Artificial intelligence begins diagnosing patients in Eastern Iowa

Federal cuts limit Iowa's access to health insurance enrollment services CORALVILLE -- The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has become the first to employ new technology -- developed by a company rooted in the university's research engine -- that uses artificial intelligence to diagnose an eye disease. On June 12, the Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at UI Health Care-Iowa River Landing in Coralville began using technology developed by IDx, the Coralville-based medical diagnostics company. The device, which received approval from U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April, was developed to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes complication that can cause blindness. Called IDx-DR, the device uses software and a retinal camera to take images of a patient's retina. From there, the AI analyzes the patient's images "the same way I do as a clinician" to determine if the patient has the condition, said Dr. Michael Abramoff, president and director of IDx and UI Health Care ophthalmologist.