to innovate and improve the pet insurance experience for pet parents across the country. For more information about Embrace Pet Insurance, visit EmbracePetInsurance.com or call (800) 660-3817.

Artificial Intelligence in Veterinary Medicine

Artificial Intelligence in Veterinary Medicine

by | Jun 27, 2020 | AI Software

Can machine learning live up to expectations?

The American Medical Veterinary Association (AVMA) interviewed Dr. Seth Wallack, Founder of Vetology and Eric Goldman, President of Vetology.

We discussed with the AVMA the challenges of not having enough radiologists to meet the demand. This is not just a problem for our teleradiology practice, but a global problem that impacts general practice managers, specialty and emergency hospitals. Turn-around times for obtaining a radiology over-read by a boarded radiologist can take upwards of 8 hours to 5 days. A 2018 study predicted that, by the end of 2022, 66 percent of the North American veterinary teleradiology caseload will not be met.

Vetology recognized the power of AI technology to automatically read images and interpret results. In 2017, Vetology developed software to use visual object resolution to help diagnose diseases. The techniques were first used internally to support our own radiologists to be more efficient and meet demand. In 2018, the capabilities were expanded and we were the first to market to offer an augmented interpretation of radiographs using artificial intelligence and machine learning. This allowed for a complete radiograph interpretation in 5 minutes or less and on par to that of a human veterinary radiologist.

The AVMA identified that artificial intelligence has the ability to speed up radiology interpretations and provides a substantial benefit to both patient health and the DVM. Faster, more reliable results mean faster diagnoses, better treatment, and healthier pets.

Read the full article on the AVMA website

Artificial intelligence & veterinary medicine

Can machine learning live up to expectations?

How Intelligent Is Artificial Intelligence?

How Intelligent Is Artificial Intelligence?

by | May 24, 2020 | AI Software, reviews2

AI For Human And Veterinary Radiology

Radiology Artificial Intelligence, commonly referred to as AI, is in full development, and the FDA is actively testing AI in human radiology. In veterinary radiology we’re not far behind and are quickly catching up. Veterinary medicine AI product development’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. That is, oversight, or more specifically, the lack of oversight by a governing body.

In human radiology, AI products require FDA oversight and approval prior to coming to market (see the American Association of Veterinary Radiologists GMLP write-up here to learn more. Some veterinary products do fall under FDA oversight, BUT veterinary radiology AI isn’t one of them. This means a veterinary radiology AI company can develop quickly, but also has no formal obligation to demonstrate that its product actually works.

If a company doesn’t provide clinical test results, it is up to you, the veterinarian, to determine the worthiness of the product. A true ‘caveat emptor.’

Assessment Is Critical

So how should a veterinarian assess a veterinary radiology AI product? The same way the entire medical community evaluates any diagnostic test for a condition, by measuring clinical performance.

The two standard measures of clinical performance are SENSITIVITY and SPECIFICITY.

To better understand how these measures can assist us to asses clinical performance, we will briefly revisit a couple of formulas from that old favorite – statistics class.

Sensitivity And Specificity

SENSITIVITY is the probability that a test will identify a patient who HAS a condition (true positive). It is calculated by the following formula:

formula: sensitivity = true positives/(true positives + false negatives)
formula: specificity = true negatives/(true negatives + false positives)

SPECIFICITY is the probability a test will correctly identify a patient who DOES NOT have a condition (true negative). It is calculated by the following formula:

The Confusion Matrix

These two standard measures of clinical performance lead us to the four outcomes possible for each patient:

True Positive  |  False Positive  |  True Negative  |  False Negative

The four outcomes are typically reported in a 2 x 2 table called a confusion matrix, showing the total numbers of true and false positives and negatives. A generic example is shown here next.

A Typical Confusion Matrix

Name of Condition or Disease

Total Number of Cases Measured

% Sensitivity

% Specificity

Radiologist Positive Radiologist Negative
AI Positive # of cases # of cases
AI Negative # of cases # of cases

Vetology’s AI Testing

Vetology’s AI testing evaluates AI results against veterinary radiologist reports as a reference standard. The results and confusion matrix tables are displayed just below on this page.

The Truth Is In The Confusion Matrix

To help you evaluate a product’s performance, always ask an AI vendor for their confusion matrix tables.

Also, be aware that an AI product MUST be 100% autonomous to have a valid result. If a human intervenes during any part of the result creation, it’s not artificial intelligence, it’s human intelligence.

