A Solution Born from a Personal Struggle
- 27/11/2024 01:00 AM
- Mark
Radiologists are experts in analyzing medical images, but their work often involves hours of repetitive tasks. Shiva Suri saw this firsthand during the pandemic when he shared a home office with his mom, a respected radiologist. He noticed she spent only 5% of her time analyzing scans, while the rest was wasted on tedious administrative work.
Determined to help, Suri, who was an engineer at Confluent, created New Lantern, a startup that uses AI to simplify radiology workflows. The goal is to free radiologists from boring tasks so they can focus on what they do best: providing accurate medical diagnoses.
How New Lantern Works
Suri started by identifying the main challenges radiologists face. They rely heavily on two tools:
- PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System): Stores and displays medical images like X-rays and MRIs.
- Reporting Software: Helps radiologists turn their findings into detailed diagnoses.
Switching between these systems was slow and inefficient. New Lantern combines them into a single platform, streamlining workflows and saving time.
The platform uses AI to handle tasks like taking 3D measurements and writing reports. This means radiologists spend less time on software and more time analyzing scans.
AI as a Helping Hand, Not a Replacement
For years, people feared AI might replace radiologists, but that hasn’t happened. In fact, there’s still a shortage of radiologists. New Lantern takes a different approach, using AI to assist rather than replace professionals.
As Benchmark investor Eric Vishria put it: “Instead of using AI to analyze images, New Lantern uses AI to handle the boring parts of the job, letting doctors focus on what they love—reading scans.”
This vision helped New Lantern secure $19 million in funding led by Benchmark.
Doubling Efficiency and Improving Care
New Lantern claims its platform can double radiologists’ productivity, allowing them to complete twice as many cases in the same amount of time. This could reduce the workload on radiology departments and speed up diagnoses, benefiting both doctors and patients.
The company is also modernizing how data is stored by using cloud technology instead of outdated, on-premises systems. This shift makes workflows more adaptable and cost-efficient.
Competing in a Crowded Market
While New Lantern is bringing fresh ideas to radiology, it faces tough competition:
- Rad AI, backed by Khosla Ventures, focuses on AI-first radiology tools.
- Established companies like GE Healthcare, Philips, and Nuance dominate the current market.
Despite these challenges, Suri believes New Lantern is making the biggest leap forward in radiology technology since the move from physical film to digital systems 25 years ago.
Early Success and Future Goals
Although Suri hasn’t revealed specific clients, he confirmed that several radiology practices are already using New Lantern. Feedback has been positive, and the company is planning to expand as it continues improving its technology.
Beyond increasing efficiency, New Lantern aims to make radiologists’ jobs more satisfying by reducing their administrative burden. This could improve patient care while giving doctors more time to focus on life-saving work.
Inspired by His Mother’s Experience
For Suri, New Lantern is deeply personal. Watching his mom struggle with inefficient systems inspired him to create a solution.
“I built this for her,” he said. “If it makes her life easier, I know we’re on the right track.”
A New Era for Radiology
New Lantern is changing the role of AI in radiology. Instead of replacing radiologists, it helps them do their jobs better by automating repetitive tasks. With strong investor support and a vision for modernizing the industry, the startup is positioned to make a significant impact.
As New Lantern continues to grow, it’s not just about saving time—it’s about empowering radiologists to focus on what really matters: saving lives.
