Digital Diagnostics — 2024 Catalysts Honoree
DEI in Healthcare AI: From Technology Design to Patient Impact
In many ways, Digital Diagnostics is changing the game in healthcare. Its flagship product, LumineticsCore, is an AI system designed to diagnose diabetes-related eye disease without needing a physician to examine the images. The device is a shining example of the company’s dedication to DEI, shaping the future with ethical AI while making healthcare solutions safe, equitable and accessible.
At the 2024 Catalysts Live event on July 18th, Jill Terrill, senior director of national accounts at Digital Diagnostics, took the stage to explain more.
Digital Diagnostics — a healthcare technology company based in Coralville, Iowa, that designs and implement AI systems that can diagnose disease by analyzing high-quality images — takes its mission seriously:
“To transform the affordability, accessibility and quality of healthcare worldwide through the automation of medical diagnosis and treatment.”
In fact, it’s the basis for all they do.
To achieve this mission, Digital Diagnostics builds on its foundation of bioethical principles, which are at the core of its products and the company itself.
Jill Terrill, senior director of national accounts at Digital Diagnostics, explained these principles:
1. Do no harm
The company’s goal is to create AI diagnostics that aren’t just innovative, but impact the lives of patients in a positive way. This means they’re constantly asking themselves, “Is this technology beneficial for the patient?” and “Will it improve clinical outcomes?”
2. Equity
Digital Diagnostics ensures that they’re designing tools that are free from bias and improve health equity for all. “We believe it’s critically important that the AI works equally well for patients living in inner city Baltimore and those in rural Iowa,” Terrill said.
3. Autonomy
“Healthcare is incredibly personal,” Terrill said. “We believe the patient needs to decide what’s right for them and control their own healthcare journey.”
4. Accountability
Terrill shared that the AI creator needs to be held accountable for the performance of the device. In Digital Diagnostics’ case, the products they build are making clinical decisions instead of a physician. That’s why at their core, the company believes they should be held liable for those decisions.
Combined, these bioethical principles guide Digital Diagnostics’ DEI philosophy, which is lived out by each of its employees every day as they work together to transform the quality, accessibility and equity of diagnostic AI in healthcare.
This means the company is not only committed to fostering DEI in its products, but also in its workforce.
Terrill shared Digital Diagnostics’ tagline is “AI the right way.”
We believe in creating a product that puts people first, which starts with a culture that puts people first. Everyone from our software engineers to the receptionist at the front desk knows the impact their work can have on the patients served.
This impact is evidenced by the fact that Digital Diagnostics’ pioneering product, an AI diagnostic system called LumineticsCore that autonomously diagnosis diabetic retinopathy in people living with diabetes, is the first FDA-cleared platform that diagnoses without physician input.
Because the images taken by the device don’t need to be overread by a human being, the system is beneficial for rural and underserved areas where folks may not have access to an eye care provider. Additionally, the diagnostic results only refer to the patients who need follow-up care, eliminating the need for further appointments for most people. As a result, technology makes care more affordable, too.
This means people who may otherwise have gone blind can get the care they need, regardless of where they live or their financial status. In this way, Digital Diagnostics is providing equitable care for the most people possible.
LumineticsCore is included in the American Academy of Ophthalmology diabetic retinopathy Preferred Practice Pattern and is being used at more than 600 locations in 36 states.
But while the product’s FDA clearance in 2018 was historical, Terrill said it was just the beginning. Digital Diagnostics plans to continue building upon the foundation it’s created with an expanded platform of disease detectors and making an even greater patient impact.
Regardless of what device the company creates next, they’ll certainly continue their belief that ethics and DEI are foundational for success and impactful healthcare AI solutions, and should be considered from the very beginning. Ethics and DEI aren’t a one-time consideration, either — they should be evaluated at all phases of a project, from design to development to implementation and ongoing support.
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