A University of Minnesota computer algorithm is so accurate at identifying COVID-19 infections, just by examining chest X-rays, that it is being made available to 450 health systems worldwide.
U researchers aren’t sure what the algorithm detects in X-rays that distinguishes patients with COVID-19, but after testing it on thousands of images, they know it works.
“The COVID positive X-rays really sort of isolated themselves from the COVID negative X-rays,” said Dr. Christopher Tignanelli, an assistant professor at the U medical school and a critical care surgeon.
The algorithm was developed into a clinical tool by M Health Fairview, the partnership between the U and Fairview Health Services, and Epic, the Wisconsin-based provider of electronic health records. Doctors with M Health Fairview are being trained on how to use the results to guide patient care, and the tool will soon be offered for free to other hospitals with Epic record-keeping