Volpara and Microsoft collaborate to apply intelligent data analytics to the early detection of breast cancer

Volpara Health Technologies Limited and Microsoft Corp. today announced a new collaboration around breast imaging analytics that will help breast imaging centers analyse clinical, quality and business data to optimise productivity, quality assurance and patient care.

The collaboration comes as Volpara launches the next generation of its cloud-based breast imaging analytics platform, VolparaEnterprise 2.0, which will be unveiled on 27 November at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago.

VolparaEnterprise software is a unique cloud-based solution that enables breast imaging centers to perform rapid quality control checks to optimise the productivity and efficiency of imaging resources, lower costs through the reduction of retakes, increase staff effectiveness and provide objective evidence to demonstrate compliance and quality of care.

The platform’s dynamic, interactive dashboards – built on Microsoft’s Power BI suite of business analytics tools and powered by Microsoft’s Azure integrated cloud-computing services – provide updates with every patient study.

“Breast imaging providers face the dual challenge of maximising the efficiencies and workflow of their facilities while ensuring that women receive appropriate and high quality screening procedures,” said Ralph Highnam, CEO and Chief Scientist of Volpara Health Technologies.

“With Microsoft’s cutting-edge Power BI Embedded tool, VolparaEnterprise software enables facility managers to monitor the performance of their technologists and radiologists over time, ensuring the consistent image quality vital to detecting more cancers at an earlier stage.”

Gabe Rijpma, Senior Director of Health and Social Services Asia at Microsoft, says: “Innovative applications in healthcare data operations such as Volpara’s demonstrate the power of analytics to positively impact public health at an individual level.” 

“We’re pleased to join Volpara in its quest to provide the rigorous analytics that bolster mammography’s ability to detect breast cancer early and save women’s lives,” said Rijpma. 

An award-winning New Zealand–based company with customers in 35 countries, and a member of Microsoft’s Power BI Embedded accelerator program, Volpara relies on Azure for its trusted global cloud and powerful data platform for business intelligence services.

The ongoing collaboration between Volpara and Microsoft will see the development of new analysis tools that pave the way for personalized, predictive healthcare, including sophisticated models to assess women’s individual risk of breast cancer.