Radiology AI vendor Volpara Health inks $7M Department of Defense contract

Radiology vendor Volpara Health has inked a five-year contract to provide breast cancer-related AI services to the U.S. Department of Defense, the two announced Monday. 

The contract will see the Defense Health Agency deploying solutions for advanced mammography reporting, cancer risk assessment and patient tracking across the military health system. Volpara—acquired by Lunit in May for $193 million—said the goal is to modernize screening and patient management. 

Currently, the DHA is responsible for the care of 9.6 million active-duty members of the military, retirees and their families. 

"Working with the Defense Health Agency is a tremendous opportunity to improve healthcare for those who serve our nation,” Teri Thomas, CEO of Volpara and chief business officer of Lunit, said in a Nov. 4 announcement. "Achieving certification to meet the Department of Defense's rigorous security standards demonstrates our commitment to patient care and data security.”

Volpara, which has offices in New Zealand and Seattle, said its Patient Hub solution will help providers to reduce administrative burdens, streamline workflows and boost adherence to breast health guidelines. The Department of Defense has been using previous versions of its mammography reporting software since 1990. 

South Korea-based Lunit said in May that it pursued the acquisition, in part, because of Volpara’s robust repository of over 100 million medical images. This could help to “supercharge” its capabilities and pave the way for “groundbreaking” new solutions, leaders said at the time.