Fragmented technology is stifling radiology. Here's what IT leaders can do about it.
Radiology’s problems are usually described as a workforce shortage. Writing in Healthcare IT Today, CIVIE CEO Dhruv Chopra argues that there’s a structural problem underneath it: technology stacks that were never designed for scale, resilience or today’s security threats.
Four to six systems per radiologist
A radiologist moving between a worklist, a viewer, a dictation tool, a RIS and separate billing or communication tools loses time to switching and re-entry, not to reading. Every extra system is another login, another interface to maintain and another place where access settings can drift.
Chopra puts the cost in two columns: the operational cost of delays and non-reading work, and the security cost of a larger attack surface in an industry where breaches are especially expensive.
AI is an architecture decision
The piece makes a point we hear from IT leaders often: AI tends to be bought as a tactical productivity add-on. Chopra calls it “an architectural forcing function” instead. AI that sits outside the core systems inherits all of their fragmentation; AI built into governed, audited platforms can act on the whole record.
Four pillars for IT leaders
The article recommends:
- Governed agentic AI, built into core systems with auditing, rather than bolted on.
- Teleradiology as a continuity layer, so coverage holds through peaks, nights and staffing gaps.
- Unified platforms that shrink the number of systems, interfaces and access points.
- Security as a core requirement, including certifications such as HITRUST.
Where to start
The practical advice is to start with radiologists: map where the workflow actually breaks, reduce application sprawl, build AI into a secure unified platform and extend coverage with teleradiology. As Chopra puts it, “Incremental fixes and point solutions will only add complexity and risk.”
That’s the idea behind the CIVIE platform: RIS, PACS, reporting and revenue cycle on one record, with CIVIE AI working across all of it.
Source: “Fragmented Technology is Stifling Radiology,” Dhruv Chopra, Healthcare IT Today, March 31, 2026.
