IDx-DR, the First FDA-Approved AI System, is Growing Rapidly

Screening for diabetic retinopathy has become easier to access. both for patients with diabetes, primary care providers, and specialists.  The use of artificial intelligence and image analysis using machine learning represents a major improvement for public health. It is already in use in many places.

Moderate Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

IDx-DR, a hybrid hardware/software artificial intelligence device is capable of diagnosing diabetic retinopathy without human intervention. The system is the first FDA-approved autonomous artificial intelligence (AI), using its software to analyze images from a retinal camera for evidence of lesions. These lesions are a sign of retinal damage that is associated with diabetes and are what physicians look for in diagnosing eye disease in diabetic patients. Recently, we took the time to check in with IDx CEO and Founder Michael Abramoff, MD, Ph.D., about how this innovative technology has fared in the past year.

IDX-DR was only in place at the University of Iowa Health Care when we spoke with Dr. Abramoff last summer, however, he notes that the technology is now implemented in over 20 locations in the country. Some of the institutions utilizing this AI technology include:

Blessing Health (Quincy Il.)
Johns Creek Primary Care. (Suwanee, GA)
Johns Hopkins
LCMC (New Orleans, LA)
University of Iowa Health Care (Iowa City, IA)

“The company has done well in developing an algorithm that can detect the possibility of early disease,” said Tim Beth, DO, Family Medicine, Blessing Health Center, in a press release. “We would be missing patients if we did not use it.”

“After I see the patient, if they qualify for it or if they don’t have an eye doctor, we do the exam and get immediate results,” he continued. “If there is any evidence of retinopathy, we refer them to an eye doctor. If there is no evidence of retinopathy, we’ll do it again next year.”

One of the unanswered questions about IDx-DR technology is whether it is improving patient outcomes. Dr. Abramoff noted that there are a number of existing studies that show early detection of diabetic retinopathy can improve patient outcomes, but it has not yet been proven in IDx-DR. To address this, IDx is conducting several studies with early partners to determine whether patients who receive a positive result from IDx-DR are actually getting to the eye care provider and receiving proper treatment. Additionally, the company recently launched at a chain of retail health clinics called CarePortMD, which has a unique care coordination model that ensures patients with positive IDX-DR exam results are transmitted to the patient’s primary care doctor and same-day or next-day appointments are made with an eye care specialist. IDx plans to expand this care coordination model to other settings to ensure patients are getting the follow-up care they need.



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