CEO of largest public hospital system says he may replace radiologists with AI

Mitchell H. Katz, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, said he is prepared to replace some radiologist reads with AI once regulatory rules change; he raised the idea of pushing New York state regulators to allow AI to read images without a radiologist.

Mitchell H. Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, said at a March 25 panel hosted by Crain's New York Business that he is prepared to replace some radiologist reads with artificial intelligence once regulations permit it. He noted that AI is increasingly used to interpret mammograms and X‑rays and suggested it could expand access to breast cancer screening. Other hospital leaders on the panel described local deployments of AI and favorable early results. Some practicing radiologists publicly criticized the idea and questioned whether AI alone is ready for primary reads. Key points: - Mitchell H. Katz said he is prepared to replace radiologists with AI in some circumstances once the regulatory landscape changes. - A panelist from Westchester Medical Center reported that the AI their system uses misses very few breast cancers and described strong screening performance in their experience. - Katz asked whether New York state regulations should be changed to allow AI to read images without a radiologist, with radiologists serving as second readers when AI flags abnormalities. Summary: If regulators change rules, hospitals could shift initial image reads to AI with human review for flagged cases, which would affect staffing and workflow in imaging. The proposal was raised for discussion among hospital leaders, and any formal regulatory action or timeline is undetermined at this time.