Beyond the PACS: How Sectra Aims to Rewire Radiology with AI

LINKÖPING, Sweden – November 24, 2025 – As the doors open at the Radiological Society of North America's (RSNA) annual meeting, the industry buzz isn't just about sharper images or faster scans. The core challenge is more human: a workforce of radiologists drowning in data and facing unprecedented levels of burnout. Against this backdrop, medical imaging firm Sectra is showcasing a suite of innovations that aim to move the radiologist's workstation from a simple viewing portal to an intelligent, integrated diagnostic hub. Their announcements signal a strategic push to embed advanced AI and next-generation imaging support directly into the daily workflow, tackling complexity and fatigue head-on.

The New Frontline: AI as an Antidote to Burnout

The statistics on radiologist burnout are stark. Studies have shown that nearly half of all radiologists experience symptoms, driven by overwhelming workloads, administrative burdens, and the immense pressure of diagnostic accuracy. The promise of AI in this context has often been a distant one, frequently involving separate applications and disjointed processes that add, rather than subtract, clicks.

Sectra's approach, highlighted at RSNA 2025, is to weave AI directly into the fabric of the diagnostic process. A key feature is the introduction of AI-powered reporting that allows a radiologist to dictate their findings in free-form language while the system automatically structures the text into a formatted, coherent impression. This seemingly simple enhancement targets one of the most time-consuming and tedious parts of a radiologist's day: documentation. By automating this step, the focus can shift from clerical work back to critical diagnostic thinking.

"Radiologists are drowning in complexity—they need tools that simplify, not add more layers," stated Isaac Zaworski, President of Sectra Inc., in the company's announcement. This sentiment perfectly captures the industry's need for solutions that reduce cognitive load. The goal is to create an environment where technology acts as a co-pilot, not another backseat driver. This is further supported by their 'AI as a Service' model, which aims to lower the barrier to entry for healthcare providers, allowing them to activate and deploy validated algorithms from a curated marketplace without lengthy, complex implementation projects. While the AI marketplace is competitive, with established players like Aidoc and Viz.ai offering robust platforms, Sectra's strategy hinges on the power of deep integration within its own highly-regarded ecosystem.

A Quiet Dominance Built on Workflow and Trust

Sectra's market position provides crucial context for these innovations. The company is not a flashy newcomer but a quiet heavyweight. For an astounding 12 consecutive years, its Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) has been ranked #1 for customer satisfaction in the prestigious Best in KLAS report. In the 2024 report, for instance, Sectra PACS scored 88.6 for large centers, significantly ahead of competitors whose scores often languished in the 70s or lower. Furthermore, KLAS research indicates the company is the preferred choice for new PACS contracts among large US hospitals at nearly double the rate of its closest competitor.

This isn't an accident; it's the result of a long-term strategy centered on a unified enterprise imaging platform delivered as a Software as a Service (SaaS). While competitors often stitch together disparate systems for radiology, cardiology, and pathology, Sectra offers a single, cohesive solution. This eliminates data silos and provides a consistent user experience across departments. For hospital administrators, the SaaS model offers predictable costs, seamless updates, and robust, independently certified cloud security.

The RSNA 2025 announcements are a direct extension of this philosophy. By building new capabilities like AI reporting and subspecialty workflows directly into the core platform that users already trust, Sectra ensures that innovation doesn't disrupt the workflow—it enhances it. This customer-centric approach has allowed it to consistently outperform many of the industry's giants, proving that in the complex world of healthcare IT, satisfaction and reliability can be a more powerful competitive advantage than sheer scale.

Integrating the Future: Making Photon-Counting CT a Clinical Reality

Perhaps the most forward-looking part of Sectra's presentation is its integrated support for photon-counting CT (PCCT). PCCT represents a quantum leap in imaging technology, offering vastly superior spatial resolution and better contrast at significantly lower radiation doses. It can visualize minute anatomical details previously invisible, holding immense promise for oncology, cardiovascular disease, and neurodiagnostics.

However, the path to widespread clinical adoption has been slow. PCCT scanners, like Siemens Healthineers' groundbreaking Naeotom Alpha system, are expensive and generate massive datasets that can overwhelm traditional IT infrastructure and viewing software. This is a classic case of hardware outpacing the software ecosystem needed to support it.

Sectra's move to build PCCT post-processing and visualization tools directly into its diagnostic application is a critical step in overcoming this hurdle. By integrating these capabilities into the primary PACS workstation, radiologists can interact with PCCT data without switching to a separate, specialized console. This streamlines the workflow, mitigates the data management challenge, and makes the advanced capabilities of PCCT more accessible for routine clinical use. It transforms a powerful but cumbersome technology into a practical diagnostic tool. This proactive integration demonstrates an understanding that the value of next-generation hardware can only be fully realized when the software is ready to handle its output seamlessly, ultimately accelerating the delivery of safer and more precise diagnoses to patients.

The combination of these efforts—automating tedious tasks, providing a trusted and unified platform, and paving the way for next-generation hardware—paints a clear picture of a company looking beyond the image itself. The focus is on the entire diagnostic ecosystem, recognizing that improving patient care begins with empowering and protecting the clinicians on the front lines.