Next we show the confusion matrix for several diseases among 75 random cases:

Cardiomegaly

47 Cases

90% Sensitivity

76% Specificity

Radiologist Positive Radiologist Negative
AI Positive 17 19
AI Negative 3 8

Heart Failure

39 Cases

100% Sensitivity

89% Specificity

Radiologist Positive Radiologist Negative
AI Positive 3 4
AI Negative 0 32

Dynamic Airway Pattern

30 Cases

100% Sensitivity

85% Specificity

Radiologist Positive Radiologist Negative
AI Positive 3 4
AI Negative 0 23

Dynamic Airway Collapse

30 Cases

67% Sensitivity

93% Specificity

Radiologist Positive Radiologist Negative
AI Positive 2 2
AI Negative 1 25

Buyers Beware

As we said earlier in this article, AI brings to the forefront of your purchase decision-making, the phrase ‘caveat emptor,’ or buyer beware. Make sure you review the provider’s confusion matrix tables (if they have them at all), and make sure their AI is fully autonomous, else you’ll just be buying expensive human intelligence.

At Vetology, we assertively and proactively test ourselves and continually train and improve the AI for everyone’s benefit. We are as transparent as possible. We have the data and are willing to publish it.

If you have any questions about our veterinary radiology software or services, we encourage you to contact us..

Vetology’s AI Technology is Eligible for Pet Insurance Coverage

Sedecal Announces Partnership with Vetology 

by | May 23, 2020 | News

Vetology now comes pre-configured on Sedecal x-ray systems

May 23, 2020 (San Diego, CA)  – Sedecal creates high quality x-ray systems that now come pre-configured for teleradiology and AI quick reads. It’s all automated and allows for a streamlined workflow from your x-ray system straight to the Vetology cloud.

Your digital images are quickly analyzed, and evaluations are sent to you in under five minutes. The results? Fewer treatment delays, increased confidence, and improved patient care and client satisfaction.

Learn more about Vetology’s partnership with Sedcal x-ray system.

The most advanced teleradiology solution on the market, plus:
  • Unlimited Cloud Storage
  • The most competitive prices in the marketplace for single region reads
  • Access to Board Certified Radiologists for your more difficult cases

Contact us for a demo! We look forward to learning how we can help.

Learn More
Vetology’s AI Technology is Eligible for Pet Insurance Coverage

Patterson Veterinary Announces Partnership with Vetology

by | Jan 16, 2020 | News

Vetology AI Radiograph Analysis Software automates analysis of radiograph images, delivers reports in minutes

January 16, 2020 (Greeley, CO) – Patterson Veterinary today announced an exclusive partnership with Vetology to offer Vetology AI Radiograph Analysis Software as part of the company’s growing portfolio of software solutions.
Vetology AI provides the latest in Artificial Intelligence radiology to provide increased speed and productivity for veterinarians by allowing them the ability to obtain remote radiograph read reports in approximately three minutes.

“The most valuable asset our customers have to offer is their time,” said Kevin Pohlman, president, Patterson Veterinary. “We realize that waiting on a radiology report can be a frustratingly long process, especially at the end of the workday. We chose to partner with Vetology because their solution is fast, accurate, and cost-effective, allowing our customers to better utilize their time.”

Additionally, Vetology says the decision to partner with Patterson was an easy one, based on the two companies’ shared commitment to their customers.

“Vetology AI understands the importance of working with only the best veterinary companies,” said Dr. Seth Wallack, board certified veterinary radiologist and founder, Vetology.

“Working with Patterson is an easy choice as it’s an internationally recognized best in class company and has an ongoing commitment to advancing the veterinary profession.”

For Patterson, this partnership supports Patterson Veterinary Technology’s key objective of providing the best, most relevant and most innovative technology solutions to veterinarian practices.

“Finding the right partners that bring value to our customers is a top priority for our organization,” adds Pohlman.

“Patterson Veterinary Technology is dedicated to providing the most innovative technology solutions to veterinarian’s practices, and this partnership with Vetology allows us to continue supporting that goal.”

To learn more, contact Vetology for a demo.

ABOUT VETOLOGY

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Diego, California, Vetology® provides innovative and emerging technology solutions for the veterinary community. The company continues to rapidly grow and now serves over 3,000 veterinary hospitals worldwide and offers SAAS products that facilitate the highest quality of patient care and services.

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