Avatar Medical links 3D anatomy views to Epic at UHealth

Avatar Medical has introduced an integration with Epic that lets clinicians open patient-specific 3D anatomy from within a patient's electronic health record. The first implementation is under way at UHealth - University of Miami Health System.

The integration allows Avatar Medical Vision to launch directly from the patient chart in Epic during consultations and surgical planning. It automatically carries patient context into the software, removing the need for separate searches and repeated data entry across applications.

Avatar Medical's software converts CT and MRI scans into interactive 3D anatomical views for clinical discussions. The images can be viewed in real time without segmentation, and the Epic link is intended to bring those views into routine clinical workflows.

The product is delivered through the Eonis Vision system, which combines Avatar Medical Vision software with Barco's Eonis 3D display. The setup provides a glasses-free 3D view and does not require a headset.

Xavier Wartelle, Chief Executive Officer of Avatar Medical, said the company sees patient understanding as a central use case for the technology.

"Healthcare has invested for decades in technologies that help clinicians understand patients," said Xavier Wartelle, Chief Executive Officer of Avatar Medical. "Our mission is to help patients understand themselves."

Wartelle said the integration could shift where 3D imaging is used in hospitals.

"Three-dimensional visualization has existed since the late 1980s but never made it into the clinic; it's too slow, too complex. That changes now: letting a surgeon pull up a patient-specific 3D view in a couple of clicks, right from the medical record, is what finally unlocks adoption. This is the moment 3D moves from the radiology lab into everyday care," he said.

Clinical use

UHealth - University of Miami Health System is the first health system named as putting the workflow into practice. Clinicians there are using the software in consultations, particularly in discussions involving complex anatomy and treatment planning.

Michael Ivan, Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director of Skull Base Surgery at UHealth and the Miller School, outlined how the system is being used with patients.

"This system provides patients with a detailed 3D view of their individual case," said Michael Ivan, Professor of Neurological Surgery and Director of Skull Base Surgery at UHealth and the Miller School. "By offering a visual representation of their condition, the aim is to support patient understanding and encourage engagement in discussions about their care. The system adds to our practice's existing efforts to enhance communication during consultations and help clarify complex medical information."

Hospitals have already invested heavily in imaging systems, picture archiving and communication systems, and electronic health records. Avatar Medical's approach is to connect 3D imaging more directly to those existing systems so clinicians can use it during consultations rather than as a separate specialist tool.

Avatar Medical was founded in 2020 and says it works with more than 20 hospitals across the US and Europe. The company's technology is FDA-cleared in the US and CE-marked in Europe.

The Epic integration marks a step towards embedding interactive medical imaging into standard patient record systems, with the first live deployment now taking place at UHealth.