Digital & Computational Pathology - Director of GI Pathology, U.S. Pathology Service Provider

The Director of GI Pathology at a US pathology service provider discusses the adoption and implementation of digital pathology in their practice. They share that their company has been fully digital for about a year and a half. They primarily use Philips for their slide scanners, image viewing software, and case management system, and they praise the user-friendliness of the Hamamatsu scanner compared to Philips. The service provider does not currently use any AI image analysis software, but the stakeholder expresses interest in using AI algorithm companies in the future for quantification purposes. The stakeholder mentions that the majority of their digital pathology is H&E, with some IHC work, and they do not expect this to change in the next five years. They highlight the advantages of real-time case review, streamlined tumor conferences, and instant access to reviewed cases that digital pathology provides. They estimate spending around $1.5 million per year on digital pathology and expect this number to double in the next five years. The stakeholder identifies pathologist reluctance and the high startup cost as barriers to adopting digital pathology, particularly among older pathologists. They predict a significant increase in the volume of digitized slides in the next five years and expect efficiency and remote slide review to drive this growth. COVID-19 had a minimal impact on their digital pathology implementation, and they believe that FDA approval for digital pathology will become easier as it becomes more widespread.