Making Sense of the Diagnostic Imaging “Tetris Board”

At the annual RSNA meeting — the Radiological Society of North America’s conference, one of the world’s largest gatherings of medical imaging professionals — I heard the same comment over and over again:

“This feels overwhelming.”

RSNA brings together tens of thousands of physicians, hospital leaders, researchers, and technology companies from around the world to showcase the latest advances in medical imaging. With so many innovations on display, it can feel like staring at a fast-moving Tetris board — pieces dropping from every direction, all claiming to be essential to modern healthcare.

But in many ways, this feeling isn’t new.

Since the earliest days of digital radiology, healthcare technology has evolved alongside real-world needs. As medicine changes, companies naturally expand beyond their original focus. Tools begin to overlap. Systems become layered. And hospitals are left managing a patchwork of technologies built over years of shifting budgets, priorities, and imperfect integration.

No two hospitals look the same — and very few workflows are truly seamless.

What is new is how advanced the technology has become.

Today, we’re entering unprecedented territory:

• Medical imaging accuracy is higher than ever before

• Artificial intelligence is performing extremely well in specific tasks, such as detecting disease or prioritizing urgent cases

• Cloud-based imaging systems, paired with automated reporting, are beginning to reduce administrative burden and ease physician burnout

• New “foundational” AI models are helping companies improve their products faster than ever

Is it overwhelming? Absolutely.

But it’s also an extraordinary opportunity.

Because despite all this progress, every healthcare organization still faces its own unique challenges. And every technology challenge eventually becomes a human one.

Do we truly understand how these tools affect the people who buy them, use them, and depend on them — doctors, nurses, IT teams, and ultimately patients?

Until we do, technology remains just another option on a long evaluation list.

That’s why labels like platform, marketplace, or AI-powered often miss the point. What really matters is explaining how a technology solves a real problem, and why that solution matters to patient care, efficiency, and financial sustainability.

Only then can we understand where a solution truly fits in a hospital’s complex technology landscape:

• What problems it actually solves

• What gaps it fills

• And why it makes a meaningful difference

Instead of saying:

“We are a company that builds advanced medical technology.”

It’s far more helpful to say:

“We reduce turnaround time by X%, improve workflow efficiency by Y%, or help healthcare teams focus more time on patients.”

That’s when technology stops being abstract — and starts to matter.

That’s when the Tetris board finally begins to make sense.

How do you visualize today’s healthcare technology landscape — what does your Tetris board look like?