Digitally Driven Care: Integrating AI in Breast Diagnostics Across Europe

Affidea and b-rayz are partnering to integrate modular AI tools into breast diagnostics across Europe. With a focus on clinical support, workflow efficiency and standardisation, the collaboration adapts to local needs while aligning with Affidea’s ESG and innovation goals. Pilots in Switzerland and Lithuania show how tailored AI solutions can enhance care quality and operational performance without disrupting clinical routines.

Key Points

• Affidea and b-rayZ are partnering to enhance breast diagnostics with modular AI tools.
• The AI platform supports image quality, lesion detection and BI-RADS standardisation.
• Tools are adapted to local needs, from centralised centres to decentralised outpatient units.
• Clinical teams receive training, and feedback is used to refine and update the AI solutions.
• The initiative aligns with Affidea’s ESG goals, improving quality, efficiency and sustainability.

Building Innovation into Clinical Strategy

Affidea, a leading European provider of diagnostic imaging and specialist healthcare services, is expanding its commitment to digital innovation through a partnership with the Swiss health tech company b-rayZ. Together, the two organisations are introducing artificial intelligence tools into breast diagnostics to support clinical teams, improve workflow efficiency and enhance the quality of patient care.

With a growing network of 391 centres across 15 countries, Affidea delivers 20 million scans and serves 14 million patients annually, operating over 1,500 pieces of diagnostic equipment. Its scale and consistent governance standards make it well-positioned to integrate advanced technologies, adapting them to local contexts while maintaining internationally benchmarked quality of care. Each country brings a unique healthcare environment, requiring a tailored approach to ensure that technology delivers on its potential without disrupting the consistency of care.

Breast imaging plays a central role in Affidea's clinical strategy. It is embedded within broader oncology and prevention programmes and often delivered in outpatient settings. These services respond to increasing clinical demand and expectations from both patients and referrers for timely, precise and safe diagnostic outcomes. Breast imaging is also an area where the application of digital tools has shown particular promise, not only in detection but in operational support and standardisation. AI tools offer an opportunity to ensure sustainable, high-quality services that are scalable and aligned with evolving standards of care.

Tailored Solutions for Diverse Contexts

The collaboration with b-rayZ focuses on implementing AI modules across Affidea centres to enhance mammography workflows. b-rayZ, co-founded by Professor Christina Rossi, has developed a suite of tools specifically designed for breast imaging, ranging from acquisition quality checks to lesion detection and risk-based triage. Their adaptive AI platform, DENY (Dynamic Evolution Neural Yields), is certified as a medical device and has been built to integrate into diverse radiological environments.

“Our AI is not simply an AI useful for tumour detection, but is a digital space which is completely dedicated to diagnostics.”
Prof. Christina Rossi, CEO and Co-founder, b-rayZ AG

b-rayZ offers five core modules:

• b-Quality, which verifies image acquisition;
• b-Density, assessing breast density as both a risk and masking factor;
• b-Diagnose, supporting lesion and calcification identification;
• b-Class, helping standardise BI-RADS classification;
• and b-Metrics, providing performance monitoring for imaging units.

This modular approach allows Affidea to tailor implementation according to the needs of each site, whether part of a national screening programme or a diagnostic outpatient unit. The system can be scaled and reconfigured as local regulations, clinical teams or infrastructure evolve—an important factor in supporting long-term digital transformation.

Initial implementation of these tools began several years ago. At that time, integration was gradual, and acceptance from clinical teams varied. Training and validation were essential to ensure safe deployment. Over time, however, experience with the tools led to broader use. Today, Affidea uses ten AI solutions across more than 150 centres in ten countries. The AI tools are now embedded into daily routines, contributing to both clinical accuracy and workflow efficiency. In several locations, these tools have become an expected part of the radiology toolkit, reflecting their integration into broader clinical culture.

“When we start the collaboration with an AI company, we want to create a partnership not only on the commercial use of the solution, but on the co-development.”
Dr. Alessandro Roncacci, Chief Medical Officer, Affidea Group

In Switzerland, Affidea’s breast care centre in Brissago provided an early test case for the integration of b-rayZ tools. This centre operates a comprehensive model, connecting screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and follow-up in a single location. AI modules were introduced here to support triage processes and ensure consistent image quality, particularly valuable in a country without a national breast screening programme. The experience in Brissago served as a model for other sites, showing how digital solutions could be aligned with clinical processes. The centre also became a site for knowledge-sharing, where lessons learned were communicated across Affidea’s broader network.

In contrast, countries such as Lithuania posed different operational challenges. Affidea’s network there is composed of multiple decentralised outpatient centres. These facilities serve local populations in an out-of-hospital context and vary widely in terms of resources and workflows. The b-rayZ platform was adjusted accordingly, offering site-specific configurations and support mechanisms. In both cases, the focus remained on ensuring that digital tools were not disruptive, but complementary. This flexibility is particularly important as Affidea navigates different healthcare systems, reimbursement models and levels of AI readiness across its European footprint.

From Deployment to Continuous Improvement

This adaptability is key to Affidea’s approach. Centres are selected for pilot programmes based on infrastructure readiness, clinical leadership and regulatory context. The integration process involves operational and clinical assessment at each stage. Radiographers and radiologists are engaged early and receive hands-on training. Management teams use real-time data to evaluate performance and make necessary adjustments. In many cases, AI tools have helped bring greater consistency to reporting practices and improved communication across care teams. Clinical teams report improved workflow and consistency in reporting, supporting reductions in unnecessary procedures.

b-rayZ’s platform has been designed to function within these real-world conditions. It is not intended as a standalone tool, but as part of an ecosystem that includes patient history, risk assessment, multimodal imaging and clinical decision-making. The AI system does not override human expertise, but complements it—offering a second layer of insight that supports radiologists without altering their autonomy.

The partnership is structured around long-term collaboration rather than one-time deployment. Affidea treats its technology partnerships as iterative engagements, where tools are refined based on clinician feedback, operational experience and evolving clinical standards. This responsiveness is built into the way the tools are managed. Updates to the platform are informed by data from Affidea centres and shaped through regular interaction with field professionals. This cycle of feedback and refinement helps ensure that tools remain aligned with the needs of clinical staff and relevant to patients across different health contexts.

b-rayZ’s willingness to engage in co-development has helped ensure that its tools remain aligned with Affidea’s operational goals and patient-centred mission.

Contributing to Broader Strategic Goals

The benefits of AI integration are not limited to diagnostic accuracy. By supporting image quality and workflow standardisation, the tools contribute to patient safety and reduce the likelihood of unnecessary recalls. BI-RADS support and risk-based triage also allow for more consistent and equitable care. The operational data captured by the tools helps site managers compare performance across regions and implement quality improvement initiatives. For example, local managers can benchmark triage effectiveness, turnaround times and radiologist workloads against regional targets. This level of oversight supports ongoing operational planning and allows resources to be adjusted more accurately.

These efforts complement Affidea’s broader commitment to sustainability, transparency and governance. Since 2023, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) objectives have been integrated into management strategy. A dedicated ESG Director and cross-functional task force oversee initiatives ranging from energy efficiency and digitisation to data privacy and workforce development. Clinical innovation is expected to align with these values and contribute to their achievement.

In the environmental domain, Affidea has implemented paperless systems, conducted a full carbon footprint analysis and partnered with suppliers that prioritise sustainable practices. On the social side, it supports local health and education programmes, promotes inclusion and wellbeing among staff, and contributes to the development of patient-centred care models. In terms of governance, Affidea maintains strict compliance with European regulations and applies rigorous standards for data security and ethical conduct. AI deployment is subject to the same oversight processes, ensuring transparency, auditability and accountability across all operational stages.

AI tools, by improving efficiency and reducing repetition, help reduce the environmental impact of diagnostic imaging. Standardisation reduces variation and supports equitable treatment, while transparent deployment ensures that patients understand the role of technology in their care, strengthening trust and supporting informed decision-making. The ethical use of AI is increasingly central to public expectations of modern healthcare, and Affidea’s processes reflect this reality.

Looking Ahead

The partnership between Affidea and b-rayZ is ongoing. Future developments may include deeper integration of AI into multidisciplinary workflows, extended analytics capabilities and broader clinical applications beyond mammography. Both organisations are committed to ensuring that progress is shaped by clinical needs and operational realities rather than technical novelty alone. There are discussions underway regarding how the platform might support breast MRI and ultrasound interpretation, and how dashboard analytics could help regional managers visualise key quality metrics in real time.

The aim is not to replace radiologists, but to give them better tools to support their decisions, simplify their tasks and improve the experience of care for patients. In this regard, the partnership serves as a model for responsible and effective digital transformation. It shows how technology can be integrated gradually, thoughtfully and with measurable impact. For Affidea, this project is not an isolated initiative but part of a broader effort to modernise healthcare delivery across its network. Through this approach, Affidea is helping set a standard for the adoption of AI in healthcare. It is not just investing in tools, but in systems of care that are safer, more responsive and more resilient.

Conflict of Interests

Spotlight articles are the sole opinion of the author(s), and they are part of the HealthManagement.org Corporate Engagement or Educational Community Programme